PhD in Structure and agency in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

BEMÆRK: Ansøgningsfristen er overskredet

Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Agroecology programme. The position is available from 1 October 2023 or later.

Title:
PhD in Structure and agency in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

Research area and project description:
As part of the European Green Deal, documenting and regulating the effects of primary production are high on the political agenda, reflected in a new set of policy frameworks that influence the sustainability reporting of European agri-food companies and farmers. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will come into full effect in 2024, will mandate companies to disclose on environmental, social and governance sustainability metrics (ESG), including value chain information. For food companies, this means that the disclosure of farm-level sustainability information, which until now has been to a large extent voluntary, will become a mandatory business requirement. Further, the European Commission has announced a regulatory framework on carbon removals, which lays out standards for the certification of future carbon farming activities. Ideally, this will encourage the development of a range of locally or regionally tailored result-based schemes to promote carbon farming. Such monitoring activities should be used as the foundation for a more targeted environmental regulation and for the development of sustainable business models that reward a high environmental performance.

These changes will likely have a systemic effect on farmers and the agri-food sector in many ways. One the one hand, agri-food companies will need to implement internal processes to fulfill the new reporting requirements and farmer will have to comply with new standards for production. Further, with respect to documenting ensuring that relevant indicators are used, ensuring synergies across policy areas and minimizing negative tradeoffs.

About the scholarship
The PhD is a part of the European research project MARVIC (Developing and testing a framework for the design of harmonized, context specific Monitoring, Reporting and Verification systems for soil Carbon and greenhouse gas balances by Agricultural activities) and you will join the project team with an exciting international and interdisciplinary research environment and industrial collaborators.

Potential research questions for the PhD are:

• What are the effects and implications of the sustainability reporting of food companies on farm level?
• How can sustainability reporting be optimized to maximize the farm-level sustainability performance?
• How can the collection of farm-level data be optimized?
• How can negative side-effects of reporting frameworks be reduced, without compromising the credibility of the schemes (e.g. bureaucratic burden, competitive disadvantage of small farms)?

To answer these research questions, a combination of both quantitative and qualitative research methods can be applied, as both strategic and data-driven aspects need to be considered to get a systemic understanding of the research field.
This funded PhD project is an exciting opportunity to work with how the Danish and European agri-food sector can transition towards sustainability.

• Project description. For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above, and upload it as a PDF in the application.
  

Qualifications and specific competences:
We expect that you hold a relevant Master’s degree. Candidates with background in agroecology, political science, social science, environmental science, geography and landscape planning are preferred.

You should:
* have good communication skills both in oral and written English
* be able to write scientific publications
* be able to work independently but also in collaboration with other students and staff
* be enthusiastic about working in an interdisciplinary international academic environment

We expect that you will be an active part of the research environment and that you will contribute positively to the social working environment.

Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Blichers Alle 20, 8830 Tjele.
Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact: Martin Hvarregaard Thorsøe at Martinh.thorsoe@agro.au.dk or Morten Graversgaard at morten.graversgaard@agro.au.dk.

How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application. Application deadline is 15th August 23:59 CEST. Preferred starting date is 1 October 2023.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.

Please note:

• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background.

 

INFORMATIONER OM STILLINGEN:

- Arbejdspladsen ligger i:

Aarhus Kommune

-Virksomheden tilbyder:

-Arbejdsgiver:

Aarhus Universitet, Nordre Ringgade 1, 8000 Aarhus C

-Ansøgning:

Ansøgningsfrist: 15-08-2023; - ansøgningsfristen er overskredet

Ved skriftlig henvendelse: https://app.researchplanner.net/Peoplexs22/CandidatesPortalNoLogin/ApplicationForm.cfm?PortalID=16581&VacatureID=1083067

Se mere her: https://job.jobnet.dk/CV/FindWork/Details/5872736