The doctoral candidate’s own topic closely coordinated with the main research areas of the Economics & Finance specialisation

TalTech’s School of Business and Governance offers ambitious individuals the opportunity to join the Economics specialization of its PhD programme. The PhD programme is offering 1 open topic PhD position in the research area of Economics & Finance. The prospective PhD students are requested to propose their own specific research project that contributes to the School’s position as a leading Business School in the region and beyond. The proposed research project should align with the research activities of one of the research groups active at the Department of Economics & Finance at the School of Business and Governance – see more here: https://taltech.ee/en/sbg/research-groups

In the specialization of Economics & Finance, a wide variety of empirical questions could be explored. For example, the thesis topic could cover labour markets, macroeconomic and monetary policy, behavioral finance, financial markets, or financial technology. Contemporary applied economics and finance research uses advanced quantitative research methods and relies on registry or transaction data, or data on natural experiments to answer policy-relevant questions.

The prospective PhD students are encouraged to design and execute original scholarly research projects that covers one or several of the above-mentioned areas as well as indicate preferred main and co-supervisor from the Department of Economics & Finance at the School of Business and Governance, TalTech.

Responsibilities and (foreseen) tasks

During the PhD research, the students should develop and implement their own research plan that results in at least three peer-reviewed and internationally published articles. The research plan should also be in-line and contribute to the strategic research directions of the existing research groups. As part of the PhD studies, the students will also get the opportunity to gain teaching, supervision and research management skills and competencies. 

A successful PhD candidate should preferably have:

• a master’s degree in Economics or Finance or in other areas with additional proof of quantitative research skills and necessary background knowledge;
• a clear interest and vision for independent research in the topic of the position;
• excellent command of English;
• strong and demonstrable writing and analytical skills;
• capacity to work as an independent person and as part of an international team;
• capacity and willingness to provide assistance in organizational tasks relevant to the Department and the School of Business and Governance.

We offer

• 4-year funded PhD position in the largest, most internationalized and leading Business School in Estonia with a large portfolio of ongoing pan-European and national research projects;
• Active involvement in research projects of the assigned research group;  
• The chance to do high-impact research in one of the most dynamic digital settings globally;
• Opportunities for conference visits, research stays and networking with globally leading universities and research centers;
• All PhD positions are guaranteed a gross income of at least 1828 EUR and Estonian national health insurance.

About the school

TalTech School of Business and Governance is the leading provider of higher education in the fields of economics, business administration, law and public administration in the Baltic States. Our faculty includes internationally recognised top scientists and outstanding practitioners not only from Estonia but also from abroad - we have 34% international faculty members from 33 countries. About 23% of international students from over 60 countries confirm the attractiveness of the School in the international education landscape.

The main keywords that describe The Department of Economics and Finance are quantitative economic analysis and finance; modern conceptual foundations to understand the functioning of economic systems, high-quality evidence-based research on economic, financial and policy impacts and processes, interdisciplinarity, international cooperation, strong emphasis on the applied aspects of the subject area and research-based teaching and learning.

For further information, please contact:

• Economics and Finance PhD Programme director Tõnn Talpsepp, tonn.talpsepp@taltech.ee
• PhD Student Counsellor at the Dean´s Office: Maria Edur, maria.edur@taltech.ee

Please also visit https://taltech.ee/en/sbg ; https://taltech.ee/en/department-economics-and-finance/doctoral-studies  ; and https://taltech.ee/en/phd-admission

About our university

Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) is an international scientific community with approximately 9,000 students and 2,000 employees, one of the largest universities in Estonia that is the leading EU country in digitalization. The strengths of the university are wide multidisciplinary study/research interests, modern research and study environment as well as strong collaboration with international educational and research institutions. TalTech is aiming to be an organization leading the way to a sustainable digital future.

TalTech has a green and one of the most compact university campuses in Europe that includes the Tehnopol Tallinn Science Park. Low hierarchy, academic freedom and a balanced work and family life are valued at TalTech. The university provides individual development and training opportunities, material and non-material tokens of acknowledgement, sporting opportunities at TalTech Sports Club and all-staff activities.

TalTech as an employer brings together representatives from a wide range of disciplines - engineers and economists, business and biotechnology, and data scientists - with a common mission to develop Estonian higher education and research. Keywords that characterize TalTech today are rapid development, interdisciplinarity, and internationalization. The university has an international working environment and the working languages are English and Estonian.