We are looking for a PhD candidate to join us as part of the “Assessing Circular Rebound Effects under Sustainability Science” (CARE) project, which is part of a European research and innovation initiative funded by the HORIZON program.
The project aims to transform food systems by tackling food loss and waste through reliable data and stakeholder engagement within a unified framework to assess economic, environmental, and social impacts. The goal is to drive systemic change and promote sustainable practices across Europe.
Key Responsibilities
The selected candidate will focus on:
- Developing the theoretical and modeling framework to quantify rebound effects of food loss prevention actions, following Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) principles and sustainability science.
- Quantifying the environmental, social, and economic performance of two pilot projects: one in the meat sector in Spain and another in the fruit and vegetable sector in Greece.
- Creating generalizable models integrated into LCA-based calculation tools, particularly using Brightway software.
- Proposing improvement actions based on the obtained results, both within the project’s pilot cases and at the European level.
- Writing reports and scientific articles.
- Attending project-related meetings, both online and in person.
- Translating research insights into the construction sector, where Grupo Construcía primarily operates.
- Supporting Life Cycle Sustainability (LCS) projects developed by Eco Intelligent Growth (EIG) outside of the PhD scope.
Why Join Us?
We offer a unique opportunity to develop an industrial PhD in a consultancy pioneering circular economy implementation, under the supervision of two leading research institutes known for their excellence in scientific research in economics and environmental sciences:
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB)
- Institute for Economic Analysis (IAE-CSIC)
The project will be guided by experts and professors specializing in Life Cycle Sustainability (LCS), Environmental Engineering, and Economic Analysis, with strong presence in both academia and industry.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Applied Sciences, Social Sciences, or Engineering related to Circular Economy (e.g., Environmental Science, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, etc.).
- Minimum academic GPA of 6.5/10, calculated based on the total credits of higher education studies that grant access to official PhD programs.
- Knowledge and/or experience in micro and/or macroeconomics and/or environmental impact assessment (e.g., Life Cycle Analysis).
- Experience or familiarity with project management, Python programming, and LCA software (Brightway, OpenLCA, SimaPro, etc.) is highly valued.
- Fluent Spanish and English.
What We Offer
- Permanent contract from day one.
- Performance-based bonus.
- Flexible work schedule, including shorter workdays on Fridays.
- Hybrid work model.
- Supportive and dynamic work environment.
- Birthday off as an additional vacation day.
- Flexible compensation plan.