Since its emergence in the 1970s, the concept of just transition* has gained prominence in both policy agendas and academic research. To date, just transition debates have mainly focused on protecting vulnerable groups – particularly by addressing the distributive effects of climate mitigation policies on workers in carbon-intensive industries and low-income households, and by developing compensatory measures aimed at securing adequate living standards throughout transition processes (Fransolet & Laurent, 2024).

Yet the justice issues associated with socio-ecological transitions also concern the other end of the spectrum: the regulation of privileged groups whose practices contribute to sustaining carbon-intensive regimes, often referred to as “polluter elites” (Koch et al., 2024; Kenner, 2019; IPCC, 2022). A growing body of research shows that the wealthiest individuals contribute disproportionately to environmental degradation through ecologically ungeneralizable consumption patterns, fossil fuel investments, and influence on climate and environmental policy (Chancel & Mohren, 2025; Kenner, 2019). 

Shifting the focus towards elites is not only a matter of distributive justice. It is also a critical lever for achieving socio-ecological transitions, given the significant mitigation potential of these groups stemming from their capacity to reduce consumption-related emissions while sustaining decent living standards, to model low-carbon lifestyles, to redirect investments, and to use their economic and political power to support ambitious climate action. 

Recent scholarship has begun to examine these various roles of polluter and wealth elites in socio-ecological transitions, but research remains fragmented and incomplete. The Decarbonisation and Justice Chair aims to contribute to this emerging research agenda by developing complementary research perspectives on polluter and wealth elites and just socio-ecological transitions. It adopts a plural and open-ended conception of polluter and wealth elites, which is not limited to the super-rich. 

The successful candidate will play a central role in developing and coordinating the Chair’s research agenda. S.he will co-supervise the two PhD projects in collaboration with the Chair’s co-promoters and will also develop her.his own research project within the broader research agenda of the Chair. Specific research questions and methods will depend on the candidate’s academic background and research interests, but should relate to the issue of polluter and/or wealth elites and just socio-ecological transitions. We welcome a broad range of disciplinary perspectives, including ecological economics, political ecology, political science, sociology, urban studies, economic geography and political economy.