We are seeking 2-3 talented and highly motivated postdoctoral researchers in the domain of human health adaptation to climate change. The successful candidates will join the research team of Dr. Joan Ballester at ISGlobal within the framework of various research projects, mainly the ERC Consolidator grant EARLY-ADAPT and the FORMAS project ADATES (see “Project information” below). The chosen candidates will be at the forefront of environmental research by analysing a novel database of human health in Europe, which incorporates a range of environmental, socioeconomic and demographic variables and novel digital data streams at different spatiotemporal scales.

Candidates need to have a completed (or close to completion) PhD with expertise in environmental epidemiology, climate, atmospheric sciences, mathematics, biostatistics, big data analysis or related areas.

Candidates are also expected to meet as many of the following criteria as possible:

• have a good track record of first-authored publications in peer-reviewed journals, preferably in high-impact journals;
• have experience in the modelling of the environmental, socioeconomic and/or demographic drivers of human health;
• have experience in common programming languages, with particular focus on R;
• have experience with the management and analysis of large datasets, and particularly, climate and health data;
• be fluent in spoken and written English;
• be willing to apply to individual fellowships to become and independent researcher and define new own research lines;
• be willing to work in an inter-disciplinary team within a highly collaborative research institute.

• Dedication: Full time.
• Starting date: As soon as possible.
• Duration: 