Two PhD positions on the economics of biodiversity and nature restoration at KU Leuven (Brussels)

The research group on Environmental Economics and Sustainability of the Department of Economics of the KU Leuven is looking for two motivated graduate students to carry out doctoral studies in the field of environmental and biodiversity economics, starting on October 1, 2026. You will be hosted in the research group on Environmental Economics and Sustainability of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Campus Brussels of KU Leuven and will work under the supervision of professors Sandra Rousseau and Toon Vandyck.

Project

ECONATURES is a Horizon Europe research project aiming to develop a comprehensive modelling framework for assessing the socio-economic impacts of nature restoration over short, medium, and long terms. It integrates economic, ecological, environmental, and social methodologies into a unified assessment ecosystem that captures restoration benefits, costs, and distributional impacts from EU to local scales, directly supporting the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Tasks include:

• Advancing the representation of land use, land use change, biodiversity and restoration in integrated ecology-economy models.
• Improving the implementation and the business case of nature restoration.

Profile

You have obtained a Master’s degree in Economics, Business Engineering, Applied Economics, or Bio-Engineering. Preference will be given to students who can show excellent (honours-level) results in prior studies and students who have completed a research master’s with advanced economics courses.

You show a strong interest in impact assessment and policy design for biodiversity and nature restoration. You have a strong interest in quantitative research methods (economic modelling, statistics, data analysis, …). Fluency in both spoken and written English and good reporting and presentation skills are a prerequisite. But most importantly, you share our enthusiasm for scientific research.

Application

To apply for the position, please prepare your CV, proof of academic credentials, a short (< 1000 words) motivation letter, a writing sample (e.g. Master thesis), and preferably at least two letters of recommendation. The deadline for the application is July 10, 2026.

The full vacancy description can be found here.