PhD fellowship at the Department of Food and Resource Economics

Social Sciences/Economics

The Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO) is inviting applications for PhD scholarships to start up in August 2024 or later.

IFRO carries out pure basic and applied social science research and has a number of educational and public sector advisory service responsibilities within our thematic fields. We are characterized by a high involvement in interdisciplinary research at both international and national levels.

Research areas
The relevant research areas for the PhD scholarships are within the following thematic areas covered by the four larger research groups at IFRO:

  • Environment and natural resources, which includes environmental valuation methods, behavioural economics, the economic regulation of environmental externalities and natural resource use, environmental sociology and governance, conflict resolution, climate change policies, forest economics and management, fishery and aquaculture economics, energy economics, biodiversity conservation, and environmental ethics.
  • Production, markets, and policy, which include production economics, applied micro-economics, efficiency analysis, Innovation studies, sustainability transitions, management science, organization and ownership, policy design and analysis, business economics, agricultural and food economics, policy and regulation, trade negotiations and agreements, and the impact of international trade in food and natural resources.
  • Consumption, bioethics, and regulation, which include food economics, food sociology and policy, law, consumer behaviour and policy, nutritional policy studies and nutritional sociology, and public health economics and policy in the human and the animal science fields. It also includes ethics and value aspects of food production, nutritional policy, animal husbandry, companion animals, veterinary practices, and the management of the environment and natural resources,
  • Global development, which includes interdisciplinary research on economic, political, environmental, and institutional dynamics in developing societies. Research areas include livelihoods, small-scale industry, trade, and labor; climate change mitigation and adaptation; forest and natural resource management; resource conflicts and governance; and state formation and law.

Who are we looking for?
Applicants should hold an MSc degree related to the thematic areas mentioned above with outstanding results and English language skills. As criteria for assessing your qualifications, emphasis will also be laid on previous publications (if any), relevant work experience and the quality of the applicant's proposed non-binding research idea.

Applicants are encouraged to submit a brief (maximum 3 pages) non-binding research proposal to illustrate general interest and ability to formulate a research idea. The final research topic for each employed applicant is decided upon in dialogue. The Department may propose topics relevant to the applicant's' profile, which are better fits to ongoing activities, are funded through existing project grants and/or hold greater potential.

For inspiration, we recommend carefully looking at the Department's homepage, staff and publications.

The PhD programme

Depending on your level of education, you can undertake the PhD programme as either:

Option A: A three-year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme) if you already have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master's degree.

Option B: An up to five-year full-time study programme within the framework of the integrated MSc and PhD programme (the 3+5 scheme) if you do not have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master's degree – but you have an education equivalent to a Danish bachelors's degree.

Option A: Getting into a position on the regular PhD programme

Qualifications needed for the regular programme
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme equivalent to a Danish master's degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the the thematic areas mentioned above. For information on eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full-time and for a maximum of 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

The terms of employment and salary are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Taxtaion and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Option B: Getting into a position on the integrated MSc and PhD programme

Qualifications needed for the integrated MSc and PhD programme

If you do not have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master's degree, you might be qualified for the integrated MSc and PhD programme if you have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish bachelor's degree. For information about whether this is relevant, see: General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.  

Terms of the integrated programme
To be eligible for the integrated scholarship, you are (or are eligible to be) enrolled at one of the faculty's master programmes related to the thematic areas mentioned above.

Students in the integrated programme will enroll as PhD students simultaneously with completing their enrollment in this MSc degree programme.

The duration of the integrated programme is up to five years and depends on the number of credits you have passed on your MSc programme. For further information about the study programme, please see: www.science.ku.dk/phd, "Study Structures".

Until the MSc degree is obtained (when exactly two years of the full 3+5 programme remains), the grant will be paid partly in the form of 48 state education grant portions (in Danish: "SU-klip") plus salary for work (teaching, supervision, etc.) totalling a workload of 150 working hours per year.
A PhD grant portion is currently (2021) DKK 6.321 before tax.

When you have obtained the MSc degree, you will transfer to the salary-earning part of the scholarship for two years. At that point, the terms of employment and payment will be according to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks in both PhD programmes

  • Complete and pass the MSc education in accordance with the curriculum of the MSc programme (ONLY when you are attending the integrated MSc and PhD programme)
  • Carry through an independent research project under supervision 
  • Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
  • Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
  • Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
  • Prepare and submit publications – typically for high-end journals relevant to your field of study or, in some cases, a monograph depending on your field of study
  • Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

  • Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
  • Relevant publications
  • Relevant work experience
  • Other relevant professional activities
  • Curious mindset with a strong interest in the thematic areas mentioned above
  • Good English language skills

Application and Assessment Procedure
 Your application, including all attachments, must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include: 

  • Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
  • Curriculum vitae, including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant to the position
  • Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.
  • Publication list (if possible)
  • Reference letters (if available)
  • Applicants are encouraged to submit a brief non-binding research proposal (maximum 3 pages) to illustrate general interest and ability to formulate a research idea. The final research topic for the applicants hired is decided upon in dialogue. The Department may propose topics relevant to the applicant’s profile, which are better fits to ongoing activities, are funded through existing project grants and/or hold greater potential.

Application deadline:

The deadline for applications is  Sunday 21st April 2024, 23:59 GMT +2.

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline and not to consider applications that do not meet the above-mentioned requirements.

The further process
After the deadline, applicants will be academically assessed. The assessors will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above-mentioned research area, techniques, skills, and other requirements. The assessors will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Based on the assessments, the most qualified applicants will be invited for interviews, which will be held from late June to early August.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the Deputy Head of Department for Research, Mariève Pouliot, at +45 3533 1990, mapo@ifro.ku.dk, or to Head of Department, Bo Jellesmark Thorsen, at +45 3533 1700, bjt@ifro.ku.dk.

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School's website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position. 

Deadline: 2024-04-21 at 23:59
Unit: Social Sciences/Economics

Read the job description at the university homepage or apply.