Doctoral Candidate (PhD) in Social-ecological Modelling and Biodiversity Policy 100 %

Gross salary in accordance with Marie Curie Fellowship and UZH salary rates.

Your responsibilities

• Develop and validate agent-based policy models representing relevant decision-makers and institutions in EU policy contexts, including the Common Agricultural Policy, Nature Restoration Law, and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
• Quantify ecological and socio-economic trade-offs among policy options that influence RD, such as land-use intensification versus diversification, restoration investments, and risk-reduction schemes.
• Parameterise behavioural rules using empirical evidence, literature, and stakeholder input to represent how information, trust, incentives, and resource constraints shape policy responses.
• Run governance and policy scenarios targeting RD maintenance, for example subsidies for multi-species cropping, mixed-provenance restoration, or age-structured fishery management.
• Compare outcomes such as ecosystem stability, social equity, cost-effectiveness, and policy feasibility across scales.
• Produce peer-reviewed publications, policy-relevant outputs, and recommendations for integrating socio-economic realities into RD-based biodiversity policy.
• Participate actively in ReDiLEEP network training, secondments, dissemination, reporting, and cohort activities.

The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer!