PhD Position in Applied Marketing Research (m/f/d)

About the role

The chair of Prof. Dr. Reto Hofstetter at the University of St.Gallen (HSG) offers a full-time (100%) research associate position for a PhD in applied marketing research. It is a salaried position according to university guidelines, set up in a young, highly motivated environment with excellent infrastructure. Projects run in cooperation with top international universities such as Columbia or Stanford and leading companies, and regular conference participation helps build an international network early on.

Key responsibilities

• Pursue a doctorate in applied marketing research at one of Europe's leading management schools.
• Carry out scientific work in an interdisciplinary team, with the opportunity to publish empirical research in leading international journals.
• Collaborate hands-on with companies on current topics in AI-driven marketing, consumer behavior and social media.
• Receive individual supervision of the doctoral thesis by Prof. Dr. Reto Hofstetter.

Required profile

• A strong interest in innovative research on marketing, consumer behavior and AI, and in its practical relevance.
• An outstanding university Master's degree in business administration, economics or a related field (e.g. psychology, industrial engineering), with a minimum grade of 5.0 (CH) / 2.0 (DE); degrees from universities of applied sciences, MBA and MAS programmes are not accepted.
• Excellent command of both English and German (mandatory).
• Sense of responsibility, organizational talent, initiative, flexibility, professionalism, team spirit and a willingness to learn quickly.

Required skills

• Digital affinity and solid IT skills.
• Experience with quantitative research methods (e.g. experimental design, statistics, R or Python) is an advantage.

What we offer

• A full-time research associate position (100%) in accordance with university guidelines.
• Scientific work in an interdisciplinary team with the chance to publish in leading international journals.
• Hands-on collaboration with companies on AI-driven marketing, consumer behavior and social media.
• Access to a network of executives in marketing, communications and sales.
• Individual supervision of the thesis and a collaborative, collegial team.