PhD Student

Job description

The Ghent Institute for International and European Studies (GIES) is looking for a motivated researcher to pursue a four-year PhD project on European green industrial policy. You will develop a project that examines new policy initiatives in this domain through a political-economic or geopolitical lens.
We offer a full-time position for initially one year. Upon positive evaluation, the position can be extended for three additional years to allow the researcher to complete a PhD on the topic of the project within four years. You will work under the joint supervision of Prof. Thijs Van de Graaf and Prof. Ferdi De Ville (GIES). You will have the opportunity to follow trainings (including through Doctoral Schools), attend international conferences and spend a research stay abroad.
Below, we briefly introduce the problem statement of European green industrial policy and propose some possible research questions.
With the Green Deal Industrial Plan, the Net Zero Industry Act, and the Critical Raw Materials Act, the European Union (EU) has recently embarked upon green industrial policy, following other major powers such as China and the United States. Through green industrial policy, governments try to actively intervene in the structure of the economy to ensure that decarbonization goals go hand in hand with maintaining and strengthening industrial production and employment, and with greater energy security and strategic autonomy. This green industrial policy can be pursued through various types of instruments such as regulations, production subsidies, consumption incentives, public procurement, or trade instruments. Within the multi-level structure of the EU, these instruments can be deployed nationally or supranationally. The choice of instruments and the level at which they are implemented have different consequences for, among other things, the speed of decarbonization, the distribution of economic gains and losses between societal groups and member states and regions, public finances, the unity of the European single market, and the interests of third countries and their relations with the EU.
The doctoral project could, for example, map and explain which instruments at which levels the EU mainly employs in its green industrial policy, and what differences we observe between various green technologies (e.g., wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries). You could investigate the consequences of European green industrial policy for the speed of the energy transition, for growth and employment, and for energy security and strategic autonomy, and what trade-offs and contradictions arise. Alternatively, the project could focus on the external dimension of green industrial policy and investigate the impact on (relations with) other countries, and how the European Union tries to manage these external effects.
We invite candidates for this position to explore these questions or related topics. You will be encouraged to focus on the societal relevance of the project and to involve societal stakeholders in the research.

Job profile

• You hold a Master’s degree in political science, European studies, international relations, public administration, economics or in any other field of social sciences with comparable qualifications
• You think critically, creatively and systematically
• You are strongly motivated to conduct scientific research
• You want to write a doctoral dissertation based on this project
• You can organize and execute this research project autonomously
• You are familiar with theories and research in the social sciences
• You are familiar with qualitative and quantitative research methods relevant for this project, or you are willing to improve your knowledge about these methods
• You obtained excellent study results
• You possess good English speaking and writing skills
• You are a team player, and you are willing to take up some responsibilities in the GIES team (including some assistance with teaching)
• You are motivated to participate in international conferences and to publish in international journals and to share your results with societal stakeholders
  
  

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which - after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
• Your contract will start on Noveber 1, 2024 at the earliest.
• The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by the Department of Personnel and Organization based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits (in Dutch).

How to apply

Send us your CV, your motivation letter, an overview of your study results, a copy of your diploma (if already in your possession) by 1st of September 2024 to ferdi.deville@ugent.be. Preferably, all these documents are merged into a single PDF file.
For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Ferdi De Ville (ferdi.deville@ugent.be)
We also encourage last-year (graduating) students to apply.