PhD Fellowship in Economics / Health Economics Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium

The Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) is offering a fully funded 4-year PhD Fellowship in Economics / Health Economics, embedded within the interdisciplinary ARC project LESS4MORE (Leveraging Individual and Collective Engagement in Sufficiency Strategies for Mobility). The position is based at the Center for Applied Public Economics (CAPE) and the Institute of Economic and Social Research (IRES), with dual supervision by Prof. Hélène Latzer and Prof. Sandy Tubeuf. The research environment is highly interdisciplinary, connecting economics, health, sustainability, and public policy, and offers strong links to policy stakeholders and societal actors.

The LESS4MORE project addresses the challenge of sustainable mobility in the context of climate transition, focusing on sufficiency-based strategies that complement technological innovation. The project integrates psychology, engineering, law, and economics to develop legally grounded and empirically calibrated mobility sufficiency scenarios for Belgium. These scenarios are evaluated for their environmental, economic, social, and health impacts, with the aim of producing actionable policy recommendations that foster mobility sufficiency and equity.

The PhD candidate will contribute to the economics and health economics components, specifically by evaluating the welfare and health impacts of sufficiency-oriented mobility scenarios and assessing their economic sustainability through comprehensive cost-benefit analysis. The research will leverage the Beamm platform (Belgian Arithmetic Microsimulation Model), an open-access tax-benefit microsimulation model developed by CAPE, to project mobility and fiscal scenarios enriched with socioeconomic, health, and behavioral data. The project employs a multi-method approach, including large-scale data collection and harmonization, microsimulation of fiscal and mobility policies, nonparametric inequality analysis, and cost-benefit analysis with equity-sensitive welfare weights.

A central objective is to uncover how sufficiency measures affect different population groups, particularly those who may be disproportionately burdened, and to design accompanying measures that enhance equity and social acceptability. The interdisciplinary team includes experts in engineering, psychology, law, and economics, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation that integrates legal, behavioral, and environmental perspectives.

The ideal candidate will have a Master’s degree in economics or a closely related field, strong quantitative and programming skills, experience in empirical economic research, and motivation for interdisciplinary work. Knowledge of the Belgian institutional context and proficiency in English are required; French and/or Dutch are assets. Applicants should submit a CV, cover letter, academic transcripts, three letters of recommendation (at least two from academic supervisors), and a sample of scientific writing (if available) in a single PDF. The selection process includes pre-selection and interviews, with final decisions communicated in early July 2026.

This fellowship offers access to a high-level research environment, opportunities for collaboration across disciplines, and the chance to contribute to impactful research on sustainability, health, and public economics. The position starts on 1 October 2026, with interviews scheduled for June 2026. For further information, contact Prof. Hélène Latzer or Prof. Sandy Tubeuf.