Fully-funded PhD researcher in Labour Economics

The KU Leuven Department of Economics in Brussels (ECON) is looking for a PhD researcher to carry out doctoral studies in the field of labour economics under supervision of Prof. Nick Deschacht.

• Funding amount: £ 21,000 per annum
• Funding for: UK students, EU students
• Location: Brussels, Belgium

Project

• The candidate is expected to write a PhD in Economics or Business Economics. 
• The research project will critically examine the power of employers to set wages (monopsony) and the labour market implications of this type of wage determination (such as income and wage inequality, gender wage gaps and policy implications). Within this broader project, the PhD researcher will have the freedom to develop his/her personal research.
• The candidate should qualify for and enroll in a doctoral programme, which includes course work in advanced economics. For more information: http://feb.kuleuven.be/eng/leuven/edu/phd/
• The candidate will be engaged in limited teaching activities (c. 20 teaching hours per year plus exam supervision).

Profile

• You have a strong interest in economics and labour market issues relating to wage levels and income distribution.
• You hold a Master’s degree in Economics, Business Engineering or Applied Economics (preferably at MPhil level). Other candidates with a strong background in statistics or mathematics will also be considered. Students currently in their last year are encouraged to apply.
• Excellent academic track record. The minimum requirement is at least one distinction (68% average grade) or international equivalent.
• Excellent language skills in spoken and written English.
• Good knowledge of quantitative methods or econometrics and a strong motivation to further develop your skills in this domain. Knowledge of causal inference methods and Stata are a plus but not a requirement.

Offer

• We offer a full-time PhD scholarship for 1 year, extendable to 4 years after yearly positive evaluation. 
• Remuneration is at the level of a full-time research assistant at a Flemish university (i.e. approximately 1,900 euro net per month).
• A stimulating work environment that will allow you to develop your research and teaching skills in a group that conducts research at the highest international level.
• Your main office will be at the KU Leuven campus in Brussels.
• Starting date: October 1, 2017 (or another date upon agreement).

 

Interested?

To apply for this position, please click on the link below to use the KU Leuven online application tool and upload (1) a motivation letter, (2) your cv, (3) a grade transcript (a list of the grades you obtained for recent courses; include test scores if available such as GRE, GMAT or TOEFL), (4) a sample document you wrote in academic English or Dutch (e.g. an assignment paper or a part of your Master’s thesis). 

For more information please contact Prof. Nick Deschacht, nick.deschacht@kuleuven.be.