R&D Economist Circular Economy

As a top European research centre, VITO and its 1,300 employees turn scientific insights into ground-breaking technological innovations, AI solutions and policy advice. We do so with a single objective: to help our world thrive for at least 1,000 more years. 

Within the MatCh (Materials & Chemistry) unit at VITO, we focus on utilizing non-fossil, mineral, and circular resources to make industry more sustainable and enable new value chains. Additionally, existing industrial processes are re-evaluated with a focus on energy and material efficiency. 

At the ADVANCE team, we aim to unlock the potential of the circular economy by providing targeted advice based on our portfolio of methodologies, models, and tools. We work on assignments for both governments and companies, with our research projects operating in Flemish, European, and international contexts (e.g., Horizon Europe). We map the underlying mechanisms of the circular economy, analyse the economic, ecological, and social impacts of circular strategies, and assess the role of technology within the relevant ecosystem. The insights and conclusions we generate support policymakers and businesses in evaluating current strategies and estimating the impact of future policies. 

We are looking for a driven economist to support our interdisciplinary team.  

Some of your tasks: 

• You will work as a researcher in consultancy assignments for policy makers and industry and in funded research projects (e.g. Horizon Europe). 

• Your projects will have a focus on macro-economic assessments (environmentally extended input output modelling as a basis) of consumption and production systems and modelling of policy scenarios. By analysing the links between circularity, competitiveness, and sustainability, your projects contribute to identifying the enabling conditions for a circular transition. 

• Together with your colleagues you will monitor the project progress within the project team, and you will align with the external partners involved. You also communicate the results to our customer. 

• You will contribute to methodological innovation in the economic analysis of the circular economy, including the development of indicators, scenario-based approaches, and survey research, applied across both macro-economic and business-level contexts. 

• You will support the integration of macro-economic modelling capabilities with other approaches (e.g. material flow analysis and life cycle assessments) to evaluate the impact of circular economy policies. 

• You will approach data and scientific literature with a critical and methodical mindset, and synthesize this information into clear, evidence-based analyses. 

• You will contribute to the cooperation within national and European consortia, and you will expand your network with Belgian and European authorities and industrial partners. 

• You will share your knowledge, gain new knowledge, and get the best out of yourself and your colleagues. 

• Finally, you will contribute to the acquisition of projects and the writing of offers and project proposals. 

• You hold a Master's degree in (applied) economics, commercial sciences/engineering, or a similar field, with a strong background in macro- and micro-economics and multivariate statistics / econometrics. A PhD and/or experience with scientific publishing are a plus. 

• You have at least three years of proven professional experience in scientific research or consulting; experience in macro-economic analysis using Input Output modelling is a bonus - preferably in relation to sustainability challenges. 

• You are analytical and have very good quantitative skills. You are able to collect, analyse and synthesise information, make sense of large amounts of data and make recommendations based on solid analysis.  

• You are a proficient user of data analysis software and tools, including at minimum Excel, R and/or Python. Familiarity with other macro-economic modelling techniques and related software tools is considered an asset. 

• You are adept at communicating and writing clear, understandable reports in English. 

• A solid understanding of the institutional context in Europe, whether at EU, national, or regional level, is essential for this position. Candidates should be familiar with how policies are developed and implemented in European settings, and be able to demonstrate relevant academic or professional experience within this context. 

• Knowledge of Dutch is of added value but not required. 

Examples of projects 

• Multiple ongoing projects include the calculation of environmental footprints (from carbon footprint, to material footprint and biodiversity) at regional (i.e. Flanders) and at European level using input-output analysis (https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/global-impacts-from-european-consumption). Assessments focus on economy-wide final demand and on specific product groups like textiles, food, or tourism. Contributing to the development of these models supports the continuation and further improvement of the calculations and strengthens the potential and policy relevance of the methodology.  

• For the European Environment Agency (EEA), you contribute to a modelling exercise for estimating the benefits that increased circularity in Europe would have on climate, biodiversity and pollution. This research also aims to better understand the potential of individual CE interventions to mitigate environmental harm. (https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/circular-economy-could-slash-231-million-tonnes-co2-heavy-industry-year-2025-10-03_en) 

• Together with your colleagues, you will work on the further development of a methodology to assess the environmental and socio-economic impacts of CE interventions and on the application of this methodology to specific case studies such as electronics and food. An example of recently finished work in this domain: Environmental and socio-economic impacts of the circular economy transition in the EU steel sector - Publications Office of the EU 

• As part of a Horizon Europe project, you will design, test, and validate a monitoring framework for sufficiency strategies. The framework will link insights from local experimentation, including the viability of sufficiency-oriented business models, with macroeconomic indicators, enabling multi-level assessment of progress. Importantly, this framework integrates indicators that capture socio-economic perspectives with indicators capturing environmental impacts. 

Offer 

• You have real impact as you look for innovative solutions for today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. 

• You are supported by helpful and fun colleagues that are eager to share their expertise in the field. 

• You will be part of an organization where we show integrity and always strive for mutual benefit in close cooperation with all parties involved. 

• VITO is an international organisation: 40 different nationalities work with us. Our working language is English. 

• On average we meet 2 days a week in our office in Mol. We work ‘activity based’: our activities determine our workplace. For the other days you can choose to work remotely from home or at one of our satellite offices (for example in Leuven or Antwerp-Berchem) depending on the needs of the activity. 

• You will learn life-long and develop your skills further by working with the latest methodologies, tools, and technologies.  

• We consider work-life balance to be of paramount importance at VITO. We are open to discuss your needs at any time and we have a flexible approach to finding solutions.