The Chair of Environmental/Resource Economics and Sustainability of the Faculty of Management and Economics is looking for a

Research Associate / PhD Student (m,f,x), for 3 years with 29,8725 hours per week (TV-L E13)

The research focus of the Chair of Environmental/Resource Economics and Sustainability (Prof. Dr. Andreas Löschel) is on environmental, climate and energy economics as well as sustainable human behaviour. Methodologically, the chair deals with modelling as well as experimental and empirical work. A large part of our work is funded by third-party projects.

extent: part-time
duration: temporary beginning: as soon as possible
application deadline: 05.11.2024

The PhD student will focus on the incentives and behavioural dimension of this topic: how to incentivise consumer flexibility through behavioural change and design effective demand response interventions. In particular, the PhD student will use behavioural experiments and other tools of economic analysis to understand what behavioural and structural conditions can facilitate/hinder household engagement with demand response contracts, customisation and automation of energy flexibility. This PhD position is one of 15 positions funded under the MSCA Doctoral Network (DN) Consumer Energy Demand Flexibility in Electricity Use (CoDeF). More information about the project can be found here. Your supervisor will be Prof. Dr. Andreas Löschel and you will join the PhD Programme in Economics at Ruhr-University Bochum. You will also become part of the Center for Environmental Management, Resources and Energy, a hub that incorporates business administration, economics and legal perspectives and advances the inter- and transdisciplinary social-ecological research in conjunction with other faculties at the Ruhr-University Bochum.

Your tasks:

Research in using behavioral experiments to incentivise consumer flexibility
Publication (also as co-author)
Participation in CoDeF activities
Academic self-governance

Your profile

Master’s degree in economics or related discipline (must have been awarded by the agreed-upon starting date of the PhD)
Strong quantitative and analytical skills
Very good written and spoken communication skills in English (for non-native speakers, a certificate indicating at least C1 level needs to be submitted).
In line with Marie Slodowska-Curie Action requirements, eligible applicants to PhD programmes in Germany must not have lived in the Federal Republic of Germany for more than 12 of the last 36 months.
At the time of application, the applicant's place of residence must be outside Germany
Desirable:
Training and/or experience in behavioural and experimental economics.
Training and/or experience in economic data analysis using R, Stata, Python, or similar.
Interest and enthusiasm for energy and climate policy.