Call for Applications 2025
The Environmental Sciences and Policy Doctoral Program is inviting applications for Doctor of Philosophy studies starting from 2025 September at CEU in Vienna.*
Financial assistance is available including tuition waivers and full CEU fellowships that cover all tuition fees and include a generous monthly stipend to help with housing and living expenses as well as health insurance. The CEU Doctoral Scholarship is awarded for a period of 48 months in total. Each student is responsible for securing accommodation for themselves.
Please read our Doctoral Program Handbook for detailed programmatic information.
We welcome all applications that fit within the department's research profile. We are particularly interested in applications in the following areas:
- Energy Transitions and Climate Change - ETC
- Transformative Society, Politics and Justice - TSPJ
- Resource and Disaster Management and Pollution Control - RMP
- Sustainable Management of Socio-Ecological Systems - SES
Special calls for 2025/26 enrollment:
- PhD call in the FWF-REMASS project on resilience and malleability of resource use, focusing on railway systems supervised by Dr. Anke Schaffartzik
- Call for PhD applicants focused on geopolitics and the environmental impact of critical raw materials supervised by Dr. Michael LaBelle
- Call for Application for PhD research on demand-side focused climate change mitigation modeling with the supervision of Prof. Diana Urge-Vorsatz
These areas are not isolated, as interaction among them is an essential feature of the departmental structure and our common understanding of environment and society as a co-evolving, integrated whole.
Please see the faculty research priorities here. Many faculty members contribute to more than one area.
The scholarship in these areas is supported by the Department’s strong cross-cutting methodological expertise in quantitative data analysis and processing including remote sensing, geographic information systems, environmental modeling and geospatial data analysis (Viktor Lagutov); advanced statistical methods, simulation, and modelling (Brandon Anthony, Aleh Cherp, Diana Ürge-Vorsatz); and qualitative social science methods (Guntra Aistara, Alexios Antypas, Tamara Steger, Anke Schaffartzik).
Please note that we do not have laboratory facilities.
Eligibility Requirements:
1) Master's degree or equivalent in an environment-related field, such as natural or social sciences, engineering, economics, law or management.
2) English language proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS, etc.). Please check requirements here.
3) Intellectual excellence and demonstrated potential for making an original contribution to knowledge in the field through rigorous research as aligned with faculty research profiles.
Required Application Materials:
The Department's admission criteria include intellectual excellence and the potential for making original contributions to knowledge in the field through rigorous research.
Please note that in addition to the standard CEU admissions requirements (Completed online CEU Application Form, Two letters of recommendation, Academic records, A curriculum vitae or resume, Proof of English proficiency), the department requires applicants to submit:
1) a statement of purpose (maximum 500 words) describing their intellectual history and motivation for applying, explaining how these relate to future career goals and plans and the name of the potential supervisor; and
2) a detailed research proposal (maximum 2,000 words, excluding reference list or tables), in which applicants demonstrate ability to conduct PhD-level research and complementarity with the department's research profile.
Applicants may also include a copy of a published journal article, book chapter or other publication.
All application materials must be submitted with the online application form of CEU. Materials sent by postal mail, electronic mail or fax are not considered.
Application Deadline:
February 4, 2025 (23:59 CET, Central European Time):
Scholarship application deadline for doctoral programs. All applications must be complete with relevant standard test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, etc.).
Admission Process and Timeline:
April 3, 2025 onwards:
Admissions decisions and acceptance offers are published on the Applicant Portal.
Admissions decisions are made by an academic selection committee within the given program on the basis of the candidate's past academic achievement, strength of recommendations, English language competency, intellectual merit, work experience (if applicable), expectations of the program, future plans, and general compatibility with the goals of the academic unit.
Please note: Candidates rejected on formal or academic grounds are notified via the Applicant Portal as soon as the decision has been made.
Earlier special calls:
Call for Application for PhD projects on intersections of investments and resource stocks and flows by Dr. Anke Schaffartzik for 2023/24 enrollment
Special Call for a Joint PhD Fellowship Program in cooperation with the Department of Medieval Studies/Cultural Heritage Studies Program with a deadline 31 March, 2020.
Call for Application for PhD research on environmental justice by Prof. Tamara Steger for 2024/25 enrollment
Call for Application for PhD research on principles for integrated sustainability assessment and measurement by Prof. Laszlo Pinter for 2024/25 enrollment
*CEU is welcoming all incoming students at its new Vienna campus from September 2020.
