PhD scholarships - Call for Applications
Università dell'Insubria
The Call for Applications for the PhD scholarships of the Italian national Programme in Sustainable Development and Climate Change (SDC) is now open. One of the Scholarship, code CU41.CU Beta.06 (reference person: Elena Maggi), regards the topic Climate Change & transportation: a critical and complex interrelationship. The scholarship is granted by University of Insubria, Department of Economics, Department of Excellence 2023-2027, according to the Italian Ministry of University and Research. The PhD programme will start in November 2025. The official language of the PhD is English, so we welcome also foreign candidates.
The deadline for application is 22/08/2025 1PM (Italian time)
Important note: in applying, indicate the code CU41.CU Beta.06
For additional info: elena.maggi@uninsubria.it
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SCHOLARSHIP CODE CU41.CU Beta.06 PhD SDC Sustainable Development and Climate Changes
Title of the research project
Climate Change & transportation: a critical and complex interrelationship
Reference Person: Elena Maggi, Department of Economics, University of Insubria
Curriculum: Human society: socio-economic impacts, institutions, and theories (CU-Beta)
Keywords: Climate Change impact; Transport infrastructure; Policies for sustainable transport
Reference ERCs: SH7_9 Energy, transportation and mobility; SH7_6 Environmental and climate change, societal impact and policy; SH1_12 Environmental economics; resource and energy economics; agricultural economics
Reference Agenda 2030 SDGs: GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, GOAL 13: Climate Action
Research abstract
Transport is responsible for about one third of global GHG emissions and, while the emissions by other industries decreased in the last two decades, those by transport means, especially road and aviation, increased. We are still far from achieving the objective of rebalancing the modal share. The external costs from transportation negatively impact both at global and local level, affecting the health and well-being of individuals and the community quality of life in urban and rural areas. At the same time, the ever more frequent extreme weather events (heavy precipitation, wildfires, floods, etc.) increasingly affect transport infrastructures, services, and travel behavior, impacting both passenger and freight transportation/logistics and several supply chains. Climate change is expected to reinforce this trend, as the frequency and intensity of extreme events increases. Several territories, especially the most remote ones, are becoming more and more fragile and risk to be less accessible, a cause of low resilient transport systems. The economic and social consequences, in terms of loss of competitiveness and social exclusion, are evident. The interrelationship between climate change and transportation is very complex and needs to be analyzed by an interdisciplinary approach and using different methodologies, to identify the most adequate transport policies and appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies, considering the environmental, social and economic sustainability.