Post-doctoral position in Sustainable Business Models research - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) is an international and interdisciplinary centre of excellence at Lund University. We advance knowledge on how to catalyse the transition to low-carbon and resource efficient economies across different levels of governance and management. We conduct research across the themes of international and national policy intervention, urban governance and experimentation, business management and practice, and consumption governance.

Subject description

The subject area of this research is Sustainable Business Models (SBM), defined as economically viable, environmentally sustainable and socially just. It is transdisciplinary in nature, situated at the nexus of business and management, sustainability assessments and policy studies and engaging with societal actors in knowledge co-creation. The research is to be conducted in the frame of the QUEST project, funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The project aims to study:

1. MODELS AND IMPACTS: What are SBMs and their impacts from the life cycle perspective, and how are these assessed?
2. CONTEXT AND ACTORS: What are the contextual factors and actors enabling SBMs in a business ecosystem?
3. INTERACTIONS AND CONDITIONS: What are the interactions, conditions and break-even points that enable SBMs in a business ecosystem?
4. ACTION POINTS: What actions can actors undertake to support and advance SBMs?

Work duties

The main duties involved in a post-doctoral posistion is to conduct independent research and contribute to the development of new knowledge. Teaching and related duties may take up to 20% of working hours. The position shall include the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning.

Detailed description of the work duties:

• Research within the subject area, in particular:

- MODELS AND IMPACTS: map, explain and visualise the prevailing archetypes and configurations of SBMs (e.g., circular, PSS, sharing, reuse), synthesise knowledge on their potential and actual sustainability impacts, and evaluate tools for their sustainability assessments with the help of systematic literature review;

- CONTEXT AND ACTORS: synthesise the state of knowledge about contextual factors and actors that enable SBMs and help avoid their break-even points in business ecosystems with the help of narrative literature review;

- INTERACTIONS AND CONDITIONS: analyse and visualise knowledge about interactions and conditions enabling different SBM archetypes with the help of causal-loop diagrams, including requirements and break-even points to increase the sustainability of different SBMs;

- ACTION POINTS: identify what conditions, drivers and gaps that should be addressed through specific actions by actors, such as policy-makers, in consultation with the project’s expert panel.

• Active collaboration with industry representatives and policy makers on different levels in order to complement the state of art understanding of the subject area and identify new opportunities for action;
• Communication and outreach of research results via multiple channels;
• Teaching in MSc and PhD programs;
• Administration related to the work duties listed above.

Qualification requirements

Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed no more than three years before the last date for applications. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Additional requirements:

• Excellent written and oral proficiency in English;

Assessment criteria and other qualifications

This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers.

Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject.

For appointments to a post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• A good ability to develop and conduct high quality research.
• Teaching skills.

Additional assessment criteria:

Familiarity with social science research methods (both qualitative and quantitative) and various sustainability assessments, as well as experience with software aiding literature review, such as Nvivo The candidate must have the capacity to independently carry out and successfully finalise research, and thus a proven record of relevant peer-reviewed academic publishing The candidate should have good communication skills and experience of cooperation with societal actors

• A proven record of outreach activities/products (conference papers, public speeches, podcasts, videos, blogs, websites)
• S/he should have the ability to create own research networks and to disseminate own research
• Experience with organising workshops is desired

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

Terms of employment
This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of a maximum of 2 years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S, OFR/S and SEKO, dated 4 September 2008.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English. Please draw up the application in accordance with LTH’s Academic qualifications portfolio – see link below. Upload the application as PDF-files in the recruitment system. Read more:

http://www.lth.se/english/working-at-lth/to-apply-for-academic-positions-at-lth/