Doctoral Researcher in the Field of Education and Labour Economics 
(ref. BAP-2020-117) 

The Economics Research Group, campus Brussels, is part of the Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven. Its research covers a wide range of areas in the broadly defined field of economics. The project is funded by the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders, and is a collaboration with the Toulouse School of Economics (TSE). 

Project
To investigate whether the transition from education to work is successful, many studies look at whether the jobs of young workers match with their skills and education. In this project, we look into the causes and consequences of these mismatches by relying on dynamic discrete choice modelling and by exploiting data for Belgium and the US. 
Profile
You have a Master’s degree, or will obtain it in this academic year.
You received a solid training in economics (e.g. in programs of Economics, Applied Economics, Socio-Economics, Business Engineering), and have a strong mathematical background.
You are interested in education and labor market problems.
You have basic knowledge of econometrics and how to apply it using statistical software such as STATA or R (prior knowledge of discrete choice modelling is not required).
You are fluent in English.
Having an Advanced Master’s degree in Economics or Statistics is considered to be an advantage.
You are willing to participate in a study visit abroad.

Offer
Your job will consist of the following main activities:
You enroll in the PhD program in Economics at KU Leuven, giving you access to seminars and courses taught by international experts in economics to enhance your research skills and prepare you to enter the academic or non-academic job market after the completion of the program. For further details, see (https://feb.kuleuven.be/research/PhD/Economics/Economics).
You conduct high-quality academic research under the supervision of your promoters. Your main work location will be the campus of KU Leuven in Brussels, but you will also have opportunities at the campus in Leuven (seminars, courses, guidance,…).
You present your research findings at national and international conferences.
You write academic articles with the aim to submit them to highly respected internationally recognized journals.
Supervision of a limited number of master’s theses and a few other duties related to education and teaching.
You will spend at least one semester abroad (Toulouse School of Economics and/or another top institution in Europe or the US).
We offer a full-time employment for 24 months, extendable for another two years (contingent on a positive evaluation). You will work as a doctoral researcher in a stimulating and challenging work environment with a high degree of flexibility and autonomy. Your contract starts, depending on your preference, at September 1 or October 1, 2020.
Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Dieter Verhaest (dieter.verhaest@kuleuven.be; +32 2 609 88 25) or Dr. Olivier De Groote (olivier.de-groote@tse-fr.eu). All applications require a motivation letter, resume (including detailed study results), and a one-page summary of your master’s thesis (or another important research project you were involved in). Selected candidates will be invited for a job interview.
You can apply for this job no later than March 31, 2020 via the online application tool 
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