PhD Climate Risk Modelling accounting for adaptation

Nieuwe Universiteitsgebouw (NU)

Amsterdam

0.8 / 1

Faculty of Science

PhD

MSc

Closes on

01-09-2026

Publishing date

13-07-2026

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Do you want to help Europe prepare for future droughts? Are you interested in climate risk modelling and adaptation? Do you enjoy interdisciplinary research and international collaboration? Then apply!

Your function

Europe needs more robust, systemic, and consistent climate risk assessments at regional and local levels to guide ambitious and transformative adaptation. Yet, only a few regional and local authorities have carried out a climate risk assessment, and many of these are focused on (direct) impacts and single hazard risk, are incomplete or outdated, and not mutually comparable.

As a PhD candidate, your goal is to develop new methods for assessing climate risk due to consecutive droughts and at different scales in Europe. Based on these risk assessments, the PhD will develop methods to assess the impacts of adaptation measures to reduce climate risk. This will be done by collecting large-scale datasets and using these data sets in a new modelling framework (GEB) which integrates Agent-Based Models, hydrological and flood models. GEB can simulate the dynamics between multiple hazard risk, how these risk impact society, vulnerability of different sectors, and how society can respond to reduce risk (adaptation). This will enhance the climate risk assessment under compound events in the EU. The work will be carried out in strong interaction with international project partners.

Your duties

You develop multi-risk simulation models for compound and consecutive floods and droughts
You develop new modelling tools to represent the complex systemic interactions between climate, environment, society, and human adaptation behaviour
You assess how adaptation can reduce climate risks under different climate scenarios
You present your research at scientific conferences and publish your results in scientific journals
You contribute about 10% of your time to teaching and supervising in bachelor and master programs

Your profile

We are looking for a motivated candidate to develop and apply complex system models with the following profile:

You hold a MSc degree in earth science, hydrology, computer science, environmental science, or equivalent
You have solid scientific coding skills in Python. You are strongly motivated to acquire advanced skills in Python and in the use of high-performance computer systems
You preferably have experience with hydrology, and affinity or experience with agent-based modelling and large-scale data processing with societal relevance
You are able to work independently, and to collaborate with other researchers in the interdisciplinary project and research group
You have excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organization. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

a salary of minimum € 3.059,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.881,00 (PhD) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile PhD candidate. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
a position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 1 year. Afterwards, the intention is to extent the position for another 3-years enveloping the full PhD.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
solid pension scheme (ABP)
contribution to commuting expenses
optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

About us

Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
Established in 1971, IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognised for its high-quality research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. The mission of the institute is to contribute to sustainable development and care for the environment through scientific research and teaching. IVM aims to do excellent problem-oriented research that is useful to a wide range of stakeholders in the Netherlands and internationally. A unique strength of our research is to understand sustainability problems in their social and economic context. IVM’s research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Geography, Environmental Policy Analysis; and Water and Climate Risk. Since 2001 IVM has been part of the Faculty of Science at VU Amsterdam (legal name Stichting VU).

The department of Water and Climate Risk (WCR) studies hydrological and climate processes, and how these processes lead to risks for society, the economy and the environment. A multi-disciplinary approach defines the section, combining expertise from natural sciences with knowledge from the fields of economics, e-Science and geography. This approach has led to a unique research portfolio of projects, and the department is a global leading institute in flood and drought risk assessment, and risk management research.

Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means collaborating with students, lecturers and researchers who are focused on their field, yet have a broad view of the world. We are proud of a positive and inclusive workplace culture within the faculty, where we work together with great energy and a pragmatic attitude to tackle social challenges. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex societal issues for a sustainable, healthy and just future.

From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from helium to the universe and from genetics to medicine: our education and research cover the full breadth of science, from molecules to mankind. Our academic education and research are highly experimental, technical and interdisciplinary in nature. That is why we collaborate extensively with leading scientific institutes and industry. The faculty has more than 8,000 students studying in one of the 39 programms and employs more than 1,400 staff across 10 scientific departments, making us one of the largest science faculties in the Netherlands.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Interested

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application.

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.

Reference letters can either be uploaded with your application, or you can list the contact information of two references in your CV or cover letter.

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.