Geraldine Ryan

The Cork University Business School (CUBS) at University College Cork is offering a PhD scholarship for a project focused on supporting and scaling collaborative consumption models to accelerate a just circular economy transition in Ireland. The project will investigate how shared access to goods and services—such as swapping, borrowing, renting, and leasing—can be leveraged to reduce waste and promote sustainability. The research aims to inform business and policy strategies to ensure that the transition to a circular economy is equitable and benefits all sectors of society. The supervisory team includes Dr. Bernadette Power, Dr. John Eakins, Prof. Geraldine Ryan, Dr. Gordon Sirr, and external advisor Dr. Jack McCarthy from the Rediscovery Centre. Applicants should be highly motivated graduates with excellent academic records and a strong interest in sustainability, business, and the circular economy. The scholarship provides funding for the PhD, though specific financial details are not listed. Interested candidates should consult the official University College Cork vacancies page for full application instructions and further information.

A fully funded PhD scholarship is available at University College Cork (UCC), Ireland, within the Cork University Business School (CUBS), Department of Economics. The project focuses on supporting and scaling collaborative consumption models—such as sharing, swapping, renting, and gifting—to accelerate Ireland’s just transition to a circular economy. The research aims to identify the most effective collaborative models, the enablers (policy, technology, social factors) that aid their adoption, the incentives for users and providers, and the types of organizations that can scale these models while ensuring fairness, sustainability, and inclusion. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary supervisory team led by Dr Bernadette Power, with co-supervisors Dr John Eakins, Prof Geraldine Ryan, Dr Gordon Sirr, and Dr Jack McCarthy (Rediscovery Centre). The position is fully funded for three years, offering a stipend of €25,000 per annum, research and travel support, and tuition coverage, funded by the EPA. Applicants should hold an honours degree (First or 2:1) and ideally a Master’s in Economics or a related field, possess strong quantitative and communication skills, and demonstrate English proficiency (IELTS ≥ 6.5). The PhD is part of UCC’s Structured PhD programme, providing interdisciplinary supervision, coursework, fieldwork opportunities, publication prospects, and international networking. The position is based in Cork, Ireland, and the application deadline is 11 December 2025. For more information or to apply, candidates should visit the provided link and may contact Dr Bernadette Power at [email protected].