Job Description

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for f reedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike.

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located.

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

2 - Position description

The Faculty Social Sciences & Solvay Business School, Department Communicatiewetenschappen, research group Studies in Media, Innovation and Technology, is looking for a predoctoral researcher

More concretely your work package contains:

StreamSCAPES is an EU / Horizon Europe-funded initiative that aims at analyzingand driving sustainable climate transition of video-on-demand platforms. The VUB is one of the research partners involved in this European interdisciplinary project, through its SMIT research centre.

You will conduct research and innovation activities to analyse carbon footprint in video streaming activities and support VOD services in their efforts to assess and reduce such footprint, in particular in their production and distribution activities. You will take an active participation in, and eventually lead, “sustainable business clinics”where you will provide practical guidance and support to small companies, fostering the improvement of their business models in alignment with environmental and economic sustainability goals. You will contribute to:

• Guideline development;
• Coaching sessions: implement coaching sessions within the sustainable business clinics. The focus is on assessing and reducing the companies’ carbon footprint while taking into account the business and market conditions;
• Individual strategies and roadmaps: utilise the coaching sessions to identify various options for stakeholders and develop individual strategies and roadmaps for each partner. This personalised approach ensures practical and actionable steps for realising the potential of sustainable business practices.

During the sustainable business clinics, we will use the Green Producers Tool, the carbon calculator developed by one of the StreamSCAPES partner, the Green Producers Club. Therefore, the sustainable business clinics also provide the opportunity for the Green Producers Club to test their calculator prototypes, providing valuable feedback for continuous refinement.

Besides, you will contribute to an analysis of the value network of VOD services, to provide a high-level analysis of how they insert in audiovisual ecosystems, considering both economic and environmental aspects.

Your tasks will include

• Business models and value network analysis
• Lead or proactively contribute to the sustainable business clinics
• Literature review and desk research
• Daily project management and reporting to coordinator
• Working on publications (peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters) and presenting research findings internally and to a broader academic community

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base.

3 - Profile

What do we expect from you?

• • Master’s degree in management, economics, communication/media studies, engineering (industrial ecology, environmental/sustainability, computer science/ICT/network), data science/analytics, or a closely related field. You can proof you finished your studies with outstanding academic results.

• • Good knowledge of video-on-demand from a business and/or technical perspective is a strong asset
  • Experience with business modelling and company coaching is another strong asset
  • Ability to work independently, good self-management and planning skills
  • Teamwork skills
  • Flexible attitude when working in a dynamic environment with a variety of professional interlocutors
  • Interdisciplinary mindset
  • Analytical thinking and strong communication skills in English (including academic writing skills)

• As a (non-)EEA national, meet the conditions for obtaining a valid permit for VUB and comply with the VUB residence requirements. More info here

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

4 - Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

You’ll be offered a contract, for an assignment of 1 FTE, for 12 months (extendable, on condition of the positive evaluation of the research activities), with planned starting date 01/02/2026

You’ll receive a salary linked to one of the scales set by the government.

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike;
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques;
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps;
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
• And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.

5 - Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?

Then apply, at the latest on 12/12/2025, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:

• your CV;
• your motivation letter;
• your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni).

Our application process is as follows (subject to change):

• step 1: an initial selection based on your application file;
• step 2: a job interview.

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Heritiana Ranaivoson at hranaivo@vub.be or on 026148540.

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.