PhD in Department of Economics

 

RISLab at the Economics Department at Ghent University (Belgium) has an open position for a PhD student interested in applying Bayesian statistical methods to research questions in applied microeconomics, at the intersection of decision making, behavioural economics, and development economics, including elements of theoretical and computational neuroscience.

The position entails applying Bayesian statistical techniques to develop models of decision making, and to the analysis of field and laboratory data on decision making (see https://www.rislab.net/ and https://www.ferdinandvieider.com/ for examples of past and current projects). The position is initially offered for one year. Upon positive evaluation, the position is renewed for 3 additional years. During these four years, the candidate will complete a PhD project in economics under the supervision of Prof. Ferdinand Vieider and Dr. Ranoua Bouchouicha. The position comes with a monthly scholarship of approximately €2.070 (net), social security (health insurance and pension contributions), end-of-year and holiday bonus, travel and computer equipment resources, and other benefits. The PhD student will join a vibrant research group at UGhent, and be part of an active European research network.

Job profile

Candidates should hold a master degree in a quantitative discipline, such as quantitative economics or psychology, statistics, mathematics, quantitative neuroscience, or computer engineering. A two-year research master is an asset. You should be familiar with Bayesian modelling, and you should have an interest in applying these methods to questions in economics and decision making. The master’s degree should be recent (graduated no more than 2 years ago), and obtained from a European University (EU plus UK; in exceptional cases degrees from non-European universities may be accepted, but these need to be supplemented by a GRE test). You should belong to the top 10% of your class, and be able to show this by presenting comparative rankings, or where such rankings cannot be obtained, by an exceptional grade point average. Familiarity with software packages R and Stan are highly desirable. The position is research focused and entails minimal teaching and research assistance. The working language is English.

How to apply

Applications should be sent as one pdf-document to Prof. Ferdinand Vieider (ferdinand.vieider@ugent.be) with reference “PhD student in Bayesian Statistics”, and should include a motivation letter, CV, and details of the master courses taken (including transcripts, grades, and ideally comparative rankings). If available, some examples of research work can also be included (e.g., a master thesis).

Reference letters are not required at the initial stage of the application, but candidates should indicate two letter-writers who can be contacted in case they get selected for an interview. If you do already wish to provide reference letters, these should be sent directly to ferdinand.vieider@ugent.be .

For more information, contact Prof. Ferdinand Vieider at ferdinand.vieider@ugent.be. Applications will be considered as they arrive, and until the position is filled. The starting date is flexible and subject to discussion.