Postdoctoral Fellow in Economics

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 47,000 students and more than 8,800 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Lund University School of Economics and Management is one of eight faculties within Lund University. More than 4,000 students and 450 researchers, teachers, and other staff are engaged here in training and research in economic history, business administration, business law, informatics, economics, statistics, and research policy.

Lund University School of Economics and Management is accredited by the three largest and most influential accreditation institutes for business schools: EQUIS, AMBA and AACSB. Only just over 100 business schools in the world have achieved this prestigious Triple Crown accreditation.

About Us

The Department of Economic History is research-intensive and employs around 100 people, including researchers, teachers, technical/administrative staff, and doctoral students. The department has a comprehensive doctoral programme and coordinates three international Master’s programmes. It enjoys a well-established reputation for its broad research profile, with an emphasis on long-term processes and the use of economic theory and quantitative methods as key analytical tools. Major research areas include economic growth and structural change, innovation, energy and sustainability, development economics, economic demography, financial history, and education and the labour market.

The Centre for Economic Demography (CED) includes numerous researchers active in the fields of economic history, economics, social sciences, and medicine. Affiliated researchers work on economic and social issues connected to demography, from modern as well as historical perspectives. CED is administered by the Department of Economic History, which is a research-intensive department that employs about 70 people: researchers, teachers, technical/administrative staff, and PhD candidates. The department has a large PhD programme and coordinates three international Master programmes. The Department has a well-established reputation for wide-ranging research with an emphasis on long-term processes, and with economic theory and quantitative methods as important methodological tools.

Area: Economic Demography

The Department of Economic History is hiring one or two Postdoctoral Fellow(s) connected to the research projects Unequal Lives: Socioeconomic Stratification, Life-Course, and Demography from Preindustrial Society to the Welfare State (PI Martin Dribe, funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation) and Educational Homogamy and Inequality: Changing Family Dynamics in Sweden, 1970–2020 (PI Maria Stanfors, funded by FORTE).

The projects study demographic outcomes by socioeconomic status at the individual level from a life course and long-term perspective. The research is based on a newly developed data infrastructure – SwedPop – consisting of historical population databases covering the entire population of Sweden to which official population registers from the 1960s onward have been linked.

We are especially seeking candidates interested in assortative mating on the partner market and its relationship to gender equality in labour market outcomes, residential segregation, and socioeconomic inequality. Another priority area is inequality in fertility connected to declining birth rates in contemporary Sweden.

Job Assignments

The postdoctoral fellow(s) will work closely with other members of the research group at the Centre for Economic Demography and must be willing to participate actively in common activities at the Centre and the Department of Economic History. The position involves a limited amount of teaching and/or supervision of Bachelor and Master's theses (max. 20% of full time). There will be opportunities for three weeks of pedagogical training within the position.

Eligibility

To be qualified for employment as Postdoctoral Fellow, an individual must hold a PhD in Economic History or a related discipline (e.g. Economics, Sociology, History) awarded no more than three years ago (unless the applicant has been on parental leave or leave due to illness). Applications will also be accepted from those who have not yet completed their PhD, but this condition must be satisfied at the time of employment.

Requirements

• Strong scholarly proficiency

• Strong pedagogical skills

• Strong collaborative and communication skills

Basis of Assessment

Scholarly proficiency is the main criterion for the position, but pedagogical skills will also be assessed. The candidate must have demonstrated a high degree of research expertise as manifested in the quality of the PhD dissertation and/or publications. Documented experience of working with historical individual-level population data as well as contemporary register data is required, as well as documented experience with data management and statistical analysis using STATA or R.

The evaluation will take personal qualities, such as willingness to collaborate, academic independence, and communication skills, into consideration.

Terms and Conditions

Full-time, fixed-term position for two years. The employment as a postdoctoral fellow is regulated by a central collective agreement.

Application

Applications should be written in English and must include:

• Cover letter including a statement of research interests

• Curriculum Vitae

• Publication list

• PhD degree certificate

• References, etc.

Lund University promotes an equal opportunities code. We encourage both men and women to apply for this position.

Benefits

Lund University is a public authority, which means you will receive special benefits, generous annual leave, and an advantageous occupational pension. Wellness benefits and paid wellness hour are standard. Read more about working at Lund University on our website: Work at Lund University.

We kindly decline all sales and marketing contacts.

Type of employment: Temporary position
Contract type: Full time
First day of employment: 2025-02-01
Number of positions: 1
Full-time equivalent: 100
City: Lund
County: Skåne län
Country: Sweden
Reference number: PA2025/2796

Contact:
Mats Olsson, Professor, PI, +46 46 2224677, martin.dribe@ekh.lu.se

Union representatives:

• OFR/ST: Fackförbundet ST:s kansli, 046-2229362, st@st.lu.se

• SACO: Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet, kansli@saco-s.lu.se

• SEKO: Seko Civil, 046-2229366, sekocivil@seko.lu.se

Published: 09 Oct 2025
Last application date: 15 Nov 2025

In your application, please refer to Professorpositions.com