PRR Project

Summary

The Assistant Professor will be assigned research activities in the field of the call. Main tasks comprise writing high quality papers to be published in leading peer reviewed journals, writing proposals to apply for research funding, participating in scientific projects, collaborating in scientific dissemination and in knowledge transfer through consultancy activities to external entities, thereby strengthening the research line Natural resources, environment and sustainability policies within the cluster Institutions and Policies for Sustainable Development of CeBER.He/she will also be assigned teaching activities in the field of Economics, with emphasis on Natural resources and environmental economics, as well as master and doctoral students’ supervision.Candidates must hold a doctorate in the field of Environmental Economics, or in a related field, which, together with a good track record of publications in internationally excellent, peer reviewed journals, demonstrates his/her ability to work at a high level both in teaching and research activities in the fields for which the competition is open. Also, he/she should have the capacity to advance their own research area, have high analytical skills, and team-working ability. Teaching experience in a university setting and the capacity to apply innovative teaching methodologies as well as excellent communication and presentation skills are also valued. Natural resources, environment and sustainability policies is one of most promising CeBER´s research lines, which the Centre intends to consolidate and strengthen. The new tenured member is expected to contribute to increase the Centre’s research impact in this field, notably enabling further collaborations (e.g. CeBER has been involved in projects related to forestry, agriculture, water, and seas, with academic and non-academic institutions).Besides, this area comprises highly topical issues (e.g., the impacts of climate change, the scarcity of natural resources, or the establishment of circularity principles in the economy) that will be on the public and political agendas for many years to come and that attract a growing number of students in the different cycles of study - an opportunity for the school to increase its number of Masters and Doctoral students in Economics.The Natural Resources and Environmental Economics lays the foundations for the understanding of the root of many environmental problems, and provides the tools and methods do address and mitigate those problems (Tietenberg, 2018). As economic growth intensifies, so do the environmental problems caused by economic activity and the behavior of agents. The rapid industrialization of emerging economies, and associated improvement in their living standards, as well as the continued high levels of consumption by developed countries have led to unprecedented environmental pressures (Bibas et al.,2021). These production and consumption patterns are responsible for high levels of GHG emissions (2022 reached a new record in global emissions; Crippa et al., 2023), for increased generation of waste (up to +70% by 2050; Kaza et al., 2018) and natural resources’ depletion (consumption will double until 2060 if current trends are kept; EEA, 2019). Consequently, present societies are already facing the challenges associated with climate change due to anthropogenic causes, environmental degradation and resources’ depletion, which occur because economic agents behave under the premise of infinite growth (Wang, 2024).Addressing these societal and demanding challenges, so as to pursue a path of sustainable economic growth and development, strongly relies on the knowledge of Natural Resources and Environmental Economics. In this context, the tenured must not only be able to apply economic theory and methods but also to contribute to the advancement of the knowledge in this field, notably using different data sources and techniques, such as simulation and optimization models, pricing and the valuation of environmental goods, ecosystems services or sustainability indicators.References:Bibas, R., J. Chateau and E. Lanzi (2021), "Policy scenarios for a transition to a more resource efficient and circular economy", OECD Environment Working Papers, No. 169, OECD Publishing, Paris.Crippa, M., Guizzardi, D., Pagani, F., et al. (2023). GHG emissions of all world countries, Joint Research Centre. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.EEA (2019). The European environment - state and outlook 2020. Knowledge for transition to a sustainable Europe. European Environment Agency.Kaza, S, Yao, L, Bhada-Tata, P, Van Woerden, F. 2018. “What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050.” Overview booklet. World Bank, Washington, DC.Wang, J., Azam, W. (2024). Natural resource scarcity, fossil fuel energy consumption, and total greenhouse gas emissions in top emitting countries, Geoscience Frontiers, 15(2) 101757.