Postdoctoral position in Environmental Analysis

Postdoctoral position in Environmental Analysis with focus on hydroclimatic extremes

Are you interested in working with hydroclimatic extremes and their effects on aquatic ecosystem services, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a postdoc position in Environmental Analysis at Uppsala University.

The Department of Earth Sciences at Uppsala University is Sweden´s largest and most versatile department of its kind with approximately 300 employees. Our activities are interdisciplinary and combine natural science and technology with social science. We have research programs in air, water and landscape science; geophysics; natural resources and sustainable development; petrology, mineralogy and tectonics; paleobiology, and wind energy. By investigating the history of Earth, we understand how our planet has developed over time and how sustainable development benefits from this knowledge. Read more here: Department of Earth Sciences.

We are now looking for a postdoc in Environmental Analysis within the Program for Air, Water and Landscape Sciences (LUVAL) to join our team and work with us in the European project “REACTION - Navigating the Risks of Hydroclimatic Extremes for Freshwater Ecosystem Services in Forest Landscapes” funded by the Water4All partnership. The project is an international collaboration with partners in Finland, Spain, Slovakia and Austria, and assesses the risks that hydroclimatic extremes (such as heatwaves, floods, droughts and heavy rain) pose to freshwater-related ecosystem services in forest landscapes. Combining a multidisciplinary risk framework with extensive efforts on harmonizing data and innovative data-driven modelling techniques, we explore existing data resources, develop relevant indicators, and build models that simulate the complex relationships between statistically rare extreme events and freshwater-related ecosystem services.

Duties
You will develop and apply probabilistic risk models for freshwater ecosystem services, integrating hazard, exposure, and vulnerability indices into composite risk indices. The work includes quantitative analysis, mapping, and visualization of current and future risk patterns in the project's case study areas, using GIS and related tools. You will also be expected to contribute to the development, harmonization, and analysis of exposure and vulnerability indicators, as well as participate in the production of common datasets and map products in close collaboration with the project partners.

Your duties will include writing scientific publications, presenting results at scientific conferences and project meetings within the EU, and collaborating with international research and practice partners within the REACTION consortium. The consortium includes experts in hydrology, risk assessment, remote sensing, modeling, ecosystem services, and management from Sweden, Finland, Spain, Slovakia, and Austria. Some involvement in student supervision and other group activities may occur.

With your work, you will provide  spatially explicit insights on current and future hydroclimatic risks to ecosystem services and lay the foundation for developing management and restoration strategies to reduce the vulnerability of ecosystem services and the risk posed by hydroclimatic extremes.

Requirements
PhD degree in Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences or related disciplines or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD degree in the aforementioned subjects. The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the decision of employment. Priority will be given to applicants who have completed their degree no more than three years before the deadline for applications.  Due to special circumstances, the degree may have been obtained earlier. The three-year period can be extended due to circumstances such as sick leave, parental leave, duties in labour unions, etc.

We are looking for you with a strong interest in research, who enjoys developing and testing new ideas and works in a driven, independent, and proactive way. You have excellent spoken and written English skills. You have documented experience working with climate change or extreme hydroclimatic events. You bring experience in quantitative modelling and scientific programming (for example in Matlab, R, or Python), as well as GIS and spatial analysis/mapping. Experience in data management and data processing, particularly related to climate models, environmental data, or statistics, is required. Since the work is carried out in close collaboration with international research environments, you have strong skills in teamwork and collaboration.

Additional qualifications
Work experience with biodiversity, aquatic ecosystems, and their services, is an advantage. We also value experience working with the IPCC risk framework and analysis of risk factors such as natural hazards, exposure, and vulnerability. Oral skills in Swedish are also an advantage, but not mandatory. Great importance will be attached to personal suitability.

Your application should include:

• a curriculum vitae (CV).
• earliest possible start date.
• two references (names and full contact details, including telephone numbers). Please do not send letters of reference.
• a short text (max. 1 page) describing how you would assess the risks posed by a hydroclimatic extreme to at least one freshwater-related ecosystem service linked to a river in a European forest landscape, using the IPCC risk framework (hazard–exposure–vulnerability) as a starting point.
• Copies of relevant transcripts.
• Doctoral thesis.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position of 2 years according to central collective agreement. Full time position. Starting date 2026-03-01 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Claudia Teutschbein, claudia.teutschbein@geo.uu.se

In this recruitment we have replaced the cover letter with questions that you are asked to answer when making your application. The answers will be used as a part of the selection process.

Please submit your application by 12 January  2026, UFV-PA 2025/3921.

Are you considering moving to Sweden to work at Uppsala University? Find out more about what it´s like to work and live in Sweden.