PhD and Postdoc Position
Degrowth Policies and Politics - MAPS project; University of Barcelona
We are seeking applications for an outstanding PhD candidate and a postdoc researcher to join MAPS (Models, Assessment, and Policies for Sustainability; 2024-2028): This exciting new research project on broadening the range of policy options to help achieve climate neutrality. MAPS coordinators are Dan O’Neill, and Federico Demaria.
There is an urgent need to reconcile human development with sustainability. The lack of evidence for sufficient absolute decoupling between economic growth and environmental pressures means that future trajectories building on economic growth may not be possible. Therefore, high-income countries should move beyond the pursuit of GDP growth as a central policy goal, to ensure human wellbeing and social outcomes and reduce resource use to remain within planetary boundaries.
We are looking for candidates interested in working on post-growth policy making. This project will identify, compare, and critically assess different visions of sustainability, sufficiency, and resilience. It will include both mainstream visions such as sustainable development, green growth, and circular economy, as well as post-growth paradigms such as degrowth, Doughnut economics, and a well-being economy. It will primarily focus on the global North, especially the European context, but will also consider proposals from the global South such as Buen Vivir from Latin America, Ubuntu from South Africa, and Ecological Swaraj from India.
The project will map the policy proposals originating from these different visions, with a focus on alternatives to growth-oriented proposals such as degrowth. It will identify the main barriers that might hinder their adoption, explore pathways and identify criteria to increase the feasibility of alternative policies.
The ideal candidate will have a background in an area such as ecological economics, political science, environmental studies, or other relevant natural/social sciences. Expertise in qualitative research methods would be valued. Knowledge of methods such as conducting systematic literature review, interviews, feasibility studies, surveys, and Q methodology is desirable.
Deadline: 5th January 2025
Selected candidates will need to be based in Barcelona. 100% remote work is not an option.
We strongly value motivation and initiative, along with skills such as problem solving, professional writing, organisational skills, and the ability to work as part of an international team.
Find here below the specific requirements for PhD candidates, and postdocs. Ideally, we are looking for two people, one PhD student, and one postdoc. They would join the existing team working on MAPS, and in particular on this topic related to policy making.
PhD position
Deadline: 5th January 2025
Position: PhD Studentship, Degrowth Policies and Politics
Location: The position will be based in the Faculty of Economics, at the University of Barcelona (Spain), under the primary supervision of Filka Sekulova, and Federico Demaria.
Salary: €22,250 per year for 3 years, plus payment of tuition fees and travel allowance. MAPS funds this position. However, we expect the successful candidate to apply for PhD scholarships, which would allow us to extend the contract from 3 to 4 years.
Starting date: July 2025
Requirement: A first-class BSc and MSc degree (by May 2025) are required. Candidates must have top grades to be considered (e.g. an average of 8/10 or higher in the Spanish system, especially for the Bachelor). Applicants who have fully or partially completed the studies outside of the Spanish university system must submit their grade equivalency declarations issued by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. See the Online platform and the Instructions in English.
How to apply:
- Please fill in this application form.
- Please send your CV (maximum 3 pages), transcripts from previous degrees, grade equivalency declarations, a motivation statement (max 500 words), and grade equivalency declarations for both bachelor and master degrees to Dr Filka Sekulova and Dr Federico Demaria at ecoeco.recruitment@gmail.com by 5th January 2025, 23:59 CET. The subject of your email should be: “Application for PhD on Degrowth Policies and Politics”. We will not consider incomplete applications.
- Please ask two referees to submit reference letters for you to ecoeco.reference@gmail.com by 12th January 2025, 23:59 CET. The subject of their emails should be: “Reference for YOUR NAME – PhD on Degrowth Policies and Politics.”
Online interviews will be held in the last two weeks of January, for this position most likely between the 21 and 23 January. The successful candidate will then be invited to submit an application for admission to the PhD programme at the University of Barcelona by April 2025, and then apply for the scholarships. The successful candidate is expected to start in July 2025; while there can be some flexibility, it should be no later than autumn 2025. You can find more details about these scholarships here, but you are not expected to look into this before the interview.
Post-doc position
Deadline: 5th January 2025
Position: Postdoc position, Degrowth Policies and Politics
Location: The position will be based in the Faculty of Economics, at the University of Barcelona (Spain), under the primary supervision of Filka Sekulova, and Federico Demaria.
