Senior Postdoctoral Researcher on Urban Adaptation Evaluation for IMAGINE Adaptation Project

• 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.

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

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.

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.

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher who can support the scientific development of the project alongside completing key activities.

The postdoctoral researcher will participate in a range of research activities within the project. They are expected to develop research on urban climate governance and transdisciplinary adaptation evaluation. The researcher will also be responsible for leading case studies in several cities and collaborating closely with a variety of urban adaptation actors. More broadly, they will support the Principal Investigator (PI) and the project team in achieving the project's scientific objectives, developing effective task management strategies, and collaboratively working to publish and disseminate research findings.

We are seeking highly motivated candidates who can work in an international, ground-breaking project to

• Develop transdisciplinary work and find value in science through co-creation,
• Use both theoretical and empirical qualitative and quantitative approaches to respond to key project questions, and
• Turn findings into both scientific and policy outputs that can deliver a real change.

• 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.

• 1 day per week for remote working at home.

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

Deadline: October 30, 2026 12.00pm