Postdoctoral position in Integrated Assessment Modelling for Post-Growth Climate Mitigation Scenarios

Offer description:

• A postdoctoral position at ICTA-UAB
• 4-year contract with a 6-month probational period
• Salary: 35.000€ gross annual salary
• Starting date: June-September of 2024.

Project description:

We seek applications for an outstanding postdoctoral researcher to work with us in two exciting international collaboration projects. MAPS (short for Models, Assessment & Policies for Sustainability), is a Horizon Europe project that aims to advance the development of modelling tools in ecological economics, broaden the range of policy options, and expand the conceivable scenario space to achieve high levels of human wellbeing while limiting climate change and protecting biodiversity. REAL is an ERC-Synergy project that aims to explore new models of provisioning systems, policies, and politics in a post-growth direction, in which achieving universal human wellbeing is achieved within planetary boundaries – and removed from dependence on economic growth.

Requirements:

The successful candidates will hold a Ph.D. in Ecological/Environmental Economics, Energy Economics, or another field involving the modeling of the environment and society. We seek candidates with experience with integrated assessment modelling, an interest in post-growth and degrowth scholarship, and motivation to work on climate mitigation scenarios and modelling post-growth policy implementation. Experience with programming is required.

Other requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Fluency in Spanish or Catalan will be valued but is not required.
• Track record of research publications.
• The successful candidate will have the ability and commitment to work both independently and collaboratively as part of the interdisciplinary teams of the REAL and MAPS projects.
• The position is full-time and based in Barcelona. Successful candidates will be supported in their travel to conferences and presentations.
• Ability to create and contribute to a well-functioning, inclusive, and productive research environment.

The position will be hosted at ICTA-UAB under the supervision of Dr Aljoša Slameršak and Dr. Jason Hickel. The candidates will work in close collaboration with the REAL project team at ICTA-UAB and the University of Lausanne (led by Jason Hickel, Giorgos Kallis and Julia Steinberger), and in collaboration with the MAPS project team at the University of Barcelona (led by Daniel W. O’Neill and Federico Demaria). The successful candidates will be supported in conducting a research stay at one of the other leading modeling teams in Europe if they so desire.

We are committed to advancing the careers of junior women researchers and researchers from under-represented backgrounds, who are encouraged to apply.

Expected tasks:

1. Contribute to the design of post-growth climate mitigation and energy transition scenarios that will be submitted for inclusion in the next IPCC and IPBES assessment reports.
2. Collaborate on developing an IAM that can represent relationships between economic output, human development, energy and resource use, and environmental impacts, and which can integrate policy interventions that can deliver equitable access to essential goods and services for all.
3. Contribute to the development of pathways for North-South convergence, enabling everyone to attain high levels of human wellbeing within the planetary boundaries.

How to apply:

Deadline: Sunday, May 5th 2024, 23:59 CET
Start date: June-September 2024 (Successful candidates should participate in the MAPS project kick-off that will take place in Pontevedra, Spain, between June 14^th and June 16^th).

Salary: Approximately €35,000 per year

How to apply: Please submit your CV, transcripts from previous degrees, and a motivation letter to Dr Aljoša Slameršak at postgrowth.call@gmail.com by May 5th, 2024, 23:59 CET. The subject of your email should be: “Application for the MAPS postdoctoral position on integrated assessment modeling.”

In your motivation letter, we would like you to present a short outline of a research approach to address the following challenge:

Current IAMs do not integrate all dynamic feedback between the economy, environment, and society needed to model post-growth scenarios, and some of the assumptions in these models may not hold in post-growth scenarios. In your opinion, what are the weaknesses and strengths of existing IAMs when it comes to modeling a post-growth scenario? How would you model non-linear structural change in a post-growth scenario? Which new variables, indicators, and mechanisms must be included in a post-growth scenario to capture possible dynamics of a post-growth transition?

The motivation letter should have a maximum of 1000 words.

Please ask two referees to submit your reference letters directly to ecoeco.reference@gmail.com by May 5^th, 2024, 23:59 CET. The subject of their emails should be: “Reference for YOUR NAME for MAPS position.”

Online interviews of shortlisted candidates will be held in the third or fourth weeks of May 2024.