We offer a four-year PhD/research position within a dynamic and interdisciplinary research environment at KU Leuven, one of Europe's leading universities. The successful candidate will contribute to research on sustainable food systems and consumer decision-making, and will work in an interdisciplinary and internationally connected research environment.
The candidate will join the Society–Environment Interactions Research Group, an interdisciplinary team studying food production and consumption, ecosystem services, and behavioural change in forestry and agri-food systems. Drawing on expertise from economics, environmental sciences, bioscience engineering, and ecology, the team applies a range of qualitative and quantitative methods to better understand decision-making processes and evaluate policies and interventions that promote sustainable behaviour.
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Project
HSFood4All – Healthy & Sustainable Food for All through Agri-food System Reconfiguration, Labelling, Literacy, and Inclusive Environments - is an ambitious interdisciplinary research project, funded through the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) SBO programme. The project brings together expertise in agricultural and environmental economics, nutrition, consumer behaviour, data science, sustainability assessment, governance, and participatory research.
Despite growing awareness on sustainability and healthy diets, dietary patterns only improve slowly due to a lack of incentives and facilitators for consumers. Information is fragmented, labels are often confusing, and food environments frequently make healthy and sustainable choices difficult. At the same time, food producers and retailers struggle to communicate sustainability efforts in ways that are meaningful and trusted by consumers.
HSFood4All addresses these challenges by:
- Integrating environmental, nutritional, social, and economic data.
- Developing innovative multi-dimensional food labelling and communication tools.
- Studying consumer behaviour, food literacy, and food environments.
- Testing behavioural interventions and communication strategies.
- Co-creating solutions through citizen research labs and stakeholder engagement.
- Delivering evidence-based recommendations for industry and policymakers.
This research/PhD position focuses on advancing sustainability assessment methods and developing consumer-centred communication formats that effectively support sustainable food choices.
You will contribute to:
- Develop detailed consumer profiles related to environmental concerns, food sustainability motivations, environmental literacy, trust, and attitudes towards sustainability labels.
- Analyse existing datasets on food consumption and sustainability perceptions and contribute to building integrated consumer and product-level databases.
- Study how environmental sustainability information can be communicated effectively to diverse groups of consumers.
- Collaborate with food industry stakeholders to identify sustainability indicators that are scientifically robust, operationally feasible, and relevant to consumers.
- Contribute to the development of sustainability assessment approaches that combine existing secondary datasets with targeted primary data from food producers.
- Participate in the design and evaluation of innovative multi-dimensional front-of-package communication formats and sustainability visuals.
- Conduct consumer choice experiments, behavioural studies, and focus group discussions to evaluate the effectiveness of sustainability communication tools.
- Publish research findings in international peer-reviewed journals and present your work at national and international conferences.
- Engage with stakeholders from the food industry, civil society, government, and consumer organisations through workshops and knowledge-transfer activities.
Profile
- You hold an EU Master’s degree in Bioscience Engineering, Agricultural Economics, Environmental Economics, Natural Resources Economics, Food Economics or another relevant field of Applied Economics or Bioscience Engineering with excellent study results (you have obtained at least a distinction or graduated cum laude) – or an equivalent degree of higher education.
- You have a keen interest in scientific research on agrifood systems, environmental sustainability, and food consumer behaviour – and more generally in the research topics of the Division of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics.
- You have experience with or are eager to work with large databases and database management software.
- You have starter skills in statistical, econometric, or other quantitative data analysis, and some experience with statistical software packages; you are keen to develop these skills further.
- You possess strong and documented scientific writing skills.
- You have excellent communication skills and know how to use them effectively to move forward.
- You are proficient in English. Proficiency in Dutch is strongly preferred as the project involves extensive interaction with Dutch-speaking stakeholders. If Dutch is not your native language, a minimum ERK level C1 is required.
- Experience with quantitative data analysis, surveys, experiments, or consumer research is an asset.
Offer
- A one year position that can be extended to four years after positive evaluation. Possibility to enroll in the PhD programme of the Arenberg Doctoral School.
- Supervision by an internationally recognised and highly interdisciplinary research team.
- Opportunities to collaborate with leading academic, industry, and policy stakeholders.
- Access to advanced training programmes, international conferences, and career development opportunities.
- A dynamic, international, and supportive working environment.
- The opportunity to contribute to research with significant scientific and societal impact.
Interested?
You can apply via the online application tool.
Please submit:
1. A detailed curriculum vitae.
2. A motivation letter
3. Academic transcripts.
4. Contact information for at least two referees.
Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis until the positions are filled. Suitable candidates may be selected and interviewed before the deadline. Early applications are therefore strongly encouraged.
Expected start date: Autumn 2026 (or as soon as possible thereafter).
For more information please contact Prof. dr. ir. Liesbet Vranken, mail: [email protected].
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.
