CALLS FOR
RESEARCH FELLOW POSITIONS

When applying to EBS to become a PhD student, the EBS Research and Development Council may offer you an opportunity of becoming a research fellow, especially if your proposed area of research falls into one of the school’s priority areas. The research fellow will work in a research group with a specific research topic.

What is a Research Fellow Position?

When applying to EBS to become a PhD student, you also have the opportunity to become a research fellow. Research fellows are selected by the EBS Research and Development Council, are employed by EBS and work as part of a research group on a specific priority topic.

These positions are financed either by EBS or external funding (or a combination of both). The research fellow is, therefore, both employed by EBS and enrolled into the PhD programme. As an employee, a research fellow is provided with a workplace and a competitive salary while also being provided with teaching and supervision as a PhD student.

This scholarship and position include an obligation to contribute to teaching and other core activities of the school. The duration of the employment is four years (reflecting the nominal PhD study period) with flexibility depending on individual circumstances. Research fellow positions are limited and offered to exceptional PhD candidates with a similar vision to fit the EBS academic faculty.

All designated positions:

• Are full time (40h/pw) or part-time based on individual circumstances.
• Monthly salary up to 2500-3000€.
• Expect active involvement in the research programme and department.
• Are based at the EBS Tallinn Campus in Estonia.
• Have an application deadline May 1st (non-EU) 2024, or August 1st 2024.
• Research fellow selection and offers will be completed by September 15th.
• Start in September/October 2024

Research fellow calls for the year 2024/2025

Circular economy business models

We are looking for doctoral candidates to conduct research and real-life testing/ implementation (for the applied/ experimental PhD track) into the design and application of circular business models in individual organisations and/or economic sectors. The main focus of this call is on identifying, investigating and testing circular models, which have the potential to combine positive environmental impacts with viable business outcomes. Ideally, proposals should aim to facilitate and incentivise movement towards circular models by considering integrated methods, which combine top-down approaches (e.g. legislation, policies, infrastructure, societal awareness) with bottom-up ones (e.g. business models, organisational changes, product design, supply chain, technology). Proposals are welcomed for a broad range of economic sectors and organisation types.

The research and project work will be coordinated and supervised by the Green Economy and CSR research group at the Estonian Business School with support from other topical groups as necessary, depending on the scope of individual proposals (e.g. Digitalisation and Entrepreneurship, Methods and Design, Political Economy and Society, Management and Organisations).

Low carbon economy

We are looking for doctoral candidates to conduct research and real-life testing/ implementation (for the applied/ experimental PhD track) into innovative approaches and actionable operational models, which offer the potential to contribute to meaningful greenhouse gas emission reductions at the level of companies, economic sectors or economy-wide. As the transition to a decarbonised economic model necessitates a rethink across the entire economic structure, the scope for proposals is correspondingly wide: proposals can relate to either individual companies/ economic sectors or to the design, testing and (potential) implementation of transversal, system-wide approaches, which have the potential to combine significant emissions reductions with economic viability.

The research and project work will be coordinated and supervised by the Green Economy and CSR research group at the Estonian Business School with support from other topical groups as necessary, depending on the scope of individual proposals (e.g. Digitalisation and Entrepreneurship, Methods and Design, Political Economy and Society, Management and Organisations).

Data-driven business models and decision-making

We are looking for doctoral candidates to conduct research and real-life testing/ implementation (for the applied/ experimental PhD track) into the opportunities and challenges of linking (big) data collection, processing, analysis and interpretation with actionable decision-making and business model implementation in companies/ organisations. The call focuses on investigating approaches to generate and capture value (economic, social, and/or environmental) from different data sources and on ways organisations can transform intelligence derived from data into organisational and business model adaptations as well as value propositions to their clients. Proposals targeting a wide range of application areas and economic sectors are welcomed both in the context of established organisations and start-ups.

The research and project work will be coordinated and supervised by the Digitalisation and Entrepreneurship and Methods and Design research groups at the Estonian Business School. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the work, the project(s) will be conducted in close cooperation with other topical groups at EBS (e.g. Management and Organisations, Marketing and Communication, Green Economy and CSR, Educational and Labour Markets, Economics).

Platform economy: evolution and impacts

We are looking for doctoral candidates to conduct research and real-life testing/simulation/ implementation (for the applied/ experimental PhD track) into the evolving business models and/or socio-economic impacts of online platform economies and associated ecosystems. Proposals are invited on a broad basis and can address both the economic and societal aspects related to the platform economy. Proposals could, inter alia, focus on the emergence, formation and characteristics of digital platform ecosystems; the design of markets and business models, including different value creation approaches, their viability and impact (including distributional effects); questions related to the governance and organisation of online platform ecosystems and their constituent parts; the socio-economic influence of digital platforms as well as ethical and regulatory issues related thereto. Proposals, which propose to adopt novel, forward-looking approaches are particularly welcomed.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the research, the project(s) will be coordinated and supervised in close co-operation between different research groups at the Estonian Business School depending on the exact scope and focus of individual proposals (e.g. Digitalisation and Entrepreneurship, Political Economy and Society, Management and Organisations, Methods and Design, Marketing and Communication).

Digital marketing

We are looking for doctoral candidates to conduct research and real-life testing/ implementation (for the applied/ experimental PhD track) into the evolution and impact of digital marketing methods and tools, in particular on consumer behaviour, design and innovation and/or digital analytics. High quality proposals linked to other marketing related domains are also welcome and will be considered. As a particular focus area, proposals are encouraged to consider the usage and role of social media in shifting consumers’ mindsets towards sustainability and green economy-related issues as well as other areas of societal concern.

The research and project work will be co-ordinated and supervised by the Marketing and Communication research group at the Estonian Business School. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the work, the project(s) will be conducted in close co-operation with other topical groups at EBS (e.g. Green Economy and CSR, Methods and Design, Digitalisation and Entrepreneurship).

Innovation and technology in education and labour markets

We are looking for doctoral candidates to conduct research and real-life testing/ implementation (for the applied/ experimental PhD track) into the design, creation, development and application of innovative educational and instructional solutions in the area of education, labour markets and human capital development. Proposals can cover both technological solutions as well as other innovative models and concepts. Proposals are welcome from across the educational and training technology spectrum at all education levels (e.g. learning content and resources, learning environments, learning management and administration systems, career development and upskilling, gamification, immersive learning etc.). Ideally, successful proposals should demonstrate the potential to simultaneously contribute to improving both the quality of educational and training attainment as well as the accessibility and relevance of educational/ training resources to target audiences. Proposals can cover all levels of education, from primary schooling to adult education and retraining.

The research and project work will be coordinated and supervised by the Education, Labour Market and Human Capital research group at the Estonian Business School with support from other topical groups as necessary, depending on the scope of individual proposals (e.g. Digitalisation and Entrepreneurship, Methods and Design, Economics).

New approaches to public service delivery and policy/ regulatory design 

We are looking for doctoral candidates to conduct research and real-life or simulated testing/ implementation (for the applied/ experimental PhD track) into innovative methods and knowledge-based approaches for improving the efficiency and timely delivery of public services in areas related to major societal challenges (e.g. climate, environment, energy, transport, health and demography, skills and education, inequality, security etc.). Proposals addressing public service/funding/support provision or policy/regulatory design at any level of government (local, regional, national, supranational) are encouraged. Proposals could also address the potential of novel approaches encompassing public sector-, private sector- and civil society cooperation; integrated approaches bringing together a combination of different mechanisms and intervention tools at the disposal of public authorities towards achieving predefined policy objectives; improving the efficiency of distribution and intervention mechanisms through innovative design and technology approaches.

The research and project work will be coordinated and supervised by the Political Economy and Society research group at the Estonian Business School with support from other topical groups as necessary, depending on the scope of individual proposals (e.g. Management and Organisations, Marketing and Communication, Finance and Accounting, Economics, Digitalisation and Entrepreneurship, Methods and Design, Green Economy and CSR).