Postdoc: Climate Adaptation Pathways for Critical Infrastructure

Your function

As a postdoctoral researcher, you will contribute to the TASICI project (Transformative Adaptation Strategies for Interdependent Critical Infrastructure), a NWO-funded multidisciplinary research programme that brings together researchers, infrastructure operators, and public stakeholders to develop climate adaptation strategies for interconnected infrastructure systems in the Netherlands. The project focuses on major infrastructure corridors, including the Greater Amsterdam Metropolitan Area and the Rhine–Alpine Corridor, and aims to support system-wide prioritisation, resource allocation, and governance for climate adaptation.

Within TASICI, you will work on research activities in Work Package 2, which focuses on the development of adaptation pathways for critical infrastructure systems facing increasing climate risks. You will work closely with infrastructure operators including Rijkswaterstaat, ProRail, Schiphol Airport, Port of Rotterdam and Vervoerregio Amsterdam to combine quantitative modelling, adaptation planning and stakeholder engagement into actionable climate resilience strategies.

Your duties

• you develop innovative frameworks for climate adaptation pathways for critical infrastructure systems
• you analyze climate risks, adaptation options and resilience strategies across interconnected infrastructure networks
• you build and maintain databases of adaptation measures and evaluate their effectiveness using quantitative methods
• you collaborate closely with infrastructure operators through workshops, interviews and co-creation activities
• you publish results in international scientific journals and present findings at conferences and stakeholder events
• you contribute to the supervision of MSc and PhD students and support ongoing research activities within the project

Your profile

• you have a PhD degree in civil engineering, environmental sciences, geography, operational research or a related discipline
• you have demonstrable experience with quantitative modelling, data analysis and programming, preferably in Python
• you have knowledge of climate adaptation, infrastructure resilience, decision making under (deep) uncertainty or cost benefit analysis
• you have excellent oral and written communication skills in Dutch and English; fluency in Dutch is required because of the extensive collaboration with Dutch infrastructure operators and government stakeholders
• you have experience working in multidisciplinary research projects and are able to work independently as well as collaboratively

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?

An exciting postdoc position in a socially-engaged organisation with a supportive project team and an active early-career scientist community. 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.,00 (Scale 10.0) and maximum € 5.,00 (Scale 10.12) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• a position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially start with a 1 year contract with the possibility to extend with another 2 years.

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 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 personalised benefits package