Postdoctoral position in climate change adaptation at the University of Waterloo, Canada

International Society for Industrial Ecology; Southwestern Ontario; Hybrid; CAD 42,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative research institution in Ontario is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow in climate change adaptation. The role involves analyzing and producing research on the impacts of climate change on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Candidates must have a doctoral degree and experience in climate change adaptation. The position offers a gross salary of up to CAD 50,000 per year and includes a work-from-home option.

Qualifications

• Expertise in climate change adaptation is required.
• Proficiency in qualitative and/or quantitative data analytical tools.
• Demonstrable interest in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Responsibilities

• Review, analyze, and produce research publications.
• Contribute as lead or co-author on research papers.
• Co-supervise graduate students and present at conferences.

Skills

Qualitative data analysis

Quantitative data analysis

Geographic Information System (GIS)

Agent-Based Modeling (ABM)

Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs)

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA)

Education

Doctoral degree in environmental studies/science

Job description

Postdoctoral position in climate change adaptation at the University of Waterloo, Canada

The project RECOVER (Resilience to Climate Vulnerability and Environmental Risk - with a focus on Asia Pacific islands) is recruiting a 2-year full time postdoctoral fellow in the area of climate change adaptation at the University of Waterloo, Canada.

The primary responsibility of the postdoc will be to review, analyze and produce publishable materials on state-of-the-art climate change adaptation (CCA) approaches and strategies on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The research will involve – from a systems perspective – the biophysical or resource-use system, the social, cultural, and economic/finance aspects of CCA, with a focus to mitigate socio-metabolic risks in SIDS.

The successful candidate will be a key collaborator within the project team at the Univ. of Waterloo and with the activity countries (in Asia-Pacific SIDS). The postdoc will contribute as lead or co-author on research publications. There will also be opportunities to present co-authored research in at least one national or international conference in Year 2 and to co-supervise graduate students. Teaching opportunities may also become available.

Candidates for this position must have a doctoral degree in environmental studies/science, geography, ecological economics, human/social ecology, political ecology, or related disciplines with expertise in climate change adaptation. Candidates must be proficient in qualitative and/or quantitative data analytical tools relevant for this research, a demonstrable interest in SIDS, and in analyzing social-environmental real-world problems from a systems perspective. Knowledge of one or more of the following techniques/methods will be an asset: Geographic Information System (GIS), Agent-Based Modeling (ABM), Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs), and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA).

The postdoc position is for 2 years, full time, with a gross salary range of up to CAD$ 50,000 per year, inclusive of all benefits. The work location is the University of Waterloo, with work-from-home option of 1-2 days a week. The postdoc must have Ontario (Canada) as primary residence during the period of employment. The start date of the position is negotiable, between 1 November 2024 and 1 January 2025. To apply, please send cover letter highlighting relevant qualifications, experience, and motivation, along with a full CV, as a single PDF file to: [e-mail]

About the RECOVER project:

The RECOVER (Resilience to Climate Vulnerability and Environmental Risk) project is funded jointly by IDRC-Canada and FCDO-U.K. under the UK-Canada CLimate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) research framework programme: https://clareprogramme.org/

RECOVER has a focus on Asia-Pacific Islands with an overall goal of enhancing small islands’ capacity to adapt to climate change through more inclusive, and research-informed decision environments. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are on the frontlines of climate change and consistently rank high on a range of risk and climate vulnerability indices. IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report recognizes the urgency of these challenges and the need for transformational adaptation strategies for small islands. Three SIDS in the Asia-Pacific region will serve as “hubs of innovation” for scalable and systems-changing climate resilience approaches.

RECOVER centres on mitigating “socio-metabolic risk”, or systemic risk related to critical resource availability, material circulation integrity, and (in)equities in cost and benefit distributions. Socio-metabolic risk is to islands as circulatory health problems are to humans – both constrain the entity’s ability to withstand significant shocks and changes. Maladaptive and climate insensitive development practices – such as coastal squeeze, high import dependency, and centralised energy systems – magnify islands climate vulnerability. Mitigating socio-metabolic risk is crucial for small islands to withstand climate impacts and avoid cascading dysfunction of environmental, economic, and social systems.

RECOVER partnership is multisectoral, inter-and-transdisciplinary and the Real-World Labs (RLWs) fosters a two-way interaction between the research team and stakeholder groups to co-create innovative place-based climate adaptation solutions.

• School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development (SEED)

JiaJia Li
Norwegian University of Science and Technology