PhD Scholarship in Agricultural / Environmental and Resource Economics

Do you want to contribute to a cutting-edge research project focused on the environmental and social impacts of pesticide usage in Danish agriculture? And do you want a research education as a salaried and institutionally supported PhD student in Denmark?

The Department of Business and Sustainability at the University of Southern Denmark in Esbjerg invites applications for a PhD scholarship as of August 1, 2024, or as agreed. For more information about the department, please visit the website.

The PhD project proposal
The PhD scholarship is attached to the larger project: “Greener Fields for Safer Plates: Sustainable Pesticide Solutions (SAFEPLATE)” The project is led by Associate Professor Julia Bronnmann and is fully funded by the Carlsberg Foundation. The overall goal of the project is to foster meaningful stakeholder dialogues, to propose innovative strategies for mitigating the negative consequences of pesticides, and to inspire collective action to promote sustainability in Denmark's agriculture. To qualify for the PhD scholarship, you are required to outline an individual research project embedded in the larger project.

The PhD project should research “How much consumers are willing to pay for pesticide-free products or how they prioritize sustainability.” As such you will play a key role in exploring consumer preferences and willingness to pay for pesticide-free agricultural products, with a focus on sustainable farming practices.

When preparing your PhD project proposal, you are strongly advised to consult the general guidelines for preparing a project proposal at the PhD School’s webpage.

We are looking for applicants possessing personal qualities such as curiosity and a strong desire to understand and solve societal challenges. You must be able work independently and—in consultation with your PhD supervisor—prioritize the different aspects of your work. Finally, you are expected to have good interpersonal skills, be interested in engaging with the national and international research community (your supervisor and the department will support you in this), be present and take part in the daily academic and social environments in Esbjerg.

The research Environment
As a PhD Student, you will be embedded in a strong research community that is internationally recognized for excellence in research and a strong commitment to interdisciplinary methods and approaches within the social sciences and beyond. Within the Department of Business and Sustainability, your closest colleagues are those currently in the Management and Economics of Resources and the Environment (MERE) group along with members of the SDU Climate Cluster and three centers on the Esbjerg campus: The European Center for Risk & Resilience Studies, the Danish Centre for Rural Research, and the Danish Centre for Risk and Safety Management (joint with Aalborg University).

The department believes in fostering a stimulating and inspiring environment for both faculty members and students. The department’s ambition is therefore to recruit, develop, and retain talented scholars committed to both academic excellence and departmental development.

The department in general offers a dynamic and entrepreneurial work environment in which collaboration, societal engagement, and team spirit are fundamental parts of the culture. Our department has activities in Kolding, Esbjerg and Sønderborg with approx. 65 employees engaged in research and teaching in the fields of resource and environmental economics, entrepreneurship, marketing, and organizational studies.

Requirements and programme structure
As a PhD Student you will follow an individual PhD plan including course work, conference participation, and knowledge dissemination and/or teaching. PhD Students typically spend three-six months in another research institution abroad. The scholarship carries a monthly salary including pension plus office facilities and financial support for conference travels and research visits abroad. Conditions of employment will be in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

If selected for the position you will be enrolled in the PhD programme at the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences in in Economics or Business and Social Sciences. Applications are invited from candidates with a master’s degree (the 5+3 program). Your employment as a Salaried PhD Student is governed by the agreement of November 10, 2015, on Graduate Employees in government appendix 5 – protocol on PhD Research Fellows. The scholarship runs for three years.

We invite applicants with a relevant master’s degree within social sciences (e.g. agricultural economics or management, environmental and resource economics or management, economics and business management). Moreover, we expect applicants to:

• Have good English skills, both in speaking and writing.
• Have good communication skills.
• Have enthusiasm and talent for academic work.
• Have knowledge in quantitative research methods and be familiar with using software such as R, Stata or the like.
• Be engaged, proactive, cooperative, be able to work independently, showing awareness and confidence in own skills and capabilities.

PhD: Applicants can read the overall qualification criteria for a PhD Scholar in the Scholarly Qualification Guidelines

Contact information
Further information about this position and its academic expectations is available from Associate Professor Julia Bronnmann, e-mail: [email protected]

For further information about the PhD school, please contact the PhD School Secretariat through Charlotte Pilgaard Møller, e-mail: phdsek@sam.sdu.dk

Please be aware that you must apply online through the SDU online recruitment system. If you experience technical problems, please contact [email protected].

Application and assessment process

An application must include:

• Application form found on our web page.
• A project proposal, max 5 pages of 2400 characters each, including spaces, notes, appendices, bibliography etc. The total length in characters including spaces of the project description must be stated on the first page of the project description
• All documents in other languages than Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, English, or German must be translated into English. The project proposal, project abstract, and CV must be written in English. Use of large language models or related AI tools in any capacity must be disclosed in accordance with best academic practices.
• An abstract for the above project description of no more than 250 words
• Detailed CV
• A summary of your master thesis including information on the research question, motivation, employed research method, and key findings (max 1 page of 2,400 characters each, including spaces, notes, appendices, bibliography etc.)
• A certified copy of your master’s degree certificate including all examination results.
• Information on experience with teaching, dissemination, or scientific publication, if applicable

If you do not adhere to the above-mentioned specifications your application can be rejected without further assessment. The department reserves the right to arrive at a decision solely based on the material submitted.

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process.

Applications will be assessed by a committee. When the assessment committee has submitted its report, you will be emailed the part of the evaluation that concerns yourself, and you will know if you are deemed qualified for the position or not. The assessment report is subsequently forwarded to the Head of Department who assembles an appointment committee and determines if one or more of the qualified applicants should be invited to a job interview. The appointment committee will manage and complete job interviews and advise the Head of Department on which candidate should be offered appointment.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now". Uploaded files must be in Adobe PDF (unlocked) or Word format.

Read the guideline for applicants.

Each field can only contain a single file of max. 10 Mb.b.

About SDU and Esbjerg
International applicants will be offered Danish language training as part of the employment. The International Staff Office (ISO) at SDU provides a variety of services for new employees, guests and people who consider applying for a job at the University of Southern Denmark. Among other things, the staff answers questions concerning salary, taxation and housing. Additional information about working in Denmark can also be found at Work in Denmark.

Read more on: SDU’s employment website

SDU is actively working with UN's 17 sustainable development goals, based on free, critical, and independent research and education. The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their age, gender, religious affiliation or ethnicity, or any other personal background.

Placering: Esbjerg, Denmark