PhD Students - Doctoral Program in International Business Taxation (WU Vienna)

ABOUT DIBT

DIBT offers a four-year PhD program in economics with a strong interdisciplinary component. It includes rigorous training in theoretical and empirical research on taxation and public finance, complemented by insights from law and business with a focus on international taxation. 

The first year provides intensive coursework in public finance, international taxation, and applied econometrics, followed by research seminars, workshops, and an international research stay. All courses are taught in English.

Students are free to choose their own dissertation topics within the broad field of international business taxation. As guidance, current research at DIBT includes projects on the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions of taxation - such as the design of carbon and biodiversity taxes, the incidence and distributional effects of corporate taxation, and the real and financial effects of anti-tax-avoidance measures and global minimum taxation. Much of the research at DIBT is empirical and based on high-quality microdata, but theoretical work is equally welcome.
 

APPLICATION

The program is open to applicants worldwide, holding a master’s or equivalent degree in economics, law, or business. Candidates from other disciplines who have sufficient background in taxation are also welcome to apply.

Applications are accepted from November 1, 2026, to February 1, 2027 via the online application tool at https://bach.wu.ac.at/z/wu/mab. Only applications submitted before the deadline can be processed. For detailed information on application requirements, visit our step-by-step guide at https://short.wu.ac.at/9fza. 

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The DIBT is funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).

Admission is highly selective, with limited spots available. Accepted students will benefit from tuition fee waivers and excellent research conditions. Additionally, a limited number of employment contracts will be available, offering a gross annual salary of approximately €39,650 (14 x €2,832 per month before tax and social/medical deductions). WU Vienna always goes the extra mile to provide an ideal research environment.

CONTACT

If you have further questions or inquiries, contact us at dibt@wu.ac.at. More details are available on our program’s website http://www.wu.ac.at/dibt/about/ and the FAQs page http://www.wu.ac.at/dibt/faq.

✓ Apply online here: https://bach.wu.ac.at/z/wu/mab

✓ Application deadline: February 1, 2027.

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