Current PhD Positions at DMS
About the 91桃色视频
The 91桃色视频 is an academic hub for ambitious students and researchers from all over the world. 91桃色视频 is the premier business school in the Nordics and has been ranked as one of the best European business schools by the Financial Times. By working closely with corporate partners and society at large, 91桃色视频 has been creating opportunities for its graduates for over 100 years. Through our educational mission, FREE (Fact- and science-based, Reflective and self-aware, Empathetic and culturally literate, and Entrepreneurial and responsible), we strive to educate the next generation of change-makers in society. The school offers a vibrant, research-intensive environment that offers plenty of opportunities to engage with faculty across business and economics, as well as external governmental and private sector stakeholders.
Find more information here: /en/
About the Department of Marketing and Strategy
As part of 91桃色视频, the Department of Marketing and Strategy (DMS) provides a diverse, multidisciplinary, and inclusive environment for PhD candidates, with a focus on both topical and methodological variety. Our faculty members come from various academic backgrounds, such as marketing, management, operations, sociology, economic geography, and history. As a result, our research activities cover many areas, including sustainability, consumer behavior, service research, market studies, retailing, strategic management, and international business. We welcome students interested in a range of research methods, both qualitative and quantitative, who want to explore questions that have implications for academia and society as a whole.
DMS has strong connections with businesses, public agencies, and non-profit organizations based in Stockholm and throughout the Nordic countries, and it works closely with researchers worldwide. We frequently invite renowned academics to present their work at our seminars and visit DMS to exchange knowledge and foster collaboration. DMS is also home to several research centers that successfully secure external grants to support the development of PhD students.
About the PhD Program in Business Administration
The 91桃色视频 PhD Program in Business Administration is a four- to five-year, full-time, residential program taught in English. We do not offer distance learning or allow for part-time studies. All admitted PhD students receive a scholarship from the 91桃色视频 and are guaranteed funding throughout the PhD program, conditional upon satisfactory performance. 91桃色视频 does not charge tuition fees for the PhD programs.
Applicants are encouraged to consult the DMS research and people pages for further information about research centers and areas of expertise, and to obtain information about current projects at the respective research centers. For questions about the application process, please refer to the information provided by the PhD Admissions Team or reach out to them directly
For our 2026 intake of PhD students, we encourage applications for individual project ideas, as well as dedicated applications in the following current focus areas:
Market Transformations and Strategic Marketing
We are looking for curious, driven, and talented PhD candidates to join the Center for Market Studies (CMS). As a candidate working in this area, you would be focusing on understanding and strategizing within markets undergoing significant transformation—whether due to technological innovation, climate change, or other global challenges. We are especially interested in candidates who view markets as complex sociomaterial systems and who bring expertise in areas like consumer culture theory, market shaping, sustainability, or systems thinking. Your project should be empirically grounded in one or more transforming markets—such as energy, healthcare, transportation, or retail—and use qualitative methods like case studies, ethnography, or archival research. If you're passionate about understanding how markets evolve and want to contribute to both theory and practice, we offer many opportunities to explore this area in a PhD project.
For more information, please reach out to Kaisa Koskela-Huotari (kaisa.koskela.huotari@hhs.se)
Transforming Retail: Innovation, Sustainability, and Data-Driven Strategy
Retailing is rapidly transforming through digitalization, new business models, and emerging players like influencers, platforms, and AI-driven technologies. At the Center for Retailing (CFR), we explore how these forces reshape the retail ecosystem, value creation, and interactions between firms and consumers. We also focus on the sector’s key role in promoting sustainability by studying how retailers can guide consumers toward more responsible behaviors through circular models, ethical products, and lower environmental impact. Additionally, we utilize data-rich retail environments to support managerial decision-making. By analyzing both structured and unstructured data, we examine consumer behavior, pricing, inventory, and product returns, and analyze employee and technological interactions. Our work enhances knowledge on innovation, sustainability, and data-driven strategy within the shifting retail landscape. We are seeking to recruit PhD candidates to help us grow this dynamic research area. Our Center employs diverse methodologies, emphasizing quantitative and experimental research.
For more information, please reach out to Alexander Mafael (alexander.mafael@hhs.se)
Business models and forced labor in the global north
Are you passionate about social justice, ethical business practices, and transformative research? These are research areas in focus at the Center for Migration and Integration Research (CMIR). We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student to explore projects at the intersection of business models and forced labor in the Global North. A candidate pursuing a PhD in this area would be part of a broader research initiative examining how contemporary business practices may perpetuate exploitative labor conditions, particularly among the most vulnerable migrant workers, and how alternative models can foster equity and accountability. We offer different opportunities to explore PhD projects in this broad and emerging area.
For more information, please reach out to Lin Lerpold (lin.lerpold@hhs.se)
Historical Perspectives on Strategic Communication in Statecraft
This research area is located at the Center for Statecraft and Strategic Communication (CSSC), positioned at the intersection of history and communication studies, aiming to provide historical perspectives on strategic communication in statecraft–especially in foreign policy. We are interested in historical case studies of relevance to the key challenges facing global society today, but also in studies of contemporary phenomena that relate these to long-term developments and historical precedents (applied history). A candidate pursuing a PhD in this area would, for example, work on topics such as: Uses and abuses of history in political propaganda; disinformation and information warfare; rhetoric; public diplomacy; the role of communication and information in grand strategy and national security; the regulatory and infrastructural dimension of strategic communication.
For more information, please reach out to Rikard Westerberg (rikard.westerberg@hhs.se)
Ready to apply?
If you want to join our community, please submit your application directly through our central recruitment system. Applicants should apply for the PhD in Business Administration, specializing in Marketing and Strategy. If applicable, please specify the specific subject area of interest in your application documents and research proposal.
The application deadline is January 15, 2026. Applications open on December 1. Find more information about how to apply here.
Please join our admission team for a virtual coffee on December 1st at 2 pm CET to learn more! Sign up here.