4-year EU-funded PhD Position in Environmental Economics & Climate Adaptation at TU Delft, Netherlands

Globally adaptation to climate change remains both critical and urgent. The momentum to act is rising and empirical evidence is growing. Yet, we still lack systematic ex-ante and ex-post quantitative assessments of adaptation effectiveness and limits across various scales (temporal, spatial, decision) and contexts (exposure to different hazards, or institutional and cultural factors). This limited knowledge hinders a full understanding of societal progress on adaptation worldwide, and in Europe in particular.

Since adaptation effectiveness is highly location- and context-specific we need a systematic comparison across cases. This PhD position is part of the European project ADELE, which aims to make progress in assessing adaptation effectiveness and limits. As part of a team of 20 institutions, TU Delft will contribute to ADELE by:

(1) collecting primary quantitative data on household autonomous adaptation to climate induced hazard, provide new evidence of soft and hard limits, and undertake ex-ante and ex-post assessments of adaptation effectiveness; (2) advancing analytical methods—including structured households’ surveys and Agent-Based Modeling (ABM)—for the quantification of adaptation effectiveness and limits. The overall outcomes of the ADELE project will contribute to the ongoing EU Commission and the European Environmental Agency efforts on climate adaptation, including EUCREA2, European Climate Adaptation Plan and integrated framework for European climate resilience and risk management, as well as IPCC.

Vacancy Overview

• Institution: Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
• Faculty: Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TPM)
• Project Name: ADELE Project (EU Horizon Project, ID: 10126683)
• Position: PhD Candidate in Environmental Economics / Climate Adaptation
• Job ID: 3624
• Contract: 1.0 FTE (32–40 hours/week); 4-year structured doctoral appointment (1.5-year initial contract with a go/no-go review at 15 months)
• Salary Range: €3,059 to €3,881 gross per month (CLA Dutch Universities)
• Location: Delft, Netherlands
• Application Deadline: August 31, 2026
• Interview Timeline: First-round interviews held in September 2026

The Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management at TU Delft is seeking a motivated PhD candidate to contribute to ADELE, a large-scale European project comprising 20 partner institutions. ADELE delivers systematic ex-ante and ex-post quantitative assessments of climate change adaptation effectiveness and limits across various European regions and hazards (including heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, floods, and sea-level rise).

The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Prof. dr. Tatiana Filatova, bridging empirical behavioral data with computational modeling to support EU-level climate resilience frameworks and IPCC assessments.

Research Scope and Responsibilities

The 4-year trajectory divides time between empirical survey design and computational modeling (approx. 70%–30% split):

• Large-Scale Survey Development & Ex-Post Assessment (70%): Design, deploy, and analyze structured household surveys across three European countries to evaluate autonomous private adaptation. Investigate behavioral, economic, and institutional “soft limits”—such as income gaps, risk awareness, and self-efficacy—and collaborate with an Italian partner institution running parallel firm-level surveys.
• Agent-Based Modeling & Ex-Ante Assessment (30%): Translate empirical survey insights into modular Agent-Based Model (ABM) components. Leverage in-house TU Delft frameworks (e.g., EMERGO, CRAB, FAST) to project private adaptation uptake under multi-hazard scenarios. Contribute open-science software modules to www.agentblocks.org for the international modeling community.

Candidate Qualifications

Applicants should possess a strong quantitative background paired with an interest in coupled social-environmental systems.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Environmental Economics, Psychology, Complex Systems, Engineering & Policy Analysis, or a related discipline.
• Experience with quantitative data analysis and statistical methods.
• Strong interest in designing, executing, and analyzing behavioral surveys.
• Experience with Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) or solid programming skills in a scientific language (Python, Julia, etc.).
• Excellent written and spoken proficiency in English.
• Advantageous: Prior domain knowledge in climate change impacts, adaptation economics, or social-environmental systems.

Salary, Benefits, and Working Conditions

Employment conditions follow the Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) for Dutch Universities.

Benefit Component	Details
Gross Monthly Salary	€3,059 (Year 1) to €3,881 (Year 4) for a full-time contract (38–40 hours)
Contract Structure	Initial 1.5-year contract with a formal progress assessment at 15 months, extended to 4 years total upon meeting targets
Annual Allowances	8% Holiday allowance + 8.3% End-of-year bonus
Graduate School	Enrollment in the TU Delft Graduate School with a tailored Doctoral Education Programme
Relocation Support	Access to the Coming to Delft Service for housing guidance, partner career support, and settling-in events

Application Instructions

Submit your application via the TU Delft online recruitment portal by August 31, 2026. Emailed submissions will not be reviewed.

Important Notice from the Faculty: Motivation letters and application documents must be written entirely by the candidate. Submissions generated using AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude) will be disqualified.

Required Application Documents:

1. Motivation letter (written independently).
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV).
3. A list of publications or software outputs (if applicable).
4. Contact details for at least two academic referees (requested if shortlisted for an interview).
5. APPLY NOW

Direct content-related inquiries to Prof. dr. Tatiana Filatova (t.filatova@tudelft.nl). Do not email asking if your profile is a match; candidates must evaluate their own fit.

Note: In compliance with national knowledge security guidelines, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the final recruitment stages.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary objective of the ADELE project?

ADELE is an EU Horizon-funded project (ID: 10126683) involving 20 European institutions that aims to systematically assess climate change adaptation effectiveness, identify behavioral and institutional adaptation limits, and support future EU climate adaptation frameworks and IPCC guidelines.

What methodology will this PhD project use?

The project combines empirical research—designing and analyzing large-scale household surveys across three European countries—with computational modeling by integrating empirical behavioral findings into Agent-Based Models (ABMs).

Can I submit an application generated by an LLM?

No. TU Delft expressly states that motivation letters and documents generated with ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or other LLMs will not be considered, and candidates must author their materials independently.

How is the 4-year PhD contract structured?

The position starts with a 1.5-year initial contract. Following a formal go/no-go progress review within the first 15 months, the appointment is extended for the remaining 2.5 years to complete the 4-year doctoral track.