The research group on Environmental Economics and Sustainability of the Department of Economics (https://feb.kuleuven.be/research/economics) 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. This research group focuses on interactions between economics, business, sustainable development and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Planet, People and Profit are the central themes in its activities.
Project
ECONATURES is a Horizon Europe research project coordinated by CMCC and involving 8 additional partner institutions across Europe. The project aims to develop Europe’s most 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.
The role of the KU Leuven team in this project is to
- Advance the representation of land use, land use change, biodiversity and restoration in integrated ecology-economy models. KU Leuven will pilot a European implementation of the SIMPLE-G model (Haqiqi and Hertel, 2025), a gridded economic model that integrates local land use dynamics with global economic signals, including via trade. This model provides a valuable intermediate layer between macroeconomic CGE models and fine-scale ecological models by reconciling the representation of international markets with spatial heterogeneity in economic behaviour, facilitating the development of a linked modelling toolbox.
- Improve the implementation and the business case of nature restoration. By broadening the interpretation of value beyond the financial perspective, we can use insights from the valuation and natural accounting research within the ECONATURES project to strengthen the business case of nature restoration projects. In addition, we will explore how to move beyond the profit-maximizing firm and stimulate the transition towards hybrid firms focusing not only on profit generation but also on achieving a societal and environmental mission to restore nature and ecosystems.
Profile
You have obtained a Master’s degree in Economics, Business Engineering, Applied Economics, 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.
Successful candidates are required to enter the
- PhD program in economics (at least one candidate)
- PhD program in business economics (at most one candidate)
of the Faculty of Economics and Business of KU Leuven (for more information, see https://feb.kuleuven.be/research/PhD/PhD).
As a PhD student, you are also expected to assist in the supervision of a limited number of master's theses within the field of environmental and sustainable economics. The PhD program in economics involves successful completion of the Master of Advanced Studies in Economics (MASE) or an equivalent research master's in economics (https://www.kuleuven.be/programmes/master-advanced-studies-economics).
Offer
The contract is initially for one year, with extension possible for another 3 years, conditional on positive annual evaluations.
You are expected to seek external funding through grant applications to regional and national funding agencies, but continuation in the PhD is not conditional on grant acquisition.
We provide office space at the KU Leuven campus in Brussels, IT equipment and a budget for attending conferences. For a PhD fellowship, the current net monthly stipend is €2,658, and this amount will be adjusted for inflation according to university regulations. For the PhD in economics, this may be preceded by one year under a MASE fellowship with a net monthly stipend of €1,100. 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.
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.
Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Sandra Rousseau, mail: [email protected] or Prof. dr. Toon Vandyck, mail: [email protected].
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.
