Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.
BLUEGent is Ghent University’s business development centre in the field of aquaculture and blue life sciences. More specifically, BLUEGent is active in sustainable seafood, multi-use of space at sea, coastal management and the interaction of men and ocean under the concept of One Ocean, One Health. BLUEGent coordinates and supports collaborations focusing on scaling up new, blue technologies and products from the lab-scale to real-world applications, in close collaboration with stakeholders and partners from academic, industrial and policy settings. BLUEGent works transdisciplinary in nature with the aim to create impact towards industry and society at large, in particular by establishing new spin-offs or license agreements with industry partners. BLUEGent collaborates with Vlerick Business School in the field of financing of Nature-based Solutions.
YOUR TASKS
BLUEGent and Vlerick Business School are seeking a talented and driven PhD student to develop and apply advanced quantitative models for evaluating and optimizing financial and non-financial returns of coastal and marine Nature-based Solutions (NbS). The PhD student will be part of a transdisciplinary project team with experts in sustainable finance, coastal engineering, marine biology, carbon sequestration and blue innovation at large. The goal of the research is to work with the team to integrate ecological and socio-economic dimensions into a risk/return/impact model and develop actionable tools for financing NbS projects while documenting the impact of these nature-based solutions.
Key Responsibilities:
- Risk/Return/Impact Model Development: Extend traditional investment utility functions (Markowitz) to include financial and non-financial dimensions using advanced mathematical techniques.
- Index Development: Standardize diverse ecological metrics (e.g., carbon sequestration, erosion protection) into a coherent index to forecast benefits and risks.
- Impact Monitoring Strategy: Identify key parameters and develop strategies to align theoretical performance with observed outcomes.
- Project Finance Tool Development: Design a financial tool for determining optimal financing mixes for NbS.
- Operationalization: Apply the integrated model in real-world cases for coastal and marine NbS, benchmarking against traditional cost-benefit methodologies.
Qualifications:
- A Master’s degree in Economics, Finance, Mathematics, Physics, Environmental Science, or related disciplines such as Bioscience engineering, Civil engineering, or Business Engineering.
- Strong quantitative and analytical skills, with experience in mathematical modeling or statistical analysis.
- Motivation to undertake inter-/transdisciplinary research combining ecological and economic perspectives.
- Solid written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Commitment to achieving research excellence and producing high-quality publications.
Desirable Attributes:
- Familiarity with multi-dimensional investment modeling, such as extensions of Markowitz theory is a plus.
- with programming tools such as R, Python, or MATLAB is highly desirable.
- Knowledge of Nature-based Solutions, ecosystem services, or risk analysis is an asset.
The PhD student will work under the supervision of Prof. David Veredas (promoter, Vlerick Business School and Ghent University), and Prof. Margriet Drouillon (co-promotor, Ghent University). At least 90% of your assignment will be spent on academic research in preparation of a doctoral dissertation.
The researcher will be a full member of the area of accounting and finance of Vlerick Business School, and the Vlerick Sustainability Centre. Both the area and the centre have a dynamic academic and business research environment. The finance team of professors include experts of corporate finance, valuation, mergers and acquisitions, entrepreneurial finance, insurance, and sustainable investments. The Centre unites faculty from multiple disciplines with a hands-on approach that complements the expertise of the finance team and of the University of Ghent.
WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
- We offer you a contract of indefinite duration with a maximum term of 4 years.
- Your contract will start on 1/03/2025 at the earliest.
- Your remuneration will be determined by salary scale WM1. Click here for more information about our salary scales.
- All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, a bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits.
INTERESTED?
Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We do not accept late applications or applications that are not submitted through the online system.
Your application must include the following documents:
- In the field ‘CV’: your CV and an overview of your study results (merged into one pdf file).
- In the field ‘Cover letter’: your application letter in pdf format.
- In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
- In the field “other documents”: a reference letter and any other information that you deem relevant (pdf format).
Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.
As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Margriet Drouillon (Margriet.Drouillon@UGent.be, +32(0)9/264.94.73). Important: do NOT send your application by email, but apply online.
Heb je vragen over online solliciteren? Lees de FAQ of contacteer ons via selecties@ugent.be of 09 264 34 36
