PhD Studentship (3 years) Trade, Technology and Productivity

PhD Studentship (3 years) Trade, Technology and Productivity

Applications are invited for a three-year Postgraduate studentship, supported by the College of Business and Social Sciences, to be undertaken within Economics, Finance and Entrepreneurship Department, Aston Business School at Aston University. The successful applicant will join the Centre for Business Prosperity working on Global strategy and productivity.

Closing Date: 19^th May 2023 [11.59pm GMT]

The position is available to start in October 2023.

Interviews are expected to take place on 5^th and 6^th June 2023.

This studentship includes a fee bursary to cover the tuition fees, plus a maintenance allowance. The figure of the maintenance allowance is yet to be confirmed. For reference, the figure for the 2022/3 academic year is £17,668. 

The PhD research will build on the work Centre for Business Prosperity has done in recent years to examine the implications of UK trade challenges on firms, industries, and regions. The first question centres on how increased non-tariff measures (NTMs) on imported intermediate inputs and exported goods impacted on firms’ internationalisation strategy and outcomes.

The focus will be on how the distributions of sectors in different regions impact on the economic consequence of NTMs on regional international trade capabilities and resulted productivity growth (or decline). The second project will examine how the lost export varieties of exports as documented by Du, Satoglu and Shepotylo (2023) impact on UK regions’ industrial vitality post Brexit.

Taking on board the likely movement of capitals globally due to the US’ Inflation Reduction Act and EU’s Green Deal Industrial Plan, the project will focus on examining the potential impact on UK firms and regions’ global competitiveness post Brexit, with timely policy implications.

The research will employ COMTRADE product level data, HMRC Overseas Import & Export Database, ONS/HMRC Trade in Goods and International Trade in Services Database, ONS enterprise level data. Advanced econometrics will be used for answering the research questions.

The successful applicant should hold the equivalent of a UK First or Upper Second Class Honours undergraduate degree from an approved university or higher education institution. They should also hold, or expect to achieve, a Masters degree with an overall weighted average of 65% in a relevant degree subject. 

Contact: Professors Jun Du (j.du@aston.ac.uk)

As part of the application, you will need to supply:

• A copy of your current CV
• Copies of your academic qualifications for your Bachelor degree, and Masters degree; this should include both certificates and transcripts, and must be translated in to English.
• A research proposal statement*
• A personal statement
• Two academic references
• Proof of your English Language proficiency

*Ccandidates should take this opportunity to detail how their knowledge and experience will benefit the project and should also be accompanied by a brief review of relevant research literature.

Please include the supervisor’s name, project title and project reference in your Personal Statement.

For details of how to submit your application, and the necessary supporting documents, please click on the ‘Apply’ button above.

Please select “Aston Business School Research Degree Programme (Oct 2023)” from the application form options.

If you require further information about the application process, please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team at pgr_admisssions@aston.ac.uk

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