Utrecht University School of Economics (U.S.E.) is offering one fully funded three-year PhD position. The candidate is expected to conduct high-quality research in the field of public economics, resulting in a doctoral dissertation. You can watch the video Utrecht University School of Economics: the Real World Perspective if you would like to know more about working at U.S.E.

The candidate will be involved in the project ‘Green investments, insurance decisions, and their relation to risk and social preferences’. The aim of this project is to study to what extent risk and ambiguity in the context of insurance and investments are influenced by climate-change induced uncertainty, and how it affects individuals’ willingness to pay or invest. The study will involve the fields of behavioural economics, behavioural finance and possibly development economics. The candidate will also have freedom to pursue their own research interests. 

The position involves participating in international conferences, workshops, and possible research stays as well as interaction with various stakeholders, including policy makers. Candidates are also expected to do a limited amount of teaching (0.1 FTE) in the Bachelor’s and/or Master’s programmes of the School. The teaching language is English.

The ideal candidate is expected to have:

• a (Research) Master’s degree in a discipline relevant to the PhD project (preferably Economics, Finance, or another quantitative discipline);
• excellent study results and analytical skills;
• experience with empirical methods of causal inference and/or (field) experiments;
• a willingness to master other empirical methods;
• a desire to work independently;
• an interest in and motivation for scientific research;
• good command of spoken and written English;
• some programming experience is a plus.

Candidates are selected on the basis of their CVs, academic qualifications, motivation, and interview(s) with the supervisor.

We offer a temporary position (1.0 FTE), initially for one year with an extension to a total of three years upon a successful assessment after 18 months, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period. During this time, 90% of the position is reserved for research and 10% is dedicated to teaching activities. The gross salary starts with € 2,541 per month in the first year and increases to € 3,247 per month in the fourth year of employment (scale P according to the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities) for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year. 

In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, professional development, (partly paid) parental leave, sports and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

The Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance is a faculty at the heart of society, with a strong focus on social issues. Our subjects of Law, Economics and Governance give us a strong mix of academic disciplines that complement and enhance each other. This is a unique combination and a mark of our faculty's strength.

The Utrecht University School of Economics (U.S.E) is part of the Faculty of Law, Economics, and Governance of Utrecht University. U.S.E. aims to contribute to an economy where people flourish by taking a broad view on welfare and its causes. We aspire to be an internationally renowned school of economics, with scientifically rigorous and socially relevant research and education. We enrich economics with other disciplines to better solve problems and identify opportunities, from a business as well as government perspective.

Well-being, cooperation, innovation and curiosity are our core values. U.S.E. maintains an excellent international network of academic relationships and is continuously working on extending this network. It teaches its curricula entirely in English. U.S.E. is an important contributor to the Utrecht Centre for Entrepreneurship, the Utrecht University Social Entrepreneurship Initiative, the European Centre for Alternative Finance and the Sustainable Finance Lab and is involved in Utrecht University's research themes 'Institutions for Open Societies' and 'Pathways to Sustainability'.