PhD student in Sustainability Science

Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) is a research centre on resilience and sustainability science at Stockholm University. The Centre advances the scientific understanding of the complex, dynamic interactions of people and nature in the Biosphere; train the next generation of sustainability researchers and leaders; and engage in collaborations with change agents. It is a joint initiative between Stockholm University and the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The SRC currently employs around 160 members of staff. More information about us, please visit: Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC).

The SRC aims to foster new generations of researchers and academic leaders through our Resilience Research School. The school equips students with a theoretical and practical foundation in Sustainability Science with a focus on resilience in social-ecological systems. Students are encouraged to develop new approaches that integrate methods and concepts from the social, natural and applied sciences. Emphasis is placed on developing student ability to define a problem, develop research methods, and communicate research findings within international scientific and science-policy discussions.

Project description

We are looking for a curious and ambitious PhD candidate to join an interdisciplinary team of researchers at SRC.

A central focus will be on analysing the economic, distributional, and environmental implications of various climate policies, with particular attention to resource efficiency, sufficiency, and the role of labour-market and welfare reforms in shaping transition pathways. Using system dynamics modelling and potentially other modelling approaches, the project will further develop and extend existing models to analyse how policies such as working time reduction, universal basic income, LULUCF measures, and energy efficiency influence energy use, material demand, inequality, employment and environmental impacts. The work will explore rebound effects, and analyse how synergies and trade-offs between policy measures can play out. The project will be carried out in close collaboration with Swedish and international partners, and contribute to a broader effort to make integrated assessment modelling more transparent, participatory and responsive to societal needs.

The PhD position is part of two research programmes: Fair Transformations to a Fossil Free Future (Fairtrans, funded by Mistra and Formas), and WorldTrans – Transparent Assessments for Real People (funded by European Union’s Horizon 2.5 – Climate Energy and Mobility programme under grant agreement No. 101081661). The vision of Fairtrans is that policymaking in Sweden and the EU ensures a fair climate transformation in line with the Paris Agreement. The programme aims to provide transdisciplinary scientific knowledge on a fair climate transformation, engage a broad range of actors to co-produce and inform transformative policies, and establish a lasting research and collaboration environment dedicated to climate transformation. The programme is a collaboration between the SRC at Stockholm University, University of Gävle, and Uppsala University, together with other research institutes and partners from civil society organisations and public authorities. WorldTrans aims to (1) build new communities of integrated assessment models (IAM) experts and users (citizens and stakeholders alike), based on a transparent approach to integrated assessments, (2) to unpack and quantify the potential importance of including heterogeneous human behaviour in IAMs, (3) to identify main feedback loops and policy leverage points for climate-neutrality oriented policies, and (4) to produce quantitatively consistent results for various assessment processes including all three working groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). WorldTrans is a collaboration among 11 universities and research institutes, coordinated by MET Norway.

As a PhD student, you will be embedded in both WorldTrans and Fairtrans. You will also participate in SRC:s Resilience Research School.

The PhD candidate will be employed at the SRC and supervised by Dr. David Collste (SRC), Docent Thomas Hahn (SRC), and potentially more co-supervisors. The PhD student will have opportunities to collaborate with and benefit from other students and researchers with diverse research interests and perspectives. 

Qualification requirements

In order to be admitted to postgraduate education, the applicant must have the general and specific entry requirements. The qualification requirements must be met by the time the applicant is admitted to the PhD program at the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

You meet general entry requirements if you have completed a second-cycle degree, or completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

Specific entry requirements for admission to postgraduate studies in Sustainability Science are that the applicant has a total of at least 30 credits, or equivalent, at advanced level in Natural Science, as well as a thesis of at least 30 credits at advanced level in a relevant subject, or equivalent knowledge.

Selection

The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on their capacity to benefit from the training. The following criteria will be used to assess this capacity:

• Subject knowledge relevant to the research task, including climate policy, sustainable development, economic and distributional analysis, and environmental sustainability.
• Understanding of systems thinking and complex adaptive systems, especially how socioeconomic, environmental and policy variables interact dynamically.
• Familiarity with quantitative modelling approaches, ideally system dynamics, integrated assessment models (IAMs), or related simulation-based methods.
• Ability to work conceptually and theoretically, including engaging with causal mechanisms, feedback loops, policy coherence, and multi-sector linkages.
• Analytical ability and academic writing skills, as demonstrated by a thesis, scientific report(s), research article(s), or other relevant academic output.
• Capacity to work independently as well as collaboratively, preferably in an interdisciplinary research environment.
• Strong communication skills in English, both written and oral.

In addition, the following would be desirable:

• Experience with system dynamics modelling software (e.g., Stella, Vensim, or Python/R-based system dynamics tools).
• Knowledge of Swedish or European policy frameworks, environmental targets, or socioeconomic conditions.
• Familiarity with modelling policy scenarios, climate mitigation strategies, or distributional impact assessments.

Admission Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Stockholm University.

About the employment

We offer a fixed-term employment as a doctoral student according to Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). The period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for four years. As a doctoral student, you should primarily devote yourself to your own doctoral education, but the employment may include work with education, research and administration to a limited extent (maximum 20 %).

A new employment as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, the employment is then renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact

For more information, about the PhD programme or Sustainability Science at Stockholm Resilience Centre, please contact the Director of PhD programme Victor Galaz, phone: +46 8 674 70 83, victor.galaz@su.se or Head of Subject, Professor Örjan Bodin, phone: +46 8 674 76 71, orjan.bodin@su.se.

For more information about the project or the position, please contact Researcher David Collste, david.collste@su.se.

Application

Apply for the PhD student position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. Attach a personal letter and CV as well as the attachments requested in the application form. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.