PhD Candidate: Global Modelling of Climate-Economy-Society Interactions at Radboud University, The Netherlands

The Nijmegen School of Management, Radboud University is looking for a strong candidate who can support advancing the representation of social systems and behavioural factors in climate-economy-environment modelling. The postholder will contribute to a better understanding of demand-side climate change mitigation through behavioural changes and the crucial role of social systems in rapid decarbonisation.

As a PhD candidate, you will contribute to developing simulation models to study the social dynamics of low-carbon behaviour changes such as shifts to plant-based diets or low-carbon mobility, emerging from individual behaviour change and in relation to economic, environmental and political factors.  You will support existing research efforts and will also help identify, plan and create new opportunities and research directions. You will represent Radboud University in the international CHOICE project (externally funded by Horizon Europe) and collaborate with a wide network of leading scientists in modelling human and earth system feedbacks.

This PhD project will mainly involve the extension and use of an existing global system dynamics model to capture the individual, social and structural factors behind behaviour change for low-carbon consumption at a global level. It will therefore include complementary qualitative and quantitative data and model-based analysis of the feedback mechanisms leading to widespread behavioural changes and their cascading effects on global food and energy demand, as well as climate change mitigation. This PhD position will also involve producing figures, maps and visualisations to check results and efficiently communicate findings – presenting the methods and results to both technical and non-technical audiences – and writing reports and scientific papers to communicate findings.

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Deadline for applications: 23 November 2023