Junior researcher (doctoral student) in behavioural strategy

The LUT School of Business and Management is looking for a junior researcher in behavioural strategy. 

We are looking for a curious mind who is aiming for an academic career and is passionate about understanding the behavioural mechanisms behind the important decisions that managers need to make to assure successful and sustainable business. The project thesis will partly rely on the use of laboratory experiments involving human subjects.

The research will also be conducted at University of Trento (Italy) – more specifically at the Cognitive and Experimental Economics Laboratory (CEEL). The research activity of CEEL relies on experimental methods to advance the understanding of how human cognition affects economic behaviour. Research is conducted in a lively interdisciplinary environment that draws on theory and methods from economics, cognitive psychology, organizational studies, and other related fields. 

The ideal candidate must have a higher university degree (M.Sc. or equivalent) in a relevant field (e.g. economics, industrial engineering, industrial management) and the ability and motivation to complete the doctoral studies within four years.  The candidate must have fluency in English (both written and oral). 

The ideal candidate for the position

• is interested in writing a dissertation on the area of the behavioural strategy. Potential topics of research are:
  • How do idiosyncratic characteristics (e.g., entrepreneurial mindset, propensity to take risks) and behavioural biases drive (or inhibit) decisions to innovate?
  • How uncertainty and behaviours of others (competitors) drive (or inhibit) decisions to innovate?
• has basic knowledge of behavioural economics as well as analytical skills and quantitative research methods.

Knowledge of programming in Python (and oTree) is considered an asset.

Job description 

• The objective is to complete the doctoral degree within four years 
• Other tasks
  • Participation in research projects and grant applications, and other tasks of the research group
  • Conduction of laboratory experiments 
  • Assisting in teaching

What we offer

• An opportunity to launch a successful academic career and to become an expert in behavioural strategy
• A four-year (1+3 years) contract for completing the doctoral degree 
  • an employment contract can be concluded only if the candidate obtains the right to pursue postgraduate studies at LUT University
  • the contract will be made initially for one year and can be extended by three years provided that the studies and research have progressed successfully
• Encouraging and supportive supervision by and research collaboration with Associate professors Azzurra Morreale and Päivi Maijanen-Kyläheiko from LUT, and Professor Luigi Mittone (University of Trento)
• A great opportunity to conduct research at the Cognitive and Experimental Economics Laboratory (CEEL), Trento in a lively interdisciplinary environment that draws from economics, cognitive psychology, and organizational studies.

Starting date: The work will start in the autumn 2022 (negotiable) with a six-month trial period.

Location: The job is based in Lappeenranta (Finland) and University of Trento (Italy). During the four years, about 60% in Lappeenranta, 30% in University of Trento and 10% in other international research exchange location.

Salary: The typical gross annual starting salary for a junior researcher is approximately 30 800 euros (plus a holiday bonus in accordance with the collective agreement).

How to apply

Please submit all the application materials in English:

1. Your curriculum vitae
2. A copy of your degree certificate; if the original documents are not in English, Finnish or Swedish, each document must be accompanied by an official certified translation into English or Finnish
3. A motivation letter: an account of your merits and activities of significance to the vacancy (max. 2 pages)
4. A tentative dissertation research plan (5–10 pages) related to one of the dissertation research areas above. The research plan should be organized as follows:
   1. Introduction: background for research, research gap, research target and research questions/hypotheses.
   2. Theory/literature review: theoretical framework for your dissertation or relevant literature streams related to your topic
   3. Methodology: possible methods to explore and investigate the topic
   4. Results and contributions: novelty and contributions to theory and practice.

The deadline for application is 14 August 2022 (at midnight, Finnish local time +3h). Please submit your application together with the required attachments through the university’s online application system.

For more information, please contact Associate Professor Azzurra Morreale (azzurra.morreale@lut.fi), Associate Professor Päivi Maijanen-Kyläheiko (paivi.maijanen-kylaheiko@lut.fi) and Professor Luigi Mittone (luigi.mittone@unitn.it)

Additional information 

LUT Doctoral School: https://www.lut.fi/web/en/admissions/apply-to-lut/doctoral-studies

Cognitive and Experimental Economics Laboratory (CEEL), Trento: https://www-ceel.economia.unitn.it/

The LUT School of Business and Management (LBM) is among the world’s top 175 business schools in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2022 for business and economics subjects. LUT University was ranked among the top 200 in the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking. 

Clean energy, water and air are life-giving resources for which we at LUT University seek new solutions with our expertise in technology, business and social sciences. We help society and businesses in their sustainable renewal. Our international community consists of 7 500 members. Our campuses are in Lappeenranta and Lahti, Finland. We are the world’s ninth best university for climate action.

Founded in 1962, the University of Trento is a young and dynamic university with 16,000 students and about 1,200 people working as faculty and administrative staff. According to Times Higher Education (THE) ranking and Italian ranking (Censis), the University of Trento is one of the top Universities in Italy.  The educational offer ranges from science and technology to Humanities, from the field of socio-economics and law to the field of Cognitive sciences and Biomolecular sciences. 

Technical support for using the recruitment system: recruitment(at)lut.fi

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