PhD position energy economics

You will conduct research aimed at de-risking investments in clean energy assets, with a focus on sustainable aviation fuels and PV-battery systems internationally and in Switzerland.

School: School of Management and Law
Starting date: October 1st, 2026, or as per agreement

Your PhD work is embedded into projects funded by Swiss Federal Office of Energy. Clean energy infra-structure, such as electrolysers, CO2-pipelines, PV-battery systems etc. are characterised by high up-front investment cost and risky returns due to uncertain offtake agreements, first-mover risk, and or cannibaliza-tion effects in case of growing investment levels.

Your work will focus on reducing clean energy investment cost by designing and evaluating financial de-risking mechanisms for SAF and PV deployment in Switzerland, such as contracts for difference, central procurement models and/or double-sided auctions, drawing on international experience and the market design literature. Your potential tasks include:

• Literature review, evaluation of proposed and implemented concepts in other countries
• Developing skills in contract and auction design for investment de-risking
• Simulating clean energy investment and dispatch decisions under different contract designs
• Critically analysing simulation results and writing reports and papers
• Master's degree in economics or a related field
• Knowledge in or passion for energy economics
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, with a strong ambition to publish high-quality research

Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW is one of Switzerland's largest multidisciplinary universities of applied sciences, with over 15'000 students and 3'400 faculty and staff.

ZHAW is committed to gender-mixed and diverse teams in order to promote equality, diversity and innovation.

The ZHAW School of Management and Law (SML) is one of the largest business schools in Switzerland with around 9,500 students. It is the only university of applied sciences in the country that is included in renowned rankings published by the business newspaper “Financial Times" and is accredited by AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA – labels for high quality standards in teaching, research and further education.

The internationally recognized bachelor's and master's degree programs, cooperative PhD programs and the numerous continuing education offerings are scientifically sound, interdisciplinary and practice oriented. The SML maintains numerous collaborations with over 190 selected partner universities worldwide.

We offer:

• An open and collaborative team environment at the Centre for Energy and the Environment (CEE), headed by Prof. Dr. Regina Betz
• Comprehensive guidance and opportunities to develop a robust research profile
• Access to an outstanding network of energy and environmental economists addressing critical climate and energy issues
• Competitive salary by international standards (according to SNF PhD salary guidelines)
• Flexible working hours, the possibility to partially work from home within Switzerland, and a pleasant working atmosphere
• Access to the facilities of ZHAW as staff
• Secured funding for the PhD project for three years
• Five weeks of holidays per year
• Opportunities to participate in international academic conferences
• Immediate commencement of your Ph.D. research

The PhD studies will be carried out in collaboration with the University of Basel under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Hannes Weigt and Prof. Dr. Bjarne Steffen, ETH Zurich.

We offer working conditions and terms of employment commensurate with higher education institutions and actively promote personal development for staff in leadership and non-leadership positions. A detailed description of advantages and benefits can be found at Working at the ZHAW . The main points are listed below:

We offer working conditions and terms of employment commensurate with higher education institutions and actively promote personal development for staff in leadership and non-leadership positions.

The ZHAW sees gender-balanced management as an advantage for the university.

The ZHAW Welcome Centre gives an overview and general information on living and working in Switzerland.