Doctoral student in Economic History - innovation in the forestry sector - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Assigned duties

Those appointed to doctoral studentship shall primarily devote themselves to their studies, aimed to result in a doctoral degree. Work carried out during the studentship consists of participation in research projects as well as successful participation in postgraduate (third-cycle) courses. Those appointed to doctoral studentships may also work, to a limited extent, with educational tasks and administration at the Department of Economic history. However, duties of this kind may not comprise of more than 20 per cent of a full time post.

The PhD position is linked to the research project SWINNO 3.0: Significant new products and processes in Sweden 1970 to present, financed by VINNOVA (Sweden’s Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems), and is linked in particular to a sub-project concerning the Swedish forestry sector. The PhD student will work in this project in collaboration with other project members.

Eligibility / Admission requirements

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she has:

• Been awarded a second-cycle degree; or
• Satisfied the requirements for courses comprising of at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle; or
• Acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

(Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 7, Section 39)

Specific admission requirements for doctoral studies in each subject are specified in the relevant general syllabus, available at https://www.lusem.lu.se/study/phd

Other requirements

A proficient level of Swedish and English is required in both written and oral communication.

Basis of assessment

Admittance of a doctoral student is based on an assessment of the candidate’s ability to benefit from third-cycle studies.

The applicant’s ability to benefit from third-cycle studies and research will be assessed with reference to the selection criteria stated in the relevant general syllabus for third-cycle studies, available at https://www.lusem.lu.se/study/phd

Applicant’s general competence:

• Quality and content of previous written work, such as a Master’s thesis.
• Ability to participate actively in the Department’s research environment.
• Ability to perform independent scientific work.
• Documented experience of working with historical databases and quantitative methods
• Documented experience of working with qualitative methods (interviews and text analysis)
• Proficiency in written and oral communication 
• Relevant educational background
• Other relevant experiences for third-cycle education, such as work experience.

We are interested in applicants with a strong commitment and interest in innovation from an economic-historical perspective, especially environmental innovation, using both qualitative and quantitative methods based on historical databases.

Project

The sub-project uses the SWINNO database as well as other source material, such as company interviews and energy historical statistics, to answer questions about environmental innovation in the forest industry. The Swedish forest industry has been internationally prominent in terms of achieving reduced emissions (e.g., AOX and sulphur dioxide). A first question is what role innovation played in the successful reductions in emissions in Sweden, especially since the 1970s and recent years. Previous research has suggested that there were clear and sustained changes in energy intensity (energy to GDP) in WWI, WWII and the oil crises of the 1970s. What drove these changes? Were there specific innovations that had a significant impact? What innovations were the most important?

A second question is which factors were crucial in explaining successful innovations in the long term. Have economic and energy crises stimulated innovation? What role did business partnerships or state aid play? What role did legislation and policy factors play in promoting environmental innovation in the forest industry?

Terms of employment

Fixed-term employment, maximum four years (fulltime studies).

Only those admitted to third-cycle courses and study programmes at a higher education may be appointed to doctoral student.

For regulations concerning employment of doctoral students etc, see the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 5, Sections 1-7.

For regulations concerning admission to third-cycle courses and study programs, see the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 5, Sections 34-41.

Application procedure

Please use Lund University job application portal when applying: http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/about/work-at-lund-university

The application must be written in English.

The application should contain:

• Personal letter in which the applicant gives a short description of him/herself and his/her research interests and its relevance for the project.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Grade transcripts.
• Master thesis or similar degree projects.
• If appropriate, documented language skills relevant for third-cycle studies.
• Other documents that the applicant wishes to submit.

The applicant is encouraged to name a maximum of two teachers or researchers who can give recommendation letters, but we do not consider recommendation letters with the application.