Job Description
Job description
The Department of Economics (Environmental Economics group) of Ghent University welcomes a candidate for a full time PhD position in Ecological Economics. The research of the doctoral candidate will be supervised by professors Brent Bleys and Bart Defloor, and part of the non-research tasks consists of assisting in the organisation of the European Society for Ecological Economics (ESEE) conference at the Faculty in June 2026.
The specific topic for the doctoral dissertation will be co-developed during the first 6 months of the position within the research lines of the supervisors: sufficiency measures and sustainable consumption corridors, post-growth policies, Beyond GDP indicators and welfare analysis, (ecological) public finance and policy evaluation. The aim is to apply for a PhD Fellowship at the Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO) in March 2026 by developing a research proposal outlining plans for a 4-year period. The scientific findings from the doctoral research should lead to publications in international peer reviewed journals and should be presented at both national and international conferences.
The PhD candidate will be involved in the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the ESEE2026 conference organized at the Faculty from June 30th-July 3rd 2026. The tasks for the PhD candidate will be clearly outlined at the start of the position, and can include handling the ConfTool account behind the conference, the practical organisation of specific events during the conference, managing the student-volunteers involved in the conference, … Through supporting the organization of the ESEE2026 conference, the candidate will be introduced to the field of Ecological Economics in one of the most unique ways possible.
Doctoral candidates at our Department are required to pass for the Doctoral Schools in order to be able to defend their PhD. Depending on the academic track record of the candidate, the Doctoral Schools consist of 15 to 30 ECTS credits in specialist academic courses and of courses in transferable skills. More information can be found via https://www.ugent.be/eb/economics/en/research/phd-economics.
The starting date is planned at September 15th or October 1st 2025. The PhD candidate has four years to conduct his/her doctoral research.
Job profile
Candidates are expected to have a background in economics and an affinity for ecological and sustainability transitions in general, and in particular public policies to steer behaviour towards sufficiency. We are looking for candidates with a critical and analytical attitude and a sense of initiative.
Other profile requirements:
- You hold a Master’s degree in Economics or a related Master of Science degree, and belong to the top 20% of your class;
- The degree requirements must be met at the start of the appointment;
- You have an interest in scientific research in ecological economics and public economics;
- You can operate both independently and in a team;
- You have organisational/managerial skills and are highly motivated;
- You have good writing and presentation skills;
- You have good communication skills and are interested in involving multiple stakeholders;
- You like to think on a conceptual level about broader sustainability topics such as a sufficiency, post-growth, or a low-carbon society
- You master the English language, written and orally, in an academic context;
Additional positive points:
- You hold a Research Master in Economics;
- You are familiar with the fields of environmental economics, ecological economics, sustainable development, welfare economics, and/or public economics by having taken classes on these disciplines;
- You have experience with organizing large-scale events (e.g. conferences, …);
- You have experience with (policy-oriented) research that translated into published articles, reports, …
What we offer you:
- We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which – after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
- The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by Team Personnel Administration based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales
- All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits.
How to apply
Apply by sending ultimately August 22nd (23:59) an email to Brent.Bleys@UGent.be as follows:
Mention in subject line: “PhD EE – Application name surname”.
Attach into 1 single pdf file:
- Item 1: Cover letter
- Item 2: CV
- Item 3: ‘Diploma’ items, e.g. an overview of your study results, transcript of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
Note that the maximum file size is 10 MB.
Selection procedure:
- 1. Preselection based on the provided documents.
- 2. Selection based on interviews (that will take place on August 27th or 28th).
(decision expected by end of August)
As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.
For more information about the content of this position, please contact Brent.Bleys@UGent.be.
