Researcher / Research Scholar - Climate Impacts and Damages

Integrated Assessment and Climate Change (IACC) RESEARCH GROUP

The Energy, Climate, and Environment (ECE) program at IIASA is searching for a Researcher (R1)/ Research Scholar (R2) to work on climate impacts, extremes, attribution and damages assessment. The successful candidate will contribute to developing a climate impact indicator framework that pairs observation and attribution-based indicators with scenario-based projections (using the RIME-X model, Schwind et al. 2026), spanning a range of impact clusters including health/heat, food/water, marine systems, economy/labor, energy/transport, socioeconomic conditions, and climate extremes including compound risks

BACKGROUND

The role and tasks will evolve, in the medium- to long-term likely contributing to activities in various projects (such as Horizon Europe projects), collaborating with other scientific experts and engaging with relevant communities (e.g. impacts, attribution, risks, compounds), in Europe and across the world. These activities may contribute to scientific assessments in of themselves, for public-facing dissemination such as climate risk dashboards, and/or to other modelling activities such as the representation of climate impacts in integrated assessment modelling.

MAIN tASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

In the following items, we deliberately use the words “contribute” to and “develop” to respectively distinguish between the more supportive role of Researcher (R1) and independent role of Research Scholar (R2).

  • Apply and adapt the RIME-X workflows to generate scenario-based projections of climate impact drivers, exposure and risk
  • Contribute to / develop new methodology for attribution analysis in the RIME-X framework using ISIMIP3a obsclim/counterclim runs
  • Contribute to / develop new methodology for compound extreme indicators in the RIME-X framework
  • Produce and refine climate impact indicators across different clusters (health/heat, food/water, marine, energy/transport, economy/labor, fire/air quality, compound extremes)
  • Process large volumes of multi-model gridded climate and impact data into consistent indicators and statistics
  • Support internal review and external communication with appropriate analysis and material
  • Develop and document version-controlled code for development of methods and reproducible re-processing of data and analysis
  • Contribute to / lead written outputs, including reports and scientific papers
  • Present methods and results to technical and non-technical audiences

SKILLS, QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Education and Background

  • Master's (R1) or PhD (R2) degree in a related field of physical/natural sciences or engineering (e.g. mathematics/physics, climate science/earth/environmental science, hydrology, civil engineering)

Essential skills and competencies:

  • Knowledge of climate change modelling and impacts, attribution methods, compound extreme methodologies and statistics, and development of indicators of climate extremes and compounds
  • Knowledge of and experience with the transfer of risk from physical hazards onto socioeconomic sectors, infrastructure and demographic cohorts
  • Proficient programmer, with experience in packages such as xarray, pandas, numpy, scipy
  • Familiarity with climate/impact model output (e.g. ISIMIP, CMIP6) and gridded geospatial datasets (netCDF)
  • Knowledge of relevant statistical methods (distributions, regressions, percentiles, return-periods, extreme value theory, non-stationary trend analysis, copula methods of compound & multivariate extremes)
  • Demonstrated experience in writing up methodologies and results in reports, scientific publications and/or policy-relevant materials
  • Full fluency in English, both written and spoken.
  • Ability to work well as part of a team and independently.

Desirable skills:

  • Familiarity with global scenario and integrated assessment modelling frameworks is desired

APPOINTMENT TERMS

The successful candidate should be available to take up the position as soon as possible - No later than January 2027.

The place of work is IIASA in Laxenburg, near Vienna, Austria (home office options available).

The successful candidate will be appointed as a researcher ( R1) OR Research Scholar ( R2) depending on qualifications and experience and in accordance with the IIASA profiles for research careers.

We offer

  • 1-year full-time fixed-term contract (100%, 40 hrs/week), with the possibility of extension thereafter. Flexible arrangements on duration can be discussed, and part-time arrangements will also be considered.

  • An attractive annual salary starting at EUR 42,374, exempt from income tax in Austria (social insurance deductions still apply), negotiable depending on the research level you are appointed to.

  • The possibility to contribute to environmental sciences for sustainability and global wellbeing.

  • An international atmosphere and pleasant working environment in a historic market town surrounded by green areas.

IIASA salaries are:

  • Not directly comparable with other employers in Austria, due to the unique legal status and privileges granted to IIASA.
  • Subject to the principle of income aggregation (Progressionsvorbehalt in German).

additional BENEFITS

  • Educational subsidies for children of school age enrolled in private schools in Austria.
  • A generous annual leave entitlement.
  • Relocation allowances and paid home leave for employees who are hired from international locations.
  • Assistance for newcomers to Austria with visa, work and residency permit applications.
  • Support finding accommodation in Austria.

Further details here.

About IIASA

IIASA is committed to a working environment that promotes equality, diversity, tolerance and inclusion within its workforce. This is reflected in our  IIASA core values. We encourage qualified candidates from all religious, ethnic, and social backgrounds to apply. In the case that candidates are equally qualified, preference will be given to applicants from countries where IIASA has a  Member Organization.

Further Information

For further information about this opportunity please contact:

WAGNER Pat – Program and Project Officer (IACC/ICI)

BEYRS Edward– Sr. Research Scholar (IACC)

SCHLEUSSNER Carl-Friedrich– Research Group Leader and Principal Research Scholar (ICI)

Applications

In order to apply for this opportunity, you will need to provide the following documents in English:

  • A cover letter outlining your motivation for and fit to the position.
  • A detailed Curriculum Vitae and a recent example of your research work
  • The names, addresses (including e-mail), and telephone numbers of two reference givers.

Deadline for receipt of applications: 30 September 2026

Applications

In order to apply for this opportunity, you will need to provide the following documents in English:

  • A cover letter outlining your motivation for and fit to the position.
  • A detailed Curriculum Vitae and a recent example of your research work
  • The names, addresses (including e-mail), and telephone numbers of two reference givers.

Deadline for receipt of applications: 30 September 2026

At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.