PhD position on Behavioral, Environmental and/or Development Economics

24 Mar 2026
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)

Research Field

Economics » Applied economics
Economics » Economics of development
Economics » Environmental economics

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Application Deadline

31 Jul 2026 - 21:59 (UTC)

Country

Netherlands

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

36.0

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Are you a highly motivated student interested in doing research in behavioral economics with a focus on improving environmental and development outcomes for society? The Department of Spatial Economics at the School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, seeks a PhD candidate who is interested in research at the intersection of behavioral, environmental and/or development economics for a 3-year fulltime position (20% teaching) starting September 2026 or September 2027.
You will conduct independent, high-quality research. The project, led by associate professor dr. Menusch Khadjavi, aims to improve our understanding of how artificial intelligence can foster sustainable development, for instance in the domains of education, farming, saving/investing, entrepreneurship and health, with a lot of scope for your own creativity and ideas. The project offers preferential use of Liseli Decision Lab, an online and offline participant pool in Zambia with thousands of participants. The research methods may include online, lab and field experiments, use of naturally occurring (i.e. census) data as well as theory building. Funding for field research and conference visits is available in consultation with the supervisor dr. Khadjavi. The setup of the project allows you to show and develop a variety of skills and write a job market paper which will enable you to be competitive on the academic job market.
This PhD position is a full-time position for a period of three years. You will spend 80% of your time on research and 20% on teaching (with teaching topics likely related to your research). The exact details of your schedule are determined in close consultation between you and your supervisors. Becoming an active member of and profiting from the scientific community at the Department of Spatial Economics, which offers internal research seminars, the Tinbergen Institute Spatial Economics Seminar and social events, is desirable. It is possible to work remotely part of the time but travelling to Amsterdam for meetings, teaching and department events is required. This PhD position is a full-time position for a period of three years. The school provides opportunities to attend conferences, go on an exchange, meet other international researchers, and participate in various training modules that support your knowledge and skills development.

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/jobs/359571/phd-position-on-behavioral-envi…

Requirements
Specific Requirements

We are looking for candidates with one of the following profiles:
(a) Students who are in their second year of the research master and expect to graduate before September 2026. Those students would enter the position directly per September 2026 on a three-year contract with 20% teaching.
(b) Students who are in their first year of the research master and expect to graduate before September 2027. Ideally, we then tailor both the coursework and the thesis to the project to be optimally prepared for the PhD position.
Your tasks

• perform high-quality research at the intersection of behavioral, environmental and/or development economics
• assist in teaching activities
• be an active member of the Department of Spatial Economics

Additional Information
Benefits

An active, international and open research environment with a high international reputation in environmental, regional, urban and transportation economics. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. In return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 3.059,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.881,00 (PhD) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile PhD candidate. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• a position for at least 1 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 1 year. After a positive evaluation your contract will be extended with 2 years.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

Additional comments

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button and upload the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae
• One page letter explaining your motivation for pursuing your PhD research in the advertised position
• Academic diplomas (in the original language and with a certified translation in English)
• Academic transcripts (lists of grades)
• One letter of recommendation (ideally by a professor teaching in the research master program)
• Academic paper (if available, e.g. bachelor thesis, master thesis or article)
• English language skills assessment (if available, e.g. IELTS/TOEFL test results)
• GMAT/GRE test results (if available)

The supervisor of position, associate professor dr. Khadjavi, is available for questions via email (m.khadjavipour@vu.nl ).
We review the applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.
Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/359571/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Country

Netherlands

City

Amsterdam

Postal Code

1081HV

Street

De Boelelaan 1105

Geofield

Contact

City

Amsterdam

Website

http://www.vu.nl/

Street

De Boelelaan 1105

Postal Code

1081 HV

STATUS: EXPIRED

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