- As one of Europe's leading universities of economics and business administration, the
University of St.Gallen (HSG), Switzerland, is committed to the education of over 7,300 students and is one of the largest employers in the region, providing around 2,400 employees with an attractive and innovative environment for research.
A member of the Swiss research consortium Competence Center for Research in
Energy, Society and Transition (SCCER-CREST) and the University of St. Gallen's
Center for Energy Innovation, Governance and Investment (EGI-HSG), the Institute of
Political Science at the
University of St. Gallen (IPW-HSG) seeks to appoint a
in the field of Energy Governance for an initial three year with the possibility of an additional two years.
The intersection of energy and environmental protection has long shaped and been shaped by international politics and institutions. Understanding issues such as the
(geo)politics of natural gas markets, effective policies for promoting renewable energies and international competition in the race for clean energy economies will be essential to anticipating and addressing the challenges of the energy transition. The energy transition is closely interlinked with the emergence of climate politics. Over the past two decades, the international community has been grappling with establishing effective national and international institutions to limit greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon markets. In addition, new governance mechanisms such as public-private partnerships have entered the arena, though their role and contribution remain to be examined. These developments raise critical questions as to the level of cooperation and competition in the governance of conventional and unconventional energy sources. In addition, it brings attention to issues of the effective governance of energy markets, including the design of policies for the deployment of renewable energies and carbon pricing. With Germany and
Switzerland transforming their energy markets as part of the nuclear phase-out, many of these questions are directly relevant to ongoing political processes. Moreover, those countries are not immune to the geopolitical implications of changes in energy markets.
The political geography and security of electrical grids, gas pipelines and sea lanes of transportation cannot be ignored by countries dependent on external sources of energy.
In the context of a series of publically funded projects, you will contribute to research activities and support the project team in organizational matters as well as in the communication of research findings.
In addition to your project-related work, you will be expected to pursue your own doctoral research in the area of global energy governance and politics and/or the role of
Switzerland therein.

The successful candidate will fulfill the general requirements for admission to the
University of St.Gallen's doctoral program in International Affairs and Political Economy
(DIA) and possess:
 An excellent master's degree in a field relevant to the research project, including political science, international relations, international political economy, sociology, economics, and geography;
 Thematic focus on energy/environmental politics, particularly on sustainable energy policies as well as their interaction with broader international
 developments;
 Sound knowledge of social science research methods;
 Genuine interest in research and in working in a research team;
Ability to work independently and in a structured manner and with a high level of
 motivation;
 Excellent command of English (written and spoken);
Previous experience in scientific work and demonstration of organizational skills are an asset.
Applications, consisting of a letter of motivation, CV, academic transcripts, a writing sample and a brief summary of a proposed dissertation topic should be sent to: edith.hollenstein@unisg.ch
Professor James W. Davis, Ph.D.
Institute of Political Science
University of St. Gallen
Rosenbergstrasse 51
9000, St. Gallen, Switzerland
The University of St. Gallen is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, physical disability or sexual orientation.
Closing date for applications is November 15, 2014 .
University of St.Gallen
| Institute of Political Science (IPW-HSG) | Ms. Edith Hollenstein | Rosenbergstrasse 51 | 9010
St.Gallen | edith.hollenstein@unisg.ch | www.ipw.unisg.ch