Ph.D. Position - Quantitative Political Economy (Focus: Energy Policy)

(Prof. Aya Kachi) hosted within the Faculty of Business and Economics, the University of Basel, invites applications for a Ph.D. position on Quantitative Political Economy with a focus on Energy Policy.

Over the past years, energy transitions have rapidly become an urgent policy issue for many societies. Feasible transition-policy processes require societies to coordinate and manage competing interests of various members, including governments at multiple levels, local communities, voters and other industrial and special-interest organizations.

The Ph.D. candidate will engage in

a stakeholder data collection project and investigate the role of stakeholders and civil society in energy policy-making. The beginning part of this project will be embedded in an ongoing joint research program between two Swiss Competence Centers for Energy Research: SCCER-CREST (http://www.sccer-crest.ch/) and SCCER-SoE (http://www.sccer-soe.ch/). The initial project involves analyses of Swiss hydropower and geothermal energy strategies. However, during the course of his or her Ph.D., we also strongly encourage the candidate to propose, design and pursue his or her own creative research ideas broadly on energy economics and politics.

The prospective student should have

an MSc, MA, or MPhil degree in Economics, quantitative Political Science or a related field in quantitative social sciences such as Psychology and Sociology. We welcome applications from highly motivated students who have strong social-science based statistical skills or econometric skills. Specialized quantitative skills such as survey experiment methods, social network analysis, spatial econometrics, survival analysis etc. are not required but a plus. Proficiency in English, as well as the ability to work both in a collaborative and independently setting are required. Experience in energy research as well as knowledge of German can be advantages.

The position is part of

an MSc, MA, or MPhil degree in Economics, quantitative Political Science or a related field in quantitative social sciences such as Psychology and Sociology. We welcome applications from highly motivated students who have strong social-science based statistical skills or econometric skills. Specialized quantitative skills such as survey experiment methods, social network analysis, spatial econometrics, survival analysis etc. are not required but a plus. Proficiency in English, as well as the ability to work both in a collaborative and independently setting are required. Experience in energy research as well as knowledge of German can be advantages.

Please send your application

electronically to aya.kachi@unibas.ch as a single PDF file, with the subject line "PhD mobility [your last name]". The application should consist of the following:

• Letter of interest.
• CV.
• Contact details of two referees. (Name, Affiliation, Position, E-mail address, Phone number.)
• Transcripts of your bachelor's and master's programs. (If the original transcript in a language other than English, please submit a translation of the transcript provided by the institution or a certified translator.)
• A writing sample.
• GRE scores (if available).