PhD Scholarship in Energy and Environmental Studies, 2018, University of Groningen, Netherlands

The University of Groningen has an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative institution of higher education, offering high-quality teaching and research. Balanced study and career paths in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 30,000 students and 5,500 employees to develop their own individual talents. The University of Groningen is proud to be among the global elite with a classification in the top 100 of the Shanghai ARWU, The World University Rankings, the U.S. News ‘Best Global Universities Ranking’, and the NTU Ranking. It marks the 24th place in the global ranking of Best Places to Work in Academia, scoring 3rd best in Europe and 5th non-US university. Joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.

A fully funded 4-year PhD position is available in the group of Dr. Franco Ruzzenenti, in the area of Energy and Industry Network Dynamics at the Energy and Environmental Sciences group, embedded in the Energy and Sustainability Research Institute of the University of Groningen, Netherlands.
Websites: https://www.rug.nl/staff/f.ruzzenenti/

The goal of de-carbonizing economy and society, without curbing economic growth and prosperity, poses a formidable challenge to mankind and science. On the one hand, it seems difficult, if not impossible, to put in practice such a formidable goal beyond the real intentions in an ever-changing technological, political and economic context. What are the best technologies, policies and practices to be pursued to achieved de-carbonization in the fastest and most effective way? On the other hand, this challenge raises fundamental, theoretical questions for science: what is the nexus between complexity and energy? What is a complex system and how we deal, methodologically, with it? In order to tackle the above challenges, environmental and energy studies need a paradigm change in the direction of complex system theory and physicists willing to undertake this new path of research.

Research project
Candidates are invited to write and develop their own research project within the scope of the proposed topic listed above; addressing research questions like: analysis of the global value chain as a transport network; the water-food-energy nexus; the local/global scale dynamics in production networks; relation between symmetry and cycles in Nature and economy; finance-economy-environment interactions; network theory and industrial metabolism; network-based modelling for the rebound effect; complex network perspective on entropy production and growth.

We are looking for a motivated, practically skilful student with a BSc in Physics and an MSc degree in related subjects and a strong interest in the energy-environmental issue. A background in physics of complex systems physics or statistical physics will be considered an asset. Strong verbal and written communication skills (in English) are required.

The PhD student will be enrolled in the PhD Scholarship Programme and receive a scholarship of € 2,099 per month (gross) from the University of Groningen for a period of four years. Information about the terms and conditions of the PhD Scholarship Programme can be found via: https://www.rug.nl/(...)holarship-programme/

The PhD Scholarship student will participate in the Graduate School of Science training programme for PhD students and will draw up a personal training and supervision plan together with his or her supervisor. The Graduate School also provides a progress monitoring scheme to ensure an efficient PhD trajectory resulting in a PhD thesis within four years. A Career Perspectives curriculum is part of the training, which aims to prepare students for their (academic or non-academic) careers after the PhD trajectory.