Research Fellow in Energy and Macroeconomics

Research Fellow in Energy and Macroeconomics

Salary: Grade 7 (£39,355 – £46,735 p.a. depending on experience) 

This role will be based on the university campus, with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

Would you like to further your career by applying your quantitative energy and economic skills at one of the UK’s leading research-intensive Universities? Do you have an ability to find new insights to urgent global issues, such as the economic implications of reducing energy use, the material requirements of the global energy transition, or the links between economic growth and energy efficiency? If so, this could be the opportunity for you.

The job opportunity is to work as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow on two, related research projects: “Impacts of green growth and degrowth pathways using societal exergy analysis” and “Dynamic Modelling of the needs and potentials of the Earth's mineral and energy resources for the period 2050”.

Meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement’s ambition relies heavily on reducing global energy use through increased energy efficiency, and also switching to renewables-based energy systems, which will require significant critical materials. At the same time mainstream models assume continued economic growth. The strong link between the economy and energy and material consumption, as well as the needed development of alternative economic (e.g. post-growth and degrowth) pathways translates to an urgent need for new modelling approaches and investigation. 

In response, two projects are being led at the University of Leeds by Dr Paul Brockway, exploring these issues using pioneering Exergy Economics analytical methods. This emerging field applies ‘exergy’ as the thermodynamic-based measure of energy quality: the ability of energy to do physical work. The recent completion by Dr Brockway and colleagues of a country-level primary-final-useful (CL-PFU) energy and exergy database will be utilised directly in these projects.

You will be working with the team at Leeds including Dr Brockway and Dr Emmanuel Aramendia, applying your quantitative energy and macroeconomic skills to key research questions such as: What is the relationship between energy efficiency, energy rebound, and economic growth? How much energy and materials will we need to meet our future energy service demands? What are the economic implications of a climate compatible reduction in energy consumption? You will benefit from close links to project partners, including Universities at Grenoble and Cambridge, with wider collaboration possible utilising our existing links to researchers who work in countries such as Portugal, France, Spain, Sweden, Austria, and the USA.

Please note that this post may be suitable for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route but first-time applicants might need to qualify for salary concessions. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

For research and academic posts, we will consider eligibility under the Global Talent visa. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/global-talent

What we offer in return

•    26 days holiday plus approx.16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – That’s 42 days a year!

•    Generous pension scheme plus life assurance– the University contributes 14.5% of salary

•    Health and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports halls.

•    Personal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team.

•    Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.

And much more!  

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Dr Paul Brockway

Email: p.e.brockway@leeds.ac.uk 

Closing Date: 25 Apr 2025

Section: Research

Salary: £39,355 to £46,735 per annum