Reference number ORU 2.1.1-03882/2025
We are currently inviting applications to the doctoral programme in Economics, which leads to a doctoral degree and includes participation in the national WASP-HS graduate school.
Start date: 1 September 2025.
Background
Economics at Örebro University is part of the Economics and Statistics research environment, consisting of approximately 35 researchers. The group conducts research in areas such as labour markets, welfare and wellbeing, health, macroeconomics, public economics, trade, and econometrics. The environment also features the AI-Econ Lab — an international, interdisciplinary research environment focused on the structural transformation linked to artificial intelligence (AI). Most of the research is empirical, using rich data sources, including linked administrative registers, own surveys, and novel materials such as text data. Researchers are frequently engaged as experts by the government and the media and maintain active interaction with society.
The PhD programme prepares students for careers in academia, government agencies (e.g., Ministry of Finance, Central Bank, Competition Authority), international organizations (e.g., OECD, European Commission), and the private sector. Graduates work in roles requiring advanced analytical and research skills. As a doctoral student, you will join a vibrant research environment with regular seminars, and international and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Project description
The holder of a PhD-student position in this project will be based at the Economics subject, School of Business, Örebro University, and will be part of the national WASP-HS graduate school. The research will be conducted within the interdisciplinary WASP-HS Research Cluster AI, Structural Change and the Future of Work.
Associate professor Magnus Lodefalk, Economics, Örebro University, is one of the cluster leaders, and he will also serve as the main supervisor for the PhD student.
The Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanity and Society (WASP-HS) is a national research program in Sweden. The vision of WASP-HS is to foster novel interdisciplinary knowledge in the humanities and social sciences about AI and autonomous systems and their impact on human and social development. WASP-HS enables cutting edge research, expertise, and competence building in the humanities and social sciences.
The interdisciplinary research cluster “AI, Structural Change and the Future of Work” (2025–2029) brings together researchers from Uppsala University, Mälardalen University, Örebro University, and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The researchers come from the fields of economics, business studies, sociology, and computer science. The programme conducts empirical studies on how the labor market is changing due to the use of AI and other technological innovations. The studies analyze both how employees are affected when certain tasks are automated and how they are impacted when recruitment and HR functions become AI-based. In addition, the programme examines how the introduction of AI cause structural change and how it may influence the optimal design of social support systems. The programme currently includes 12 senior researchers and will also include three PhD students and newly recruited postdocs. As a PhD student, you will be part of the interdisciplinary research group and participate in the WASP-HS national graduate school, which connects PhD students from a wide range of disciplines who study AI from various perspectives. The school also creates contact points with AI-developers and AI-users in both the private and public sectors.
The programme and the doctoral studentship
The doctoral programme consists of courses and an independent research project that you will present in a doctoral thesis. The programme concludes with a doctoral degree and comprises 240 credits, which corresponds to four years of full-time study. The programme is provided in collaboration in the Swedish Graduate Programme in Economics (SWEGPEC), a network for PhD programmes in Economics in southern and middle Sweden.
Our ambition is for your doctoral studies to be stimulating and purposeful throughout the programme until you have obtained your doctoral degree. A thorough introduction will therefore get you off to a good start and provide a solid foundation on which you can build your studies. As a doctoral student at Örebro University, you will be offered a specially tailored seminar series, covering matters ranging from doctoral programme rules and careers to support during the study period and networking.
The place on the programme is linked to a full-time doctoral studentship for the duration of the study programme, which corresponds to four years of full-time study. More information on doctoral studentships, part-time studies and part-time doctoral studentships can be found in the Regulations Handbook. The initial salary for a doctoral studentship is SEK 31,300 a month.
Entry requirements and selection
For admission to doctoral studies, applicants are required to meet both general entry requirements and specific entry requirements. In addition, applicants must be considered in other respects to have the ability required to benefit from the programme. For a full account of the entry requirements, refer to the admissions regulations as well as to annex 2 to the general syllabus for economics.
Applicants meet the specific entry requirements for doctoral studies in economics if the person meets the specific entry requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes in the subject if they have received a passing grade in courses of at least 90 credits, including an independent project for the Bachelor’s degree, in economics. A person who has acquired substantially corresponding knowledge, in Sweden or abroad, also meets the specific entry requirements.
The candidate should have strong collaborative skills and an interest in interdisciplinary research.
Information
For more information about the programme and the doctoral studentship, contact associate professor Magnus Lodefalk ([email protected]) or professor Henrik Jordahl ([email protected]). Magnus Lodefalk also answers questions about the project and WASP-HS.
Preliminary, interviews will be held mid-August, 2025, and in Örebro, or on Zoom.
At Örebro University, we expect each member of staff to be open to development and change; take responsibility for their work and performance; demonstrate a keen interest in collaboration and contribute to development; as well as to show respect for others by adopting a constructive and professional approach.
Örebro University actively pursues equal opportunities and gender equality as well as a work environment characterised by openness, trust and respect. We value the qualities that diversity adds to our operations.
Application to the programme and for the doctoral studentship
The application is made online. Click the button “Apply” to begin the application procedure.
For the application to be complete, the following electronic documents must be included:
- CV
- Cover letter (max. two pages) in which you describe why you want to enroll in the PhD Programme in Economics at Örebro University and implement this research project
- Copies of the original certificate and official transcript for Bachelor's degree
- Copies of the original certificate and official transcript for Master's degree
- Independent projects (degree projects) – copies of essays that you have authored
- Other relevant documents, course and degree certificates verifying eligibility
As a main rule, application documents and attachments are to be written in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, or English. Certificates and documents in other languages verifying your qualifications and experience must be translated by an authorised translator to Swedish or English. A list of authorised translators can be obtained from Kammarkollegiet (the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency), www.kammarkollegiet.se/engelska/start.
When you apply for admission, you automatically also apply for a doctoral studentship.
More information for applicants will be found on our career site: https://www.oru.se/english/career/available-positions/applicants-and-external-experts/
The application deadline is July 31, 2025. We look forward to receiving your application!
As we have already made our choices in terms of external collaboration partners and marketing efforts for this recruitment process, we decline any contact with recruitment agencies and advertisers.
As directed by the National Archives of Sweden (Riksarkivet), we are required to deposit one file copy of the application documents, excluding publications, for a period of two years after the appointment decision has gained legal force.
