The recently funded ERC Consolidator project “Rise and Demise of Industrial Modernity”https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101170823 (RiDe) at the University of Tartu (Estonia) is looking to fill 2 fully funded PhD positions and 1 postdoctoral position. The PhD position advertised here is broadly in computational social science, environmental/sustainability transitions studies, and focuses on applying ML and LLMs to large media text corpora. The project is based on the Deep Transitions framework (see herehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2018.03.009, herehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2018.07.006 and herehttps://www.cambridge.org/engage/coe/article-details/67a9e0a381d2151a02d8a3ba) from the sustainability transitions field. It seeks to develop a new theory about the acceleration, crisis and possible transformation of industrial modernity: a set of ideas, institutions and practices related to the natural environment and technoscience currently blocking the deep sustainability turn. The project is led by Laur Kangerhttps://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wI2wzeoAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao, Professor of Sustainability Transitions and co-author of the Deep Transitions framework. Expected PhD studies starting date: 1 September 2025 Duration of employment: 48 months (until 30.08.2029) Working time: 100% (40 hours per week) International application submission deadline: 15 May 2025 For applicants with an MA from an Estonian university: June 15 2025
We are seeking applicants with a Master’s degree or equivalent qualification with a background in one of the following fields: digital humanities, computational social science, data science, sustainability transitions studies, science and technology studies, innovation studies, sociology (e.g. economic, political, environmental, historical), environmental governance, political science, economics (e.g. economics of innovation, ecological economics), political science, history (e.g. economic, environmental, intellectual, science and technology), sustainability science (or a related field). Alternatively, a master’s degree in another field combined with a strong and proven interest in sustainability issues also constitutes a good fit. For more info on the positions, main tasks and requirements, see the links below.
Topic: “Ideational continuities and ruptures of industrial modernity in G20 countries” The purpose of the PhD project is to map the long-term evolution of different ideas about environment and technoscience (e.g. belief in societal progress through science and technology, rising environmental awareness) in G20 countries from 1900 to 2025 based on digitized newspaper corpora and using state of the art machine learning methods, including large language models. More info and application details: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/336902
Why study or work in Estonia? Estonia offers Nordic quality of life, a strong academic environment and convenient digitized services—all while maintaining a reasonable cost of living that supports comfortable student life. The University of Tartu, founded in 1632, ranks among the top 1% of the world’s most cited universities and actively fosters sustainability and intersectoral collaboration, having produced numerous successful startups. Estonia itself ranks #1 in startups per capita in Europe. As a member of the EU and NATO, Estonia is internationally minded, and English is widely spoken. Estonia’s digital infrastructure streamlines official procedures, as everything from contracts to taxes can all be handled online in minutes by citizens and residents alike. Tartu is a lively university town known for its cozy atmosphere, vibrant student life, bike and walking friendly spaces, and scenic riverside. It has been named the UNESCO City of Literature, and the European Capital of Culture in 2024. The city is well connected to Europe and the world, but also offers easy access to nature, with nearby vast networks of forest hiking trails, excellent winter sports opportunities, and the charm of four distinct seasons.