Doctoral student in Sustainable Energy Systems Evaluation

The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) at Lund University was founded in 1994 and has since developed genuine interdisciplinary education and research with focus on strategies for sustainable development. The Institute facilitates a great number of external research and development projects as well as two international master programs. More information is available on the Institute's website www.iiiee.lu.se. The working language of the Institute is English.

Subject description

The doctoral student will work within the project “Capacity for Assessment of Socio-economic Implications”.

The general research area is defined by investments in new industrial facilities and infrastructure in Sweden that are part of the country's transition to a climate-neutral energy system. Driven by forces such as climate goals and market pressures for sustainable products and services, the ‘transition’ is a historic development that affects all of society.

The central focus of the project is on building knowledge of both the form, and the significance, of flow-on socio-economic, and sustainability, effects of major energy-related projects that are part of the transition

The project requires an interdisciplinary approach, and will employ two doctoral students - one at Lund University (IIIEE), and one at The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). The project is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency and the doctoral students will be part of the national interdisciplinary graduate school in Energy Systems (FOES).

The general aim of this project is to increase the capacity of academia, industry, and regional/municipal authorities, to manage key socioeconomic changes in regional energy-related infrastructure and their enfolding energy systems.

The underlying challenge that the project addresses is that transformative energy-related infrastructure initiatives impose extensive social and economic side-effects upon host regions and between regions. While such projects offer extensive opportunities for new jobs and new opportunities for companies with direct or indirect connection to the ventures, they can also have unexpected or negative impacts. Among others, such include induced changes to the form and function of: host communities; demand for community services; housing and infrastructure markets; energy system function, and more. For opportunities to be maximised, and challenges ameliorated, improved information for planning is required by decision makers that span industry, regional and municipal authorities, and political spheres.

Thus, more specifically, the project is to both develop knowledge among energy system researchers, and build capacity to provide foresight into key regional socioeconomic changes and sustainability issues that relate to energy-transition infrastructure projects. In turn, the project is to enhance the abilities of decision makers in industry, and regional and municipal authorities as they seek to maximise socio-economic and environmental potentials.

Central to efforts to build capacity for assessment will be the application of the Regional Analysis and Forecasting System (Raps), a Swedish Multi Regional Input/Output model. Raps is applied for both forecasting and analysis of the socio-economic effects of projects upon regional economies and society. Empirical research work is planned with 4-5 large Swedish ‘energy-transition’ projects. Cases will span activities in areas such as: electrical energy storage; carbon sequestration; advanced renewable fuel production; and the hydrogen economy. The project will also contribute to the development of an energy module complementing the Swedish Raps.

The doctoral student at the IIIEE will have primary focus on the evaluation tasks focused on socioeconomic development parameters such as consequences for employment, demography, housing markets and immigration/emigration within the case studies. This will also take into account issues such as how gender, or group affiliation, affect access to positions of power, resources, and decision-making.

The IIIEE doctoral student will also collaborate closely with the KTH doctoral student. KTH work is to have more focus on the evaluation tasks that focus on engineering parameters, development of the modelling tool, and techno-economic analysis or modelling within the case studies.

We offer
Lund University is a public authority, which means that employees receive particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme.

Read more on the University website about being an employee of Lund University: Work at Lund university

Work duties

The position will be based at the IIIEE, Lund University, and the doctoral student will also be a part of the national interdisciplinary graduate school in Energy Systems funded by the Swedish Energy Agency. The candidate is required to participate in the activities organised by the graduate school in Energy Systems including a third cycle course package of 30 credits.

The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties can also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

Being part of the project, the position includes: the conduct pf high-quality research; publishing in international scientific journals; provision of relevant recommendations to societal actors; input to the development of user-oriented outputs, and organization and/or participation in project related events.

The research will require a combination of methods for data collection and analysis. It is anticipated that this will include survey work, case study documentation, interviews, workshops, document reviews and MRIO modelling. The doctoral student will also contribute to impact and communication activities throughout the project.

The work will involve a significant amount of travel. Among other things, this will be undertaken in order to attend/participate in:

• courses and meetings arranged by the national graduate school in Energy systems;
• courses convened by Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket) related to the Raps tool;
• project fieldwork;
• conferences and dissemination events.

Admission requirements

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if the applicant:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Sustainable Energy Systems Evaluation if the applicant has:

• a Master’s degree in a relevant, preferably multi-disciplinary, field (e.g. economics, energy and environmental science, statistics, engineering, planning or organisational studies), or
• other similar multidisciplinary studies that combine aspects of engineering, sociology, economics and the natural sciences

Additional requirements:

• strong oral and written proficiency in the English language.

Assessment criteria

Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following:

• Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study.
• An assessment of ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
• Written and oral communication skills
• Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience.

Other assessment criteria:

• documented skills or knowledge in areas such as industrial energy processes, energy systems, environmental management/policy, statistics, or economics are desirable, as is knowledge of scenario building;
• documented skills or knowledge related to gender and equality issues;
• experience of data management and processing, or work with various data sources ranging from national statistics and databases to empirical data collection via interviews, focus groups, expert panels and case studies;
• experience of the evaluation of environmental, economic and social impacts of societal projects or economic activities;
• strong collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant, through his or her experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

As the project will involve considerable contact with Swedish speaking industries, authorities, and institutions, the ability to communicate in a Scandinavian language is highly desirable.

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant, through her or his experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

Terms of employment

Only those admitted to third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English and include a cover letter stating reasons why you are interested in the position and how the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).