Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral European Fellowship

About the School

Essex Business School pushes the boundaries of knowledge, helping organisations and society innovate and thrive.

We undertake theoretical and applied research to investigate key issues and contemporary challenges within businesses, the public sector, not-for-profits and the wider world.

We engage in diverse areas of research, such as emerging markets, firm financing, corporate governance, financial econometrics and gender studies. Our research agenda has an emphasis on sustainability practices, corporate responsibility and key technologies.

We are renowned for our expertise in accounting, finance and banking, organisation studies, human resource management, entrepreneurship and innovation, management and marketing. Our department houses seven research centres and five research groups which organise their work around these key themes.

We are happy to receive and support a small number of high-quality applications in any areas of our specialisation.

Application and assessment process

Interested applicants should submit:

• a one-page CV,
• an outline of the proposed research (maximum 1,500 words)

The project outline must include a brief description of:

• The purpose of the project, including the hypothesis or central research questions that the project seeks to test/answer
• Why it is important to undertake this research, including how the project contributes to the state-of-the art
• What research methodology and approach will be used
• Why the department is an appropriate host institution.

Candidates are also encouraged to identify which member(s) of staff they would prefer to work with.

Please submit project outlines in Word format by the 17 March 2025 to the EBS Research Administrator, Debbie Hall, (ebsresearchadministrator@essex.ac.uk).

If you would like to discuss your proposal further, please contact Dr. Charlie Smith (charlie.smith@essex.ac.uk) for general enquiries or a member of faculty that you would be specifically interested in working with.

Applicants who are successful in receiving EU funding must relocate to Essex to work as a postdoctoral fellow.

All documents that you submit to the University of Essex, including your proposal idea, will be handled in full confidentiality and in strict compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018)

Review of expressions of interest will start after the deadline. Proposals will be evaluated based on the applicant’s qualifications and project idea, including its fit with the Department’s research areas and faculty members’ profiles.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a virtual interview in March 2025. Based on the application and interview candidates will be notified of the outcome of their applications by the 28 March 2025.

Those who are successful will be invited to develop a full MSCA PF application in collaboration with the department and with the support of the Research and Enterprise Teams at the University of Essex. The final proposal will be submitted by the deadline of 10 September 2025.

About the Department

The Department of Economics is ranked 4th among all UK economics departments for research power (REF 2021). The University of Essex is ranked in the top category for teaching excellence (TEF 2017). The Department of Economics provides a vibrant research environment and has a strong collegial culture. It is a growing department, currently comprising just above 50 full-time academics, working in a variety of areas in microeconomics, macroeconomics, applied economics and econometrics. The University of Essex is located 60 miles northeast of London.

The Department of Economics is also home to the Essex Behavioural Science Lab (ESSEXLab), a state-of-the-art research facility supporting experimental and behavioural science studies across all faculties. ESSEXLab offers advanced infrastructure for conducting computer-based and interactive experiments, including eye-tracking and facial emotion recognition technologies. Complementing the lab, the Essex Centre for Behavioural Science fosters interdisciplinary collaboration among over 100 researchers, aiming to influence policy, practice, and understanding to address global challenges.

We are looking to support a small number of high-quality applications in the following areas of specialisation:

• Macro: structural models of labour markets; search and matching models
• Behavioural and experimental economics: decisions under risk and uncertainty, social preferences, strategic behaviour in games, and behavioural finance.
• Applied empirical economics in labour, education and health fields

Potential Supervisors

• Macro: Carlos Carrillo Tudela and David Zentler-Munro
• Behavioural: Dennie Van Dolder
• Applied: Thomas Cornelissen, Emma Duchini, Marco Francesconi, Francesca Salvati and Xiaoyu Xia

Candidates are also encouraged to identify which member(s) of staff they would prefer to work with in the economics department (not limited to the above-listed faculty members.)

Application and assessment process

Interested applicants should submit:

• a one-page CV (candidates must have a doctoral degree in Economics)
• an outline of the proposed research (maximum 1,500 words).

The project outline must include a brief description of:

• The purpose of the project, including the hypothesis or central research questions that the project seeks to test/answer
• Why it is important to undertake this research, including how the project contributes to the state-of-the art
• What research methodology and approach will be used
• Why the Department is an appropriate host institution.
• Which member(s) of staff they would prefer to work with

Please submit these in Word or PDF format to by the 17 March 2025 to ecodm@essex.ac.uk

If you would like to discuss your proposal further, please contact your proposed supervisor or Dr. Xiaoyu Xia at xiaoyu.xia@essex.ac.uk

Applicants who are successful in receiving EU funding must relocate to Essex to work as a postdoctoral fellow.

All documents that you submit to Essex University, including your proposal idea, will be handled in full confidentiality and in strict compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018)

Review of expressions of interest will start after the deadline. Proposals will be evaluated based on the applicant’s qualifications and project idea, including its fit with the Department’s research areas.

Applicants may be invited to attend a short, informal interview (online) in March 2025 to discuss their proposal further prior to any final decision being reached. Based on the application and interview, candidates will be notified of the outcome of their applications by 28 March 2025.

Those who are successful will be invited to develop a full MSCA PF application in collaboration with the Department and with the support of the Research and Enterprise Teams at Essex University. The final proposal will be submitted by the deadline of 10 September 2025.