PhD Studentship in Economics and Computation

Deadline for applications 9 April 2023 or until position is filled

One fully funded PhD position to work with Dr. Aris Filos-Ratsikas in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh, on a project titled “Algorithms and Mechanisms for Economic Environments”.

The aim of this project is to study economic environments such as game theoretic environments, fair division or social choice theory from the perspective of algorithms, mechanism and computational complexity. Indicative possible topics include designing algorithms and proving computational complexity results for environments like auctions, fair division or markets, designing algorithms for social choice settings under limited information, or designing incentive mechanisms and performing game-theoretic analysis for these environments.

The successful applicant will be part of the Algorithms & Computational Complexity group and will have the opportunity to interact with other members and more widely within the School.

Candidate’s profile

• A strong mathematical background, with an emphasis on discrete mathematics, probabilities, and ideally theory of computation / basics of computational complexity.
• Programming skills are a plus but they are not required.
• A good Bachelor’s Hons degree (2.1 or above or international equivalent) and/or Master’s degree in a relevant subject (computer science, mathematics, economics, physics, engineering, or related subject)
• Proficiency in English (both oral and written)
• Familiarity with game theory and or/social choice theory/fair division is desirable but not necessary.

Studentship and eligibility

The School funded studentship starting in the academic year 2023/24 covers:

• Full time PhD tuition fees for a student with a Home fee status (£4,596 per annum) and/or overseas fee status (£29,700 per annum).
• A tax-free stipend of GBP £17,668 per year for 3.5 years.
• Additional programme costs of £1000 per year.

Application Information

Applicants should apply via the University’s admissions portal (EUCLID) and apply for the following programme: https://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/postgraduate/degrees/index.php?r=site/view&edition=2022&id=493 with a start date of 01-Oct-2023.

Applicants should state “Algorithms and Mechanisms for Economic Environments” and the research supervisor (Dr Aris Filos-Ratsikas) in their application and Research Proposal document.

Complete applications submitted by 9 April 2023 will receive full consideration; after that date applications will be considered until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is 01-Oct-2023. Please be advised that depending on the date an offer is made, later start dates might need to be considered for international applicants needing to complete immigration processes prior to commencing studies.

Applicants must submit:

• All degree transcripts and certificates (and certified translations if applicable)
• Evidence of English Language capability (where applicable).
• A short research proposal (max 2 pages)
• A full CV and cover letter describing your background, suitability for the PhD, and research interests (max 2 pages).
• Two references (note that it the applicant’s responsibility to ensure reference letters are received before the deadline).

Only complete applications (i.e., those that are not missing the above documentation) will progress forward to Academic Selectors for further consideration.

Environment

The School of Informatics is exceptionally strong in Theoretical Computer Science, hosting one of the largest groups globally for the Foundations of Computer Science (https://web.inf.ed.ac.uk/lfcs/about-us). The University of Edinburgh is constantly ranked among the world’s top universities and is a highly international environment with several centres of excellence.

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