Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) is a leading international centre in sustainability science at Stockholm University. The Centre advances scientific understanding of the dynamic interactions between people and nature in the biosphere, trains the next generation of sustainability researchers and leaders, and engages in collaborations with change agents. It is a joint initiative between Stockholm University and the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The SRC currently employs around 165 members of staff.

More information about us, please visit: Stockholm Resilience Centre.

The SRC aims to foster new generations of researchers and academic leaders through our Resilience Research School. The school equips students with a theoretical and practical foundation in Sustainability Science with a focus on resilience in social-ecological systems. Students are encouraged to develop new approaches that integrate methods and concepts from the social, natural and applied sciences. Emphasis is placed on developing student ability to define a problem, develop research methods, and communicate research findings within international scientific and science-policy discussions.

Project description

This PhD position is part of Mistra Finance to Revive Biodiversity, an interdisciplinary research programme hosted by the Stockholm Resilience Centre that investigates the relationships between biodiversity, nature, and the financial system. FinBio brings together researchers across sustainability science, ecology, economics, finance, and related disciplines with financial-sector and other societal partners to develop science-based, decision-relevant approaches for integrating nature into financial decision-making. The programme takes a systems perspective, examining both how finance influences nature and how changes in nature generate risks, resilience, and opportunities for economic and financial systems.

We seek an independent and highly motivated PhD candidate to contribute to the development of next-generation approaches for understanding and managing nature-related financial risks. The project is based on the recognition that nature is not only affected by economic activities, but also plays a critical role in shaping financial risks and opportunities for building long-term resilience. Degraded ecosystems can amplify climate-related hazards such as floods, droughts, wildfires, and pest outbreaks, while healthy ecosystems can reduce vulnerability and strengthen the resilience of both societies and economic systems.

The PhD research will focus on how nature-related risks and resilience can be integrated into financial decision-making, with particular emphasis on the real estate and agrifood sectors. The project will include systematically mapping of the mechanisms through which changes in nature influence economic activities and financial risks. Building on this foundation, the PhD candidate will develop research on how resilience perspectives can be incorporated into financial risk assessment to improve both the credibility and practical usefulness of nature-related risk analyses. The PhD will be a key member of FinBio’s research on risk and resilience which is led by Prof Beatrice Crona. The PhD research will develop a stronger scientific basis for understanding how ecological processes can amplify, transmit, or mitigate financial risks, and how these insights can be incorporated into financial risk assessment.

The PhD research will focus on the real estate and agrifood sectors as case studies to contribute to 1) scientific understanding of nature-related financial risk and resilience and 2) the development and testing of methods, models, and decision-support approaches that can be applied in financial practice. In the real estate domain, this will involve investigating how nature-related risks and nature-based solutions influence property valuation, credit assessment, and financial stability. Within the agrifood sector, the PhD candidate will analyze how investors, lenders, and companies can promote more sustainable and resilient supply chains through governance mechanisms, incentives, and the monitoring of relevant sustainability indicators.

The research is being conducted with FinBio partners, including various institutional investors, banks companies, and other societal stakeholders. The PhD candidate is therefore expected to contribute both to academic publications and to the development of practical methods, recommendations, and decision-support tools for the financial sector.

Applicants should have an academic background in a field such as sustainability science, economics, finance, geography, environmental science, systems analysis, or related disciplines. Please note that both general and specific entry requirements must be met for the application to be considered (see qualification requirements below). Experience with interdisciplinary research, literature reviews, policy analysis, or quantitative methods is considered an asset. Because the project operates at the interface between science and practice, candidates should also be interested in collaborating with non-academic stakeholders and translating scientific findings into practical applications.

This PhD project will be supervised by Professor Crona in close collaboration with Professor Garry Peterson, Dr. Megan Meacham, and Professor Fedra Vanhuyse. The student will collaborate with researchers at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the international network of researchers participating in the FinBio project. The successful candidate will be employed by the Stockholm Resilience Centre and will be based in Stockholm.

Qualification requirements

In order to be admitted to postgraduate education, the applicant must have the general and specific entry requirements. The qualification requirements must be met by the time the applicant is admitted to the PhD program at the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

You meet general entry requirements if you have completed a second-cycle degree, or completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

Specific entry requirements for admission to postgraduate studies in Sustainability Science are that the applicant has a total of at least 30 credits, or equivalent, at advanced level in Natural Science, as well as a thesis of at least 30 credits at advanced level in a relevant subject, or equivalent knowledge.

Selection

The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on their capacity to benefit from the training. The following criteria will be used to assess this capacity:

Subject knowledge relevant to the research area, for example sustainability science, environmental science, economics, finance, resilience food systems, real estate, or related fields.
Ability to synthesize and integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines, such as ecology, climate science, economics, finance, and sustainability science.
Demonstrated capacity for systems thinking and analysis of complex social-ecological systems, including an understanding of feedbacks, dependencies, vulnerabilities, and resilience.
Quantitative analytical skills, for example statistical analysis, risk assessment, scenario analysis, or modelling of environmental and economic processes.
Ability to develop conceptual frameworks and models that structure complex relationships among nature, climate, resilience, and financial risk.
Excellent command of English, with strong written and oral communication skills.
The applicant's personal references.

In addition, the following qualifications are desirable and will be considered meritorious during the selection process:

Experience in policy or governance analysis, including how scientific insights can be translated into decision-support tools, regulatory frameworks, or investment processes.
Experience working with geographic or spatial data.
Experience conducting systematic literature reviews and evidence syntheses, including the ability to critically assess scientific evidence and identify knowledge gaps.
Knowledge of the real estate sector, food systems, or other nature-dependent industries.
Fluent Swedish is a valued merit.

Admission Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Stockholm University.

About the employment

We offer a fixed-term employment as a doctoral student according to Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). The period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for four years. As a doctoral student, you should primarily devote yourself to your own doctoral education, but the employment may include work with education, research and administration to a limited extent (maximum 20 %).

A new employment as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, the employment is then renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact

For more information, about the PhD programme or Sustainability Science at Stockholm Resilience Centre, please contact the Director of PhD programme Victor Galaz, phone: +46 8 674 70 83, victor.galaz@su.se or Head of Subject, Prof Örjan Bodin, phone: +46 8 674 76 71, orjan.bodin@su.se.

More information about Mistra FinBio. For specific questions regarding the PhD position, please contact beatrice.crona@su.se or megan.meacham@su.se. Please note that general questions regarding candidates' suitability for the position will not be addressed individually, as such assessments are made as part of the formal selection process.

Application

Apply for the PhD student position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. Attach a personal letter and CV as well as the attachments requested in the application form. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

PhD student in Sustainability Science jobs

PhD student in Sustainability Science