Postdoctoral Researcher: Flood Risk & Damage Modelling

University of Amsterdam (UvA); Netherlands; On-site; EUR 41,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher to improve damage functions for residential buildings in the Netherlands and to quantify the effectiveness of early‑warning and building‑back‑better strategies in reducing insured losses. You will work within the FIRM programme and collaborate with PhD candidates and industry partners.

This is a two‑year, 38-hour‑per‑week appointment starting 1 September 2026, with a gross monthly salary of €3,706–€5,760 (scale

Qualifications

• PhD in Civil Engineering, Hydrology, Actuarial Science, Econometrics, Applied Statistics or related field.
• Experience with statistical modelling and regression analysis applied to damage or loss data.
• Experience with programming (Python or R) and working with large datasets.
• Fluency in English; Dutch is an asset.
• Ability to design and evaluate field experiments or quasi-experimental studies is an asset.
• Independence and drive to manage a focused two-year research project.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement a data collection protocol for flood damage observations in collaboration with Nationale-Nederlanden and the Dutch Association of Insurers.
• Deriving improved damage functions for residential buildings under extreme precipitation, with attention to explanatory variables beyond water depth.
• Quantifying the risk-reduction potential and cost-effectiveness of building-back-better measures at the object level.
• Designing, conducting and evaluating early-warning experiments.
• Presenting at international conferences and publishing in leading peer-reviewed journals.
• Contributing to teaching activities (approximately 20% of your time).
• Collaborating with sector partners and PhD candidates within FIRM.

Skills

Statistical modelling

Regression analysis

Data analysis with large datasets

Education

PhD in Civil Engineering or related field

Tools

Python

R

Job description

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher to improve damage functions for residential buildings in the Netherlands and to quantify the effectiveness of early‑warning and building‑back‑better strategies in reducing insured losses. You will work within the FIRM programme and collaborate with PhD candidates and industry partners.

This is a two‑year, 38-hour‑per‑week appointment starting 1 September 2026, with a gross monthly salary of €3,706–€5,760 (scale