PhD Economics of Climate Policy, Energy Transition and Industrial Decarbonisatio

Organisation
Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative center of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Belonging to the best research universities of Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.

Faculty of Economics and Business
The Faculty of Economics and Business offers an inspiring study and working environment for students and employees. International accreditation enables the Faculty to assess performance against the highest international standards. It also creates an exciting environment of continuous improvement. FEB's programmes, academic staff and research do well on various excellence ranking lists.

FEBRI, the graduate school and research institute of the Faculty of Economics and Business has available one PhD position in the field of Economics of Climate Policy, Energy Transition and Industrial Decarbonisation.

Project description
Climate change mitigation calls for steep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. To realize these reductions, industry and the energy sector must undergo pronounced changes. These changes are closely connected. The decarbonization of industry requires, amongst others, electrifying industrial processes, which is feasible only if the necessary clean energy and energy infrastructure is available at competitive costs. Large-scale investments in the energy sector meanwhile get off the ground only if industry is prepared to electrify its production. The interrelatedness of these two major transitions raises important questions for governments, policymakers, and regulators. How can efficient energy-transition policies support the decarbonization of industry? How can industrial climate policies promote the energy transition? What does the economically efficient design of future energy systems look like? And what role—if any—can technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) and negative emissions play in effectively decarbonizing industry? This project aims to give an economic answer to these—and other—questions using a combination of numerical, empirical, and theoretical techniques, with a special focus on decarbonization of the industry and energy sector in the EU and The Netherlands.

The PhD position is embedded in the Centre for Energy Business and Economics Research (CEnBER - https://www.rug.nl/cenber/) and in the research programme Economics, Econometrics & Finance of FEB’s Research Institute. The project will be supervised by Prof. Machiel Mulder and Dr Roweno J.R.K. Heijmans.
This position is made possible with generous financial support from the Centre for Energy Business and Economics Research, the Royal Dutch Association of large industrial users of energy (VEMW - https://www.vemw.nl/overvemw) and the Dutch Association of Energy Supply companies (Energie-Nederland - https://www.energie-nederland.nl/en/about-us/about-us-1/).

The ideal candidate is ambitious highly motivated and wishes to make a career in economic research as well as to contribute to addressing the pressing societal issue of climate change. He or she has

- Obtained a MSc degree, or equivalent, in Economics, Econometrics, and/or Finance, with excellent results.
- Demonstrated affinity with one or several of the following fields: energy economics, climate economics, environmental economics, regulatory economics.
- Knowledge of European climate and energy policy and societal debate on decarbonization of industry and energy sector.
- Experience working in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, Matlab, Stata, Excel, R).
- Fluency in English, both written and spoken.

Familiarity with the policy context in The Netherlands, as well as the ability to write and speak Dutch, are advantages.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

- A gross monthly salary from a minimum of € 2,901, which increases yearly to a maximum of € 3,707 for a full-time appointment
- Based on the gross salary an additional 8% holiday allowance each year in May, and an additional 8.3 % end of year bonus in December.
- A temporary full-time appointment for a period of four years, under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year. PhD candidates contribute 20% of their time to teaching in years 2-4.

Starting date: Preferably per 1 September 2025

For more general information, please send an email to
febphdvacancies@rug.nl

Prof. Machiel Mulder (for more information on this specific project)
machiel.mulder@rug.nl