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PhD Candidate: From Good Intentions to Real Impact - Can AI Support Sustainable Consumer Choices?

Welcome to Maastricht University!

We are offering a PhD position at the intersection of Consumer Behavior, Sustainability, and Artificial Intelligence. You will contribute to interdisciplinary research on how emerging technologies can support more sustainable consumer behavior and decision-making. The position is embedded in two international research communities, offering a rich and collaborative research environment. You will engage in research with both strong scientific and societal relevance.

PhD Candidate: From Good Intentions to Real Impact - Can AI Support Sustainable Consumer Choices?

Our goal: to investigate whether conversational AI can help consumers make choices that better align with their long-term environmental goals. More broadly, you will explore how digital technologies can support self-regulation, decision-making, and sustainable behavior.
Your colleagues: you will be jointly embedded in the Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management (MSCM) at the School of Business and Economics and the Maastricht Sustainability Institute (MSI), with a primary affiliation in MSCM and an active role in MSI's research community.

MSCM is a vibrant and international group of researchers dedicated to high-quality research and education with a strong commitment to societal impact. Research within MSCM spans topics such as consumer behavior, digital marketing, service innovation, supply chain management, data analytics, and sustainable business.

MSI is an inter and transdisciplinary institute focused on sustainability challenges and societal transitions. MSI researchers operate within the complexity of the social-environmental-economic systems in which sustainability challenges exist and aim to combine academic excellence with real-world relevance. MSI research addresses sustainability issues in a broad sense in food systems, cities and circular economy from different disciplines to develop innovative solutions.

This dual embedding reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the project and ensures that the PhD candidate is fully integrated into both research environments. Together, MSCM and MSI provide a unique interdisciplinary environment for studying how emerging technologies can contribute to more sustainable consumer behavior.

You will be supervised by Dr. Kelly Geyskens (MSCM) and Dr. Joana Wensing (MSI).
You will work closely with your supervisors as part of a collaborative research team while gradually developing into an independent researcher. The position combines conceptual development, qualitative research, experimental design, data collection, and advanced data analysis. Through your involvement in both MSCM and MSI, you will benefit from complementary expertise in consumer behavior and sustainability.

The Project

This PhD project addresses one of the key challenges in sustainability research: many consumers want to act sustainably but often struggle to turn these intentions into everyday behavior. At the same time, conversational AI tools are becoming part of daily life and increasingly influence how people search for information, make decisions, and solve problems.

In this project, you will investigate whether conversational AI can help consumers make choices that better align with their long-term environmental goals. More broadly, you will explore how digital technologies can support self-regulation, decision-making, and sustainable behavior.

The project combines insights from consumer behavior, sustainability, psychology, and human–technology interaction. Using a combination of literature reviews, qualitative research, and behavioral experiments, you will contribute to a rapidly growing research area with both scientific and societal relevance.

This position offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of consumer behavior, sustainability, and technological innovation while being part of two internationally recognized research communities.

What you do

As a PhD candidate, you will:
Develop research questions and hypotheses based on existing scientific literature.
Design and conduct a multi-method research program combining literature reviews, qualitative research, and behavioral experiments.
Collect, manage, and analyze qualitative and quantitative data.
Ensure the transparency and reproducibility of research processes and analyses.
Write research papers for submission to international academic journals.
Present your work at international conferences and research seminars.
Participate in doctoral training, coursework, and professional development activities.
Contribute to teaching and student supervision within both departments.

Are you ready to set the course for the years ahead? Then we’d love to meet you.

What you bring

We’re not looking for checkboxes; we’re interested in who you are and what you bring. Do you recognize yourself in this?

Given the interdisciplinary and methodologically diverse nature of this project, you are able to work independently while also collaborating effectively in an international research environment. You bring excellent collaboration and communication skills, allowing you to engage constructively with diverse perspectives, work effectively in teams, and demonstrate openness and resilience. You are adaptable, proactive, and comfortable navigating complexity. You think beyond conventional approaches, demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset, and are not afraid to critically question assumptions. You consider teaching a way to broaden your skill set and knowledge.

Furthermore, you bring:
A completed Master's degree in Psychology, Behavioral Economics, Marketing, Sustainability, Management, Data Science, or a related field before September 2026.
A strong and demonstratable interest in consumer behavior, sustainability, and behavioral research.
Solid quantitative and methodological skills, including experience with research methods and statistics.
Excellent proficiency in English, both verbally and written.

What we offer
At Maastricht University, you’ll work in an international, open, and engaged environment. We offer:

A 18-month contract (1,0 FTE) with the prospect of a 2,5 year extension based on mutual satisfaction.
A gross monthly salary between € 3.059 and € 3.881 (based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week). 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus.
29 vacation days (based on full-time), four additional days off (Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day), and the possibility to accrue up to 12 extra days through compensation hours.
Flexible working hours, a home office allowance, and the option to work partly from home.
Freedom and space to shape your work independently and develop your ideas.
A close-knit community of colleagues to collaborate and grow with.
A solid pension plan via ABP, company fitness schemes, and access to various university sports facilities.
An inspiring work environment in the heart of Europe.

Maastricht University offers a structured PhD program with extensive opportunities for methodological training, professional development, and international networking.

About the School of Business and Economics (SBE)

SBE is an international faculty for economics, business, and policy. We combine academic depth with societal engagement. Our education is small-scale and interactive. Our research focuses on themes such as sustainability, inclusion, and digital transformation. Together, we work on impactful solutions for the world of tomorrow.

Interested?

Want to know more about this position or what it’s like to work at our university? Reach out to

Dr. Kelly Geyskens via k.geyskens@maastrichtuniversity.nl. The end date of the publication is 19 July 2026.

If you apply, please submit the following:
A curriculum vitae (CV)
A motivation letter in which you clearly explain why you are the most suitable candidate for this position. We invite you to highlight your qualifications, experience, and strengths that make you particularly well-suited for this role. In addition, please elaborate on your strong interest in consumer behavior, sustainability, and behavioral research, and how these interests are reflected in your work and ambitions.
Academic transcripts
A one-page research proposal (excluding references): imagine that you have been selected as the PhD candidate. Based on the project description, describe the research direction you would pursue during your PhD. We are not looking for a summary of the proposal, but for your own original research idea that builds on the project's central theme and contributes to our understanding of how conversational AI can support sustainable consumer behavior. There is no single correct answer. We are interested in how you identify an interesting research question, connect it to existing theory, and translate it into a feasible research project.

Your proposal should briefly address:
Research question: What would you like to investigate?
Motivation: Why is this question theoretically and societally relevant?
Research approach: How would you investigate your question (e.g., study design)?
Contribution: What new insights would your research provide?

The proposal should not exceed one page (excluding references).

Applications will be evaluated based on the originality of the research idea, the quality of the theoretical reasoning, the feasibility of the proposed research, and the overall fit with the aims of the PhD project.

Note: applications that are incomplete will not be taken into consideration.

Shortlisted candidates will be notified by 22 July 2026 and invited for an interview on 24 July 2026.

During the interview, candidates will briefly present their proposal and discuss their ideas with the selection committee.

The preferred start date for this position is in the fall (September/October) of 2026.

Apply now via the button below. We look forward to getting to know you!

About Maastricht University
At Maastricht University, we collaboratively seek solutions to help move the world forward. We do this with 23,300 students and 5,400 employees across 5 regional locations, 6 faculties, and more than 70 research institutes. We encourage you to push boundaries and discover new opportunities for yourself and the world around you. Together, we can find the answers for tomorrow.

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

At Maastricht University, we prefer to contact potential candidates directly. We therefore kindly ask that no agencies or intermediaries submit offers or approaches.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.

Job Type: Academic
Faculty/Service Center: School of Business and Economics
Closing date: 19-07-2026
FTE min: 1,0
FTE max: 1,0
Salary min: €3059,00
Salary max: €3881,00
ID job: 3473
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Job Type: Academic
Faculty/Service Center: School of Business and Economics
Closing date: 19-07-2026
FTE min: 1,0
FTE max: 1,0
Salary min: €3059,00
Salary max: €3881,00
ID job: 3473
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