Postdoctoral Researcher for JustBioSolar Project

About the Position

The Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) offers a full-time Postdoctoral Researcher Position for the JustBioSolar project, under the supervision of Prof Unai Pascual. The position is available from 1/9/2026 to 31/12/2028. The Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) is an international research centre located in Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain). BC3’s vision is to steer climate change science towards the co-production of new knowledge and the co-design of policy solutions together with other stakeholders through a solid and transdisciplinary approach, with the ultimate goal to achieve more sustainable and just futures.

About the Project

The JustBioSolar project, funded by BiodivERsa+ (the European Biodiversity Partnership), aims to:

• Assess how large-scale solar projects affect biodiversity, including biocultural diversity, and perceptions of justice in different European rural contexts.
• Identify planning, governance, and communication practices that enable socially just and biodiversity-friendly solar development.
• Understand how power relations and policy discourses shape solar energy decisions from local to European levels.
• Co-develop practical principles and pathways for sustainable solar energy landscapes together with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Conceptualization and development of a research design to analyse trade-offs of the green energy transition based on large-scale solar projects, biodiversity conservation, and social justice.
• Generate and analyse quantitative and qualitative data.
• Carry out empirically-based research on a case study from the Basque Country using a mixed-based methodological approach including quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Review and synthesize the available scientific and grey literature to support the conceptual and empirical research.
• Day-to-day assistance for the management of the project at BC3 to fulfil expected project deliverables and milestones, and collaboration with other researchers of the project consortium.
• Contribute to support communication and dissemination of project activities and outputs (including project meetings, conferences, deliverables).
• Lead and contribute to research articles for publication in peer-reviewed international scientific journals.

Requirements

• PhD in social sciences related disciplines (e.g. political science, environmental psychology), interdisciplinary social-environmental field (e.g. geography, environmental/ecological economics, rural studies, development studies). Other degrees might also be evaluated.
• Proven quantitative skills (e.g., statistics, econometrics, GIS), and/or in qualitative research methods (e.g., critical discourse analysis, content analysis).
• Demonstration of a track record of peer-reviewed publications as well as the ability to initiate and complete original research.
• Research experience and knowledge of the literature on any of these topics: green energy transition, biodiversity conservation, social-ecological frameworks, politics of nature conservation, rural development, and knowledge integration.
• Fieldwork experience for primary data collection.
• Ability to coordinate and contribute to research teamwork and conduct transdisciplinary work with local stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Excellent written and oral command of English.

Nice to Have

• Knowledge of national or/and international green energy and biodiversity conservation related policies, concepts and frameworks around “ecosystem services”, “nature’s contributions to people”, “nature’s values”, “environmental justice”.
• Knowledge of transdisciplinary methods and / or multi actor research.
• Good knowledge of Spanish language.

We Offer

• Interdisciplinary and inspiring work environment.
• 35-hour week work calendar.
• 30 days of vacation per year.

Salary

The gross annual salary for this position ranges from €27,040.00 to €34,320.00, depending on prior experience.

Application Procedure

Fill the form below and upload ONE PDF document with the following information:

• CV: max 2 pages, including contact information of two referees.
• Motivation Letter: max 2 pages.

Please consider that only applications sent through the form included at the bottom of the BC3 web page will be considered here.

Informal enquiries can be made to Unai Pascual noting in the subject of the message “JustBioSolar post-doctoral position”.

Contact Unai Pascual at [email protected]

Extended Deadline: 31 July, 2026 12pm CEST