PhD Special Call: Economics of Education

Aarhus BSS Graduate School, Aarhus University invites applicants for a PhD Scholarship in connection with the research project PhD in Economics of Education at the PhD Programme Economics and Business Economics.

The position is available from 1 September 20024

The research project

There is a large scope for teachers – and thereby policies that can improve teacher effectiveness - to improve student learning and well-being. However, we know little about what it would take to move a teacher up in the teacher quality distribution. Policymakers need an understanding of what characterizes the teachers that perform well to design appropriate admission criteria and educational content for the teacher education program. In this project, we use rich administrative data matching teachers and students to estimate teacher effects and characterize ’good’ teachers as well as sorting of students and teachers. We use state-of-the-art microeconometric methods to identify the parameters of interest.

Job description

As a PhD student you will be part of the collective research project “Characterizing Good Teachers and Student-Teacher Sorting” funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark. You will work independently as well as with other researchers analyzing data, presenting research results, and writing scientific papers. Doing coursework and teaching is also part of the PhD position. 

You will be affiliated with TrygFonden’s Centre for Child Research, which is located at the Department of Economics and Business Economics. The centre is interdisciplinary and includes researchers from many different fields who share an interest in educational and child research. The centre organizes several research-related activities and has its own seminar series.

Your qualifications

We expect you to have a strong background in Economics or Public Policy as well as excellent analytical skills. We also expect you to have an interest in the field of education economics and public policy evaluation in general. If you have experience managing and analyzing large data sets it is an advantage, but not a prerequisite for this position.

Further information

The research group for the project consists of researchers in both Economics and Political Science. If you are interested in the position and want to know more, please contact Maria Knoth Humlum (

[email protected]

) to learn more about the project.

If you need help uploading your application or have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR supporter Ulla Prisholm Bjørn, Email: [email protected]

Place of work

Fuglesangs Allé 4, 8210 Aarhus V.

Formal requirements

You can read more about how to apply in

the application guide

and find the rules and regulations of the PhD education

here

.

The following criteria are decisive in the assessment of the candidates:

• the applicant’s academic qualifications (assessed on the basis of the qualifying degree)
• the quality and relevance of the project proposal
• the applicant’s level of academic aptitude and assessed ability to complete the project within the framework of the PhD programme

You can read more about the assessment procedure and committees appointed by the dean

here

. Please note that for applications to the programme for Psychology and Behavioural Science, the criteria for assessment are specified

here

.

Applicants are very much encouraged to supply documentation as to how they rank compared to their class (both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees). This may for example be in the form of a letter from your University stating either how you rank as an individual student compared to other students the year you graduated ("ranks as no. 6 out of 111" or "ranks as among the best 8 percent") or if that is not possible, general information from your University as to how grades were distributed in the year of your graduation, will be appreciated.

Please note that Aarhus BSS Graduate School reserves the right to evaluate the applications on the basis of the documentation received before deadline, and you will not necessarily be asked for further documentation. Furthermore, Aarhus BSS Graduate School reserves the right to reject application that do not comply with the limitations as stated in the application guide (see link above).

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.