The Erasmus School of Philosophy is looking for a postdoc candidate to conduct research in any area of philosophy of science and/or moral philosophy relevant to climate change research. The candidate will be expected to conduct research on those areas and work together with the leader of the philosophy work packages of SUNRISE, dr. Laura García-Portela, in the deliverables pertaining to such project. The position also comes some teaching obligations.
SUNRISE (Extreme Events In A Warming, Unequal World: Linking Drivers To Impacts For Improved Attribution, Forecasting And Regional Responses) is an HORIZON-EU funded consortium that brings together 19 academic and non-academic partners from three continents with the scope of advancing the knowledge and practices of attribution science, impact assessment and operationalized forecasting of climate and weather extreme events at global scale. SUNRISE will challenge the state of the art by (i) producing new comprehensive data collections that can serve as references for future studies, (ii) enhancing the understanding of physical mechanisms and causal pathways to strengthen attribution analyses and model development, build operationalized seasonal forecasts and test their skill as early warning systems, (iii) developing novel impact-focused attribution frameworks that integrates climatic and non-climatic drivers across sectors, combines cutting-edge datasets with multivariate methods, and delivers spatially explicit tools for the attribution of compound events and impacts which might be ground-breaking to support adaptation in vulnerable regions, (iv) creating tools for climate justice analyses to inform risk assessment, adaptation planning, and policy support, and (v) delivering attribution services that will help operationalize attribution science. Within SUNRISE, ESPhil is responsible for two workpackages focused on the normative significance and adequacy-for-purposes of attribution science methods for climate justice purposes, and the conceptualization of the currency and metric of justice in adaptation and compensation in climate change case studies (e.g., impacts of cascading hydro-geomorphic hazards, extreme events and agriculture, long-term impacts of wildfires and impacts of heatwaves).
The prospective candidate is expected to develop philosophical research within philosophy of science and/or moral and political philosophy relevant to climate change research broadly construed. We welcome applications from candidates working in philosophy of science, ethics, normative theory, political philosophy, environmental philosophy, philosophy of data science, or related fields that are willing to conduct independent research on those topics and apply them to climate change research. Relevant topics may include, but are not limited to, the nature and role of scientific evidence, causation and explanation in complex systems, uncertainty and decision-making, risk ethics and theories of moral and legal responsibility, justice and vulnerability, intergenerational ethics, the governance of scientific and technological innovation, the ethical implications of data-driven research, and the relationship between scientific knowledge, public policy, and societal transformation.
While an expertise and background in philosophy of climate science and/or climate ethics is an asset, candidates with a more general background in philosophy of science and/or moral and political philosophy are welcome to apply, as long as they can show their interest and willingness to apply their work to climate change research.
Additionally, the successful candidate will contribute to the faculty’s teaching activities in their areas of competence, including course delivery and student supervision. Teaching will account for approximately 20% of the position, with the remaining 80% dedicated to research.
Necessary requirements
1. PhD in Philosophy.
2. Expertise in philosophy of science and/or moral philosophy.
3. Ability, interest in and willingness to applying philosophy of science and/or moral philosophy concepts and approaches to climate change research.
4. Interest and ability to teach philosophy courses and supervising BA and MA thesis.
5. Willingness to integrate oneself in the academic environment at ESPhil and EUR.
6. Good writing, oral, and organizational skills
7. Proficiency in written and spoken English (at least C1 level).
Desirable requirements
1. Background in philosophy of climate science, with expertise in the role
of epistemic and non-epistemic values in climate science
2. Background in climate ethics, with expertise in assessing the role of scientific
information for climate justice purposes
3. Experience with collaborative and interdisciplinary research (particularly at the intersection of philosophy, climate science, and economics)
4. Experience with teaching philosophy to interdisciplinary audiences
We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).
The start date of this position is 01-OCT-2026 and you will be based at Campus Woudestein, Erasmus University Rotterdam in Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil). This position is for 1 fte. The salary is dependent on your experience and knowledge and ranges from a minimum of € 4.728 to a maximum of € 6.433 gross per month Scale 11 on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The position is for two years and 8 months.
Everything else we offer you; you can find below!
- Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!
- Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.
- Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.
- Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.
- Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).
- Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the Expat-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.
Diversity
We particularly encourage members of underrepresented groups to apply: We genuinely value diversity and believe that a diversity of talents contributes to our vision and strategy to excel as a university on research and education. ESPhil is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from candidates of all genders, ethnicities, and nationalities. Given the current composition of the ESPhil academic staff and priorities relating to staff diversity, the School especially encourages candidates from an ethnic minority, candidates with an international background, and female candidates to apply.
Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 4.100 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.
Erasmus School of Philosophy is a leading research and teaching institution of Erasmus University Rotterdam. The faculty is one of the two independent faculties of philosophy in the Netherlands. ESPhil has a broad international orientation, with many international students (total number of students is currently about 800), PhDs (about 15), and staff members (about 30), and has excellent connections with universities abroad. ESPhil offers a BA in Philosophy and an interdisciplinary BA “Philosophy of a Specific Discipline”, as well as the MA Philosophy Now, MA Societal Transitions, and the Research MA Philosophy and Economics. ESPhil conducts philosophical research in a diversity of intellectual traditions, and hosts several institutes, including the Erasmus Institute for Philosophy and Economics (EIPE).
Application documents
1. CV (without personal picture)
2. Motivation letter (max 2 pages), including a brief explanation of how your research background is related to, or can be relevant for, the aims of SUNRISE.
3. Anonymized research vision (max. 2 pages) explaining your research agenda and how it can contribute to the aims of the project, broadly construed.
4. Additional anonymized writing sample (prepared for blind peer review; for published work, submit the final pre-publication version without reference to where it is published).
Please submit 3 and 4 together under ‘research project’ in the application platform.
Application process
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Deadline for submissions: 25th August (23.59 CET)
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Shortlisted candidates will be notified no later than 10th September
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Interviews: likely 18th September
Please submit your application, consisting of the documents below, before the vacancy closing date:
CV (without personal picture)
Motivation letter (max 2 pages), including a brief explanation of your fit, motivation and interest in the project.
Anonymized writing sample (prepared for blind peer review; for published work, submit the final pre-publication version without reference to where it is published)
Shortlisted candidates will be asked to submit a brief research vision (1 to max 2 pages) outlining their proposed approach to conducting research within the project prior to the interview stage. Additional information will follow for shortlisted candidates.
