PhD Position Agent-Based Modeling for Just Climate Adaptation

PhD Position Agent-Based Modeling for Just Climate Adaptation

Are you interested in modelling the complex decisions behind climate adaptation to ensure resilience is not only effective but also just?

This PhD position focuses on using agent-based modeling (ABM) to explore how individual and collective adaptation decisions shape just and effective climate resilience, as part of the Horizon Europe project Just Climate Resilience through Enhanced Adaptation and Capacity Harnessing (JustREACH).

With the European Climate Law (2021) and the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, local and regional authorities must develop climate adaptation plans (e.g., flood protection, heatwave preparedness) and regional innovation plans (e.g., green infrastructure, renewable energy hubs). However, balancing these goals while ensuring fairness can be challenging, especially in regions with limited resources. Without a justice-oriented approach, adaptation efforts risk reinforcing inequalities and leaving vulnerable communities behind.

The JustREACH project helps local and regional authorities navigate these complexities by:

• Developing tools that integrate social justice, economic, and environmental fact to support fair and inclusive decision-making. The project collaborates with five pilot regions and partners across Europe, including Croatia, Greece, France, Germany and the UK building on real-world experience to develop practical solutions for just climate resilience.

The PhD candidate will develop and apply agent-based models to simulate the complex interactions between individuals, communities, and institutions in the context of climate adaptation. They will design a modeling framework to explore how adaptation behaviors emerge, how institutional policies shape decision-making, and how different policy scenarios impact social justice and resilience. The candidate will integrate insights from stakeholder workshops and pilot regions into the model, ensuring that it reflects real-world challenges and opportunities. By testing different adaptation strategies, they will assess trade-offs between efficiency, equity, and long-term resilience. Regular engagement with project stakeholders and participation in consortium meetings will be an integral part of the role.

Job requirements

A candidate should ideally have:

• A master's degree in policy, environmental sciences, sustainable development or another field that provides domain knowledge in the field of coupled social-environmental systems, climate change adaptation or global environmental change.
• Previous experience with agent-based modelling or other simulation approaches is required.
• Completed a well-written master's thesis which demonstrates comfort with conceptual abstraction as well as practical application of scientific knowledge.
• Experience with quantitative research methods and data analysis is required.
• Experience with using LLMs is a plus.
• Excellent written and spoken command of English (C2 or above). For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements: https://www.tudelft.nl/onderwijs/opleidingen/phd/admission.

TU Delft

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Technology, Policy and Management

The Faculty of TPM provides an important contribution to solving complex technical-social issues, such as energy transition, mobility, digitalisation, water management and (cyber) security. TPM does this with its excellent education and research at the intersection of technology, society and policy. We combine insights from both engineering and social sciences as well as the humanities. TPM develops robust models and designs, is internationally oriented and has an extensive network of knowledge institutions, companies, social organisations and governments.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1.5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €2901 per month in the first year to €3707 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information

For additional information about this project feel free to contact dr. BinBin Pearce (b.j.pearce-1@tudelft.nl)/dr. Amineh Ghorbani (a.ghorbani@tudelft.nl). For information about the application procedure, contact the HR Advisor Martine van de Vorst, email: recruitment-tbm@tudelft.nl.