15 PhD Fully Funded Positions in Food Systems Economics at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen in Germany

 15 PhD Fully Funded Positions in Food Systems Economics; The University of Göttingen has position openings for 15 Doctoral Researchers in Food Systems Economics (all genders welcome) to join the Research Training Group (RTG) 2654 “Sustainable Food Systems” funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). 

The positions should be filled by 1 September 2024. The regular working hours will be 65% (currently 25.87 hours per week) with a limited contract of three years to 31 August 2027. The salary is in accordance with the German public service salary scale E13 TVL (65%). These are qualification positions for junior researchers pursuing a PhD degree.

The positions involve interdisciplinary research on questions related to “Sustainable Food Systems”. Food and agriculture are playing key roles for many of the global challenges such as poverty, undernutrition, obesity, climate change, and biodiversity loss. It is obvious that the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without major changes in food production, distribution, and consumption. But what types of changes are useful and how these changes can be implemented politically, economically, and socially are open questions that will be addressed in the RTG, focusing on both rich and poor countries.

The Program is implemented in cooperation with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington DC and KU Leuven in Belgium. The positions are based in Göttingen (Germany), but will require international travel for data collection and exchange with collaborators.  As part of our work-life-balance strategy, financial support for childcare costs during travel is possible.

Successful candidates will have

• an outstanding Master’s degree (or equivalent) in food and agricultural economics, development economics, general economics, sustainability studies, (food) marketing, or related social sciences disciplines,
• strong analytical skills,
• experience with relevant statistical methods,
• proven interest in topics related to sustainable food systems,
• strong computer skills,
• and excellent command of the English language.

We also expect successful candidates to be active team players in the RTG. Experience with data collection in an international context will be a plus.

We offer

• An international, interdisciplinary, flexible and motivating work environment,
• A great team to work with,
• The possibility to pursue your own career development,
• Mentoring by advanced researchers,
• Advanced career support.

Recruitment procedure; The University of Göttingen is an equal opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply in fields in which they are underrepresented. The University has committed itself to being a family-friendly institution and supports their employees in balancing work and family life.

The mission of the University is to employ a greater number of severely disabled persons. Applications from severely disabled persons with equivalent qualifications will be given preference. Please submit your application until 20 March 2024.

How to apply: Applications have to be submitted in a two-step procedure:

First step: Sending application package via email: Please prepare your application package consisting of 8 sections, merged into a single PDF, in the order given below. Incomplete application packages will not be considered further. The following 8 sections are required to be included.

• (1) Motivation letter (max 500 words), indicating your specific interest in the overall RTG and in the preferred subprojects and highlighting your personal strengths in this respect.
• (2) Curriculum Vitae , including a list of publications (if any) and experience with statistical software.
• (3) Abstract (max 250 words) of last thesis written (Bachelor or Master, or equivalent), including thesis title.
• (4) Full academic record (Certificates + Transcripts + Supplementary Information (e.g. including grading scheme) for Bachelor and Master degrees, or equivalent) in English or German language.
• (5) Certificate and Transcript of final secondary-school examination (A-Level, Abitur, European Baccalaureate, Matura, (Senior) High School Diploma, or equivalent).
• (6) Proof of English language skills: There are three options to proof this: (1) English as mother tongue, (2) a 2-year-period of study or work in an English-speaking country, (3) certified English test.
• (7) One recent writing sample (for example working paper or full Master thesis).
• (8) Names and full contact details (incl. phone and email) of two academic reference persons.
• If you would like add to more information to your application, i.e. submitting more documents which are not mentioned above, you may submit these as a separate package, also merged into a single PDF; this is an optional document.

Please name your application package(s) in the following way (using your own surname and first name):

• Surname_Firstname_Application (consiting of the 8 sections mentioned above as a single PDF)
• Surname_Firstname_Optional (additional documents, optional)
• To complete Step 1, please send your application package(s) to the following email address: jobs.rtg2654@uni-goettingen.de. Your email should not be larger than 30 MB.

Second step: Providing information in the online form; Please fill out our online application form. It collects information on your educational background, your preferences for subprojects, and some personal information. We would kindly like to ask you to continue with Step 2 right after finishing Step 1, so that we can join your application package (Step 1) with your online form entries (Step 2) in a timely manner. Your application is only complete after finalizing both steps. Continue here with the online form.

Your application is only complete after finalizing both steps. Please note: With submission of your application, you accept the processing of your applicant data in terms of the data-protection law. Contact: Dr. Melanie Grosse, Coordinator: jobs.rtg2654@uni-goettingen.de

For questions regarding your application, the procedure, and the required documents please reaching out via email to us jobs.rtg2654@uni-goettingen.de. After having completed both steps, you will receive a confirmation email by us. If you have not received an answer within tree working days after fullfilling both steps, please get back to us. On our homepage, you will find updates regarding the recruitment procedures and the status of the applications.