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PhD studentship in forest economics

We are searching for a Doctoral student to join the Department of Forest Economics at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Umeå. The Ph.D. student will work on the project “Role of conservation interventions in preventing the degradation of Argentina’s Atlantic forests” funded by the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS). REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) initiatives aim to prevent emissions and conserve the area and integrity of forests. Past research has evaluated their effectiveness to prevent deforestation but has largely neglected degradation. This is of critical societal importance as degradation is a major source of carbon emissions from forests and it can lead to the loss of ecosystem services vital to local communities. In this project we will assess the extent to which REDD+ initiatives have prevented forest degradation in the context of Argentina’s Atlantic forest. The Atlantic forest is one of the terrestrial ecosystems with the greatest endemic biodiversity in the world.

The profile of the student is of a person fully committed to forest conservation research with foundational training in research methods. The candidate will be responsible for: integrating economics and forest resource management knowledge into relevant research design; developing relevant research questions; applying appropriate econometric and other analytical tools; writing scientific manuscripts and compile a Ph.D. thesis suitable for examination. Coursework is included in the Ph.D. program. The Ph.D. program consists of 4-year full-time studies with the position contracted based on annual evaluations.

Qualifications: To be eligible, the candidate should hold at least a Master’s degree in economics or related field (e.g. agricultural economics, natural resource economics, forest economics), or a strong quantitative interdisciplinary program. Knowledge in natural resource economics, demonstrated capacity to integrate forest and economics concepts are considered extra merit. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English are required. Working knowledge of Spanish is preferable but not mandatory. Also considered as extra merit are (a) experience writing scientific manuscripts, (b) advanced documented knowledge using GIS software, (c) advanced document knowledge using, R, SAS, Stata or other analytical software.

Place of work: Umeå, Sweden

Application: We welcome applications until February 16 2024.

Applicants must submit:

·  a CV

·  a two-page research statement

·  copies of degrees and transcripts of all academic records

·  one copy of the MS thesis

·  contact information for at least two referees familiar with the applicant’s qualificat

·   certified knowledge of the English language

·   if relevant, copies of relevant publications

Candidates are encouraged to review research by Francisco X. Aguilar, Professor, Department of Forest Economics. Questions relevant to the application can be sent to Francisco.aguilar@slu.se. Full details on this position are available online at: https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/jobs-vacancies/?rmpage=job&rmjob=9279&rmlang=UK

PhD studentship on the social and environmental outcomes of reforestation processes

Deadline: 12 February 2024 Midnight (GMT)

Interviews: 22 February 2024

Studentship Funding: 

The Sustainable Forest Transitions (SFT) Project is recruiting one full-time PhD student at the Global Development Institute (University of Manchester) from September 2024 to work on one of two themes:

• Theme 1: Evaluating social and environmental outcomes of reforestation drivers using large-scale publicly available social and environmental datasets.

• Theme 2: Development of rapid evidence synthesis methods and products using emerging artificial intelligence tools and other existing systematic review instruments.

This position is fully funded for 3.5 years, covering academic fees, an annual maintenance stipend of £18,622 (TBC for 2024-25) and research travel. You will be part of a multidisciplinary research team led by Dr Johan Oldekop, including post-doctoral researchers, PhD students, case-country partners, and other affiliated researchers.

Lead Supervisor: 

Dr Johan Oldekop

About the Project:

SFT seeks to advance a better understanding of the social and environmental outcomes of reforestation drivers globally. SFT is a five-year, £1.7 million project selected by the European Research Council and funded through a UKRI Research Frontier grant hosted by the Global Development Institute. The project is studying the changing nature of forest cover and human development at unprecedented scale and detail at global scales and in specific case-study countries, including Mexico, Brazil, India, Nepal, and Indonesia. The studentship is open to international students. For more information, including how to apply please follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/yxsafn79 or please refer to the attached file.