Salary: €36,250 per year, plus travel allowance. This postdoctoral position is programmed for one year, yet it can be extended. We can sponsor candidates applying for postdoc scholarships, for example, Juan de la Cierva by the Spanish Ministry of Universities. These scholarships normally last two or three years and their monthly allowances can be topped up from the MAPS project.
Starting date: 2025, flexible
Qualifications
Essential — The successful candidate will have:
- A PhD in an area such as ecological economics, sustainability science, political science, sociology, natural/social sciences, or a related field. Completion of a PhD by the start date of the contract is a requirement for the position.
- A track record of relevant research publications in internationally recognised journals
- Expertise in qualitative research methods (e.g. semi-structured interviews, co-creative workshops, Q methodology, focus groups, etc.)
- Knowledge of post-growth research topics (in particular, indicators and policies for a post-growth economy)
- An interest in ecological macroeconomic models
- An interest in working with policymakers to ensure knowledge exchange and research impact
- Motivation and initiative to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team
- Excellent verbal and written communications skills
- Excellent organisational and time management skills
- Fluency in English
Desirable — The successful candidate may have:
- Expertise in quantitative research methods (e.g. multi-criteria analysis, surveys, system dynamics)
- Experience with policymaking and knowledge exchange
- Experience in facilitation techniques
- Knowledge of additional topics such as public policy, transformation studies, political ecology, human well-being, gender studies, provisioning systems, the policy cycle, or the Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries
- Proficiency in Spanish and/or Catalan, or any other European languages
How to apply:
- Fill in this application form
- Please submit your CV (max 10 pages), PhD diploma, a 1-page cover letter, and a 1-page research proposal to Dr Filka Sekulova and Dr Federico Demaria at ecoeco.recruitment@gmail.com by 5th January 2025, 23:59 CET. The subject of your email should be: “Application for postdoc on Degrowth Policies and Politics.”
- Please ask two referees to submit reference letters for you to ecoeco.reference@gmail.com by 12th January 2025, 23:59 CET. The subject of their emails should be: “Reference for YOUR NAME – Postdoc on Degrowth Policies and Politics.”
Within your 1-page cover letter, please indicate how your skills and experience match the position. Within your 1-page research proposal, please discuss how you would (i) map policy proposals from different sustainability visions, with a focus on alternatives to growth-oriented proposals such as degrowth; (ii) investigate the barriers that might hinder the adoption of post-growth policies; and (iii) explore pathways to increase the feasibility of post-growth policies.
Online interviews will be held in the last two weeks of January, for this position most likely between the 28 and 30 January. The successful candidate will then be invited to apply for the scholarships most relevant to her/his profile and experience. You can find more about these scholarships here, but you are not expected to look into this before the interview.
The MAPS Project: “Models, Assessment, and Policies for Sustainability”
Economic growth is often at odds with environmental sustainability. Despite aspirations for decoupling, evidence suggests that continued growth exacerbates rather than alleviates environmental pressures.
Urgently needed is a paradigm shift towards a post-growth approach, where human well-being takes precedence over GDP expansion. In this context, the EU-funded MAPS project emerges as a beacon of innovation and hope. MAPS aims to broaden policy horizons, integrating post-growth scenarios into major scientific assessments to guide policymakers towards a sustainable future. By incorporating post-growth scenarios into major scientific assessments, MAPS seeks to provide policymakers with a diverse toolkit. Using participatory processes and cutting-edge simulation models, it will explore policies that prioritise human welfare while reducing resource use.
The aim of the MAPS project is to broaden the range of policies, models, and assessments to help achieve sustainability, equity, and human well-being. It is a 4-year Horizon Europe research project coordinated by the University of Barcelona, with nine other partners across Europe.
The successful candidate will join one of the top groups of post-growth researchers in the world. We work closely as a team, and the successful candidate is expected to live and work in the Barcelona area. Barcelona is a dynamic city in the Mediterranean, with a very high quality of life. The University of Barcelona is generally regarded as the top university in Spain, and one of the best in Europe.
We are committed to advancing the careers of junior women researchers, and researchers from under-represented backgrounds, who are encouraged to apply.
