PhD fellowship on “System Dynamics Modelling for Sustainable Development” at Kristiania University College, Norway
Kristiania University College is offering a fully funded PhD fellowship as part of Communication and Leadership Studies.
The School of Economics, Innovation, and Technology delivers research and study programmes at bachelor, master and PhD level. The emphasis of our research and study programmes is on economics, innovation, digitalization and information technology. Information science, information systems and the interaction between technology and human beings are other exciting focus areas. The faculty is expanding its online offers and offers in continuing education in collaboration with working life. The faculty has well-established research groups and research labs at a high international level.
The PhD position is part of a large international research project dedicated to expanding our understanding of sustainable development and our analytical and modelling capabilities, WorldTrans. The project aims to unpack and quantify the potential importance of including heterogeneous human behaviour in Integrated Assessment Models, to identify key feedback loops and policy leverage points for climate-neutrality oriented policies and to produce quantitatively consistent results for various assessment processes including all three working groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
While the PhD candidate will have the opportunity to participate in many of the project’s activities, the primary focus will be on one or more of the following three tasks. First, to develop a system dynamics model of the global monetary and financial system, in order to better capture impacts of increased climate and environmental risks on both physical and monetary economic activity. Second, to identify the primary contact points between socioeconomic and natural systems in order to translate the various, well-documented empirical phenomena of interactions between nature and economy into a concise, yet comprehensive, set of general mechanisms compatible with a wide variety of existing Integrated Assessment Model types. Third, to integrate these mechanisms and the global monetary and financial systems model within WorldTrans’ own “Integrated Earth System Assessment Model”, FRIDA (Feedback-based knowledge Repository for Integrated Assessments).
The position is directed towards people with background in system dynamics modelling, economics/finance and/or sustainability studies but is also open for applicants with other backgrounds, provided they possess the ability and willingness to expand their competences within these key areas.
