The University of Barcelona School of Economics invites applications for a four-year, full-time PhD Fellowship starting in April/May 2027 (tentative). The successful candidate will join the research project “City challenges: land use, housing and urban amenities,” led by Prof. Elisabet Viladecans and Dr. Rosa Sanchis-Guarner.
The aim of this project is to deepen our understanding of the economic, political, and spatial mechanisms underlying the challenges facing cities today. More specifically, the project examines how land-use regulation, housing markets, mobility, and urban amenities affect housing affordability, urban quality of life, and residents’ welfare. By combining insights from urban, public, and political economy with highly granular georeferenced data and causal inference strategies, the project aims to generate rigorous, policy-relevant evidence on how policies targeting land use, housing markets, mobility, and amenities shape housing, environmental, and neighbourhood outcomes.
The selected candidate will contribute to these research objectives by conducting research in these areas. Candidates should have a strong interest in urban economics and applied microeconomics, with proven experience in empirical research using causal methods and solid economics training. Strong skills in STATA (or similar statistical software) are required. Experience with R, Python, and GIS software is desirable.
The successful candidate will become part of the Cities research program at the Institut d’Economia de Barcelona (IEB), benefiting from a vibrant research environment with regular seminars and close interaction with leading researchers in urban economics and political economy.
Remuneration is aligned with the Spanish Government’s FPI doctoral fellowship scheme. The annual gross salary is approximately €25,500, plus up to €5,500 in additional funding for research stays. The employment contract includes social security benefits and public healthcare coverage.
The University of Barcelona is a leading centre in southern Europe, 1st university in Spain, deeply committed to excellence in research. Within this framework, the UB School of Economics serves as a pivotal platform for research and graduate education in Economics. According to IDEAS, the UB School of Economics is ranked 86th in the world.
The selected candidate will be required to apply for the PhD in Economics programme at the UB School of Economics, so a strong quantitative background in Economics is expected. The PhD in Economics programme has been awarded the distinction of Excellence following a comprehensive and rigorous external evaluation conducted by the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU). This recognition acknowledges the quality and impact of the research conducted within the framework of the PhD programme.
Submission instructions
Interested candidates should submit their expression of interest by sending (i) a CV, (ii) a letter of interest, and (iii) a piece of recent academic work (e.g., Master’s thesis, ongoing research paper, etc. – optional) to ieb.calls@ub.edu before 30 September 2026 at 11:59 CEST.
The letter of interest (500 words max) should detail your past experience, interest in the project’s areas, and why you would be an outstanding candidate for this pre-doctoral position.
Please indicate the name of the project “City challenges: land use, housing and urban amenities” in your email.