I am recruiting a PhD student to work with work with me on a new project ‘(Dis)orderly transitions: The financial sector’s role in shaping just energy transitions’. The position will be based at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies in Sweden and would suit someone with a background in economic sociology, human or economic geography, sustainability studies, or STS, among others.
Project focus:
In recent years the idea of an ‘orderly just transition’ has started to gain ground. While questions of justice have been taken up by ‘just transition’ research, the addition of ‘orderly’ is more recent, raising new questions around the envisioned speed, direction, and outcomes of energy transitions. In this project we want to look at this idea of ‘order’ in transitions more closely, identifying and analysing how (some) actors in the financial sector try to implement an orderly transition away from fossil fuels through the use of specific financial instruments and practices. By incorporating ideas from both political economy and economic sociology the project investigates how attempts at enacting order by financial actors can be understood as a process of contested temporal politics, with actors seeking to make the future knowable, trajectories towards it manageable, and outcomes controllable.
What we are looking for in a candidate:
- Someone with a strong interest in critical social science approaches who is excited to explore how issues of politics and power play out in the financial sphere.
- The project speaks to a variety of themes and concepts, including energy transitions, sustainable finance, temporalities & future-making, and social constructions of risk. We do not expect the candidate to be experienced with all of these, but having experience with one of these topics and an interest in some of the others is important.
- Experience with qualitative research methods is a must.
- Knowledge of a Scandinavian language is a bonus, but not a requirement.
The position is fully funded for four years. You’ll receive a monthly salary, paid vacation, pension contributions, etc. In addition to conducting research, you will be expected to complete 60 credits (=one year) of course work. There are also opportunities for teaching, and taking on administrative/leadership roles (such as PhD rep), for which you will receive extra time to complete your PhD.
More details on the position and how to apply: https://lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:952097/
The deadline to apply is 28 August.