PhD position in Economic Ethics and/or Environmental Ethics

University of Gothenburg is now hiring a PhD candidate in practical philosophy, with a focus on economic ethics and/or environmental ethics. Economic ethics is the application of moral or political philosophy to critical issues in business organizations or the economic system. Environmental ethics is the application of moral or political philosophy to critical issues in the relationship between humans and non-human environmental systems. The research area should be understood broadly so as to include subtopics like business ethics, the political philosophy of markets, ethics of commodification, ethics of climate change or biodiversity, collective action problems, and the philosophy of (environmental) economics. Any applications related to these subfields are welcome.

The PhD candidate will join the Financial Ethics Research Group in the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science. The research group consists of philosophers and economists dedicated to ethical and political issues raised by money and finance (in the broadest sense). The group’s previous projects have been on topics such as sustainable business, ethical investment, banking for the poor, digital currencies, climate metrics, and the value of biodiversity. More specifically, the PhD candidate will be connected to the research program Sustainable Finance Lab, which is a collaboration between several Swedish universities that is funded by Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency. The program explores various aspects of how to make markets and money into a positive force for sustainable development.

The applicant must describe a more specific research question within the area above that they intend to explore. Some examples of potential research questions are:

• What moral duties do commercial firms or banks have to mitigate climate change?
• Do consumers have a duty to buy sustainable goods, or invest in sustainable firms?
• How should societal institutions (such as central banks or the monetary system) be set up to promote biodiversity?
• Is the state justified in coercing market participants to mitigate climate change?
• What is the relationship between sustainability and human rights?
• Are current conceptualizations of sustainability in terms of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria adequate?

Please note that a PhD position in Sweden means full-time employment for four years. The University of Gothenburg has excellent employment benefits such as a generous pay, wellness time during working hours, compensation for medical visits, a base vacation of 28 days, and an occupational pension.

Applications must be received by: October 13, 2026

For more information, please visit University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal.