Senior Postdoctoral Researcher on urban adaptation evaluation for IMAGINE Adaptation Project

About the Position

The Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) offers a one-year full-time postdoctoral researcher position to support the research activities in the context of the European Research Council (ERC) project IMAGINE Adaptation (ID: 101039429), led by Dr Marta Olazabal. This is a 5-year research project funded by the ERC that is being developed in the framework of the Adaptation Lab (Research Line 4) and the cross-cutting Urban Theme at BC3.

The project ‘IMAGINE adaptation’ addresses the imperative of how to evaluate adaptation in urban areas as a contemporary complex phenomenon with implications across governance scales. It argues that the current focus on policy progress can be useful as a first step, but it is not indicative of effective adaptation.

In this project, we aim to explore broader understandings of success in adaptation that transcend technocratic approaches and consider equity, justice, and maladaptive issues. In order to enable evaluation and learning from these diverse understandings of adaptation, ‘IMAGINE adaptation’ has four timely and ambitious objectives: first, the reformulation of the concept of successful adaptation using expert and local views. Second, the exploration of trends and needs regarding monitoring and evaluation and how these may enable or hinder adaptation. Third, the development of comparative case study research across 12 urban areas worldwide. Finally, the analysis of how evaluations of local progress can inform global goals. The outputs of this project aim to be a reference for future adaptation assessment studies and to pioneer the understanding of the ways to enable far-reaching, transformative urban adaptation through processes of evaluation and learning.

Responsibilities

• Develop three urban case studies in different cities worldwide to evaluate adaptation interventions through comparative, transdisciplinary, and co-creative research.
• Develop a research theme on successful adaptation governance and adaptation monitoring, evaluation, and learning within the framework of the project.
• Co-lead two participatory evaluation studies on climate change adaptation in urban areas.
• Support the organisation of project meetings, workshops, and conferences.
• Contribute to the training and mentoring of other team members.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree (PhD) in environmental sciences, urban planning, or a closely related discipline.
• Strong background in research on urban adaptation, justice, governance, and evaluation, evidenced by prior work, including doctoral or postdoctoral research.
• Experience facilitating participatory and creative research methods, (e.g., workshops, photovoice), as well as, qualitative methods (e.g., semi-structured interviews, focus groups).
• Proven interest and experience in urban adaptation governance and transdisciplinary evaluation, evidenced by previous postdoctoral or collaborative research with communities.
• Experience working with a diverse range of stakeholders in urban adaptation, including local governments, and non-governmental organisations, demonstrated through prior engagement in co-production and transdisciplinary research processes in Spain and overseas.
• Experience in science outreach and dissemination, particularly in communicating research findings to broader audiences through visual and creative methods (e.g., video documentaries).
• Strong publication record in topics related to climate change adaptation, climate justice, and urban climate governance, evidenced by papers published in high-impact scientific journals.
• Fluent English, Portuguese, and Spanish (minimum level C2 or native).

We Offer

• Interdisciplinary and inspiring work environment.
• Quiet and spacious workspaces.
• Possibility of participating in the internal training and academic activities of the centre.
• Standard 35-hour workweek calendar.
• 30 days of vacation per year.
• 1 day per week for remote working at home.

Term of Contract

The contract will be for a period of one year, including a six-month probationary period based on performance.

Salary

The gross annual salary for this position is €38,480.

About the Company

As an HR Excellence-awarded institution, BC3 is committed to reconciling research and academic requirements with family responsibilities. BC3 is particularly concerned with creating equal opportunities for people regardless of sex and gender. Anyone with relevant qualifications is therefore strongly encouraged to apply for the position.

Application Procedure

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

• CV (4 pages max.) including contacts of two referees.
• Motivation Letter
• One-page bulleted list explaining how you meet the requirements of this job offer, links to relevant previous work/project/initiative are welcome.

Informal enquiries can be made to Dr Marta Olazabal, noting in the subject of the message “Postdoctoral researcher urban adaptation evaluation”.

Contact: Marta Olazabal, [email protected]

Deadline: October 30, 2026 12.00pm CET

Contract financed by European Research Council Established by the European Commission, Grant reference 101039429