PhD Student Positions in Business Administration (Entrepreneurship, Ownership, and Family Business) Jönköping University in Sweden

Jönköping International Business School (JIBS), part of Jönköping University in Sweden, is recruiting two full-time PhD students in Business Administration. The call is centered on three closely related research areas: entrepreneurship, ownership, and family business. Successful candidates will join a strong international research environment with a clear emphasis on high-quality academic research, teaching development, and personal growth.

JIBS is an internationally oriented business school with triple crown accreditation (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA) and a strong research profile in entrepreneurship and family business. The school highlights research centres such as the Centre for Family Entrepreneurship and Ownership (CeFEO), the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Spatial Economics (CEnSE), and the Media, Management and Transformation Centre (MMTC). Applicants are expected to connect their proposal to at least one of these centres and explain the fit clearly in the research proposal.

The doctoral positions are fully funded and offered as salaried employee positions. The normal workload is 80% doctoral research and coursework, with 20% devoted to teaching and administrative duties. The expected start date is 1 January 2027, or by agreement. The positions are full-time and temporary.

Research topics may cover entrepreneurial actors and processes, new venture creation and growth, gender and diversity in entrepreneurship, ownership rights and responsible ownership, governance and strategy across ownership forms, family business succession and professionalization, intergenerational dynamics, and entrepreneurship and innovation in family firms. The call explicitly states that proposals outside the three focus areas will not be considered.

Eligibility requirements include a completed or soon-to-be-completed Master’s degree, at least 240 ECTS credits in total, at least 60 ECTS credits at the second-cycle level, and at least 90 ECTS credits in Business Administration. Fluency in both written and spoken English is mandatory, as English is the main language for research and teaching.

The application must be complete and submitted in English. Required documents include a letter of intent answering why you want to be a PhD student, why you want to do it at JIBS, and why you should be selected; a preliminary research proposal of up to 3000 words; CV; attested transcripts and diplomas; evidence of teaching and/or industry experience where relevant; your Master thesis or a current draft/executive summary; one reference letter; and contact details for two additional referees. The university notes that only complete applications will be considered and that AI-generated research proposals are discouraged.

The deadline is midnight CET on 1 October 2026. The positions are based in Jönköping, Sweden, at Jönköping University.