SGH PhD Summer School: Sustainability, Growth and Wellbeing in Times of Uncertainty

The SGH PhD Summer School explores the intersection of sustainability, economic growth, and wellbeing in a rapidly changing world. Through a dynamic mix of interactive workshops, expert lectures, and hands-on sessions, participants will acquire the skills to use advanced tools and gain new insights to critically assess contemporary challenges and research frontiers. Topics include citizen engagement in the circular economy, policy implications, gender inequality analysis, and academic publishing. The school also offers practical training in project management and career development.

Program Outline

Day 1: Monday, July 7 – Citizen Engagement in the Circular Economy

• 13:30 – 14:00: Welcome and Opening Remarks
• 14:00 – 17:00: The Citizen as Consumer and Innovator in Circular Economy
  • Concepts and theoretical frameworks
  • Research methods and participatory tools
  • Case studies from Europe and beyond
• 17:00 – 18:00: Poster presentation, Networking Session & Informal Welcome Reception

Day 2: Tuesday, July 8 – Practical Tools & Inequality Analysis

• 9:00 – 12:00: Decomposition Methods to Analyze Gender Gaps
  • Focus on the Oaxaca-Blinder Decomposition
  • Applications in labor market research
  • STATA coding demonstrations (bring your laptop!)
  • Group Discussion and Q&A
• 12:30 – 13:00: Lunch
• 13:00 – 16:00: Project Management Hands-On Workshop
  • Tools and strategies for planning, executing, and managing academic research projects
  • Practical exercises in project planning, resource allocation, and risk assessment
• 16:00 – 17:00: Group Discussion and Q&A
  • Poster presentation, Networking Session

Day 3: Wednesday, July 9 – Policy-making & Publishing

• 9:00 – 12:00: Circular Economy as a Policy-Making and Economic Imperative
  • Circularity in national and EU-level policies
  • Market-based instruments and innovation incentives
  • Impacts on productivity, employment, and resilience
• 12:00 – 13:00: Lunch
• 13:00 – 15:00: Meet the Editor: The Do’s and Don’ts of Paper Writing, Submission, and the Review Process
  • Insights from experienced journal editor
  • Common pitfalls, how to avoid desk rejection
  • Peer review strategies and response letters
• 15:00 – 16:00: Wrap-Up Session: Reflections, Feedback & Future Directions
• 16:00 – 16:30: Certificate Ceremony and Closing Remarks

For whom is the SGH PhD Summer School?

The SGH PhD Summer School is designed for current PhD students undertaking their training at the SGH Doctoral School, as well as for PhD candidates enrolled at other higher education institutions in Poland and abroad. The program is particularly relevant for early- to mid-stage doctoral researchers working in economics, management, sustainability studies, public policy, and related disciplines who are interested in advancing their methodological skills and engaging with interdisciplinary perspectives on sustainability, growth, and wellbeing.

Poster presentation

To maximize the value of your participation in the SGH PhD Summer School, you will be requested to make a poster presentation. It will serve as a unique opportunity to receive feedback on your thesis from experts and researchers involved in the delivery of the SGH PhD Summer School as well as from your peers. You will be required to print the poster yourself. The organizers will facilitate the display of posters.

Requirements, registration and admissions’ process

Eligibility:

• The SGH PhD Summer School is open to current PhD students, primarily from SGH Warsaw School of Economics, but also from other higher education institutions in Poland and abroad; please, note scan of the certificate of enrollment is required;
• Applicants should be pursuing research related to economics, management, sustainability, public policy, or social sciences more broadly.
• Proficiency in English is required, as all sessions will be conducted in English.

Application Requirements:

• Completed registration form, via Ms Forms
  Registration form
• Short statement of interest (max. 200 words), outlining your research interests and motivation to join the SGH PhD Summer School
• Title of your poster presentation
• Description of the objectives of the doctoral dissertation (200 words)

Registration & Admission Process:

1. Submit your application by June 20, 2025, 4 p.m.
2. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis by the organizing committee
3. Accepted participants will be notified by June 22, 2025 or earlier, depending on the number of submissions.
4. Participation is free of charge, but places are limited. Early registration is encouraged.

For questions or further information, please contact: bsd@sgh.waw.pl

What to expect? What will you learn?

Participants will deepen their understanding of key challenges and research frontiers at the intersection of sustainability, economics, and policy making in times of uncertainty. Through hands-on workshops, expert-led sessions, and peer exchange, they will gain practical skills in project management, policy analysis, and quantitative methods, such as the Oaxaca decomposition. The SGH PhD Summer School also offers valuable insight into academic publishing, including direct interaction with journal editors. Beyond the technical knowledge, participants will benefit from interdisciplinary dialogue, networking opportunities, and feedback on their research trajectories, enhancing both their academic work and professional development.

Funding

Participation in the SGH PhD Summer School is free of charge. You will still need to cover the cost of accommodation and travel to Warsaw though. Erasmus+ and other mobility schemes may be of use in this context. Please, ask your University. 

Speakers & mentors

• Anne-Mari Järvenpää, Ph.D., HAMK University of Applied Sciences, Finland
• Nick Deschacht, Ph.D., KU Leuven, Belgium
• Ewelina Szczech-Pietkiewicz, Ph.D., SGH Warsaw School of Economics
• Paweł Wyrozębski, Ph.D., SGH Warsaw School of Economics
• Anna Visvizi, Ph.D., SGH Warsaw School of Economics

About the speakers:

• Nick Deschacht, Ph.D., is a labor economist and associate professor at the Department of Economics of KU Leuven, Belgium. His research is focused on labor economics and applied micro-econometrics, with an emphasis on issues relating to gender differences in careers, discrimination in the labor market and wage formation. He teaches courses on econometrics, policy evaluation methods and labor economics.
• Anne-Mari Järvenpää, Ph.D., Principal Research Scientist (tenure track) at HAMK Tech, Häme University of Applied Sciences, Finland. Her research focuses on integrating data-driven decision-making into circular economy practices, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises. She has been involved in projects such as CircBuild and KOTILO, promoting sustainability and consumer engagement. Her expertise includes circular economy, data analytics, and design-based education, with a strong emphasis on university-industry collaboration and competence development in technology education.
• Ewelina Szczech-Pietkiewicz, Ph.D., Deputy Dean of the SGH Doctoral School at SGH Warsaw School of Economics. Director of the Institute of International Economic Policy, Collegium of World Economy. Her research focuses on circular economy and related aspects of regional development, growth, and socio-economic cohesion. Apart from academia, she works as an expert with various NGO’s in the field of sustainable development.
• Anna Visvizi, Ph.D., Rector’s Representative for SGH Doctoral School at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. Economist and political scientist, editor, researcher and political consultant with extensive experience in academia, think-tank and government sectors in Europe and the US, including the OECD. The author of several published works, her expertise covers issues pertinent to the intersection of politics, economics, and ICT. This translates in her research on applied aspects of ICT and AI, especially in such domains as smart cities/smart villages, geopolitics, and business management. Prof. Visvizi is the Editor-in-Chief of Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy and Digital Policy, Regulation and Government, both WoS and Scopus-indexed.
• Paweł Wyrozębski, Ph.D., Dean of the SGH Doctoral School at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. Professor at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. Head of Curriculum Board in Project Management at SGH Co-organiser and long-time lecturer of the SGH Postgraduate Studies in Project Management and the Postgraduate Studies in Project Evaluation and Audit. A lecturer in the SGH-WUM MBA programme in health care and the Master of Business Administration Executive (MBA Executive) of the Faculty of Management Engineering at Białystok University of Technology. A certified specialist in project management (PRINCE2®, AgilePM®, Scrum PSM), risk management (M_o_R®), portfolios management (MoP®) and project programs management (MSP®), as well as facilitation (Process Iceberg® Methodology).
   

The Steering Committee

• Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak, Ph.D., Vice-Rector for Research, SGH Warsaw School of Economics
• Paweł Wyrozębski, Ph.D., Dean of the SGH Doctoral School
• Ewelina Szczech-Pietkiewicz, Ph.D., Vice-Dean of the SGH Doctoral School
• Anna Visvizi, Ph.D., Rector’s Representative for the SGH Doctoral School

The Organizing committee

• Paweł Wyrozębski, Ph.D., Dean of the SGH Doctoral School
• Ewelina Szczech-Pietkiewicz, Ph.D., Vice-Dean of the SGH Doctoral School
• Anna Visvizi, Ph.D., Rector’s Representative for the SGH Doctoral School
• Patrycja Siwek, SGH Doctoral School

SGH PhD Summer School is organized in the framework of the implementation of the: SGH Regional Initiative for Excellence (RID). The support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland is gratefully acknowledged.

The support and funding from the SGH Budget for Research is gratefully acknowledged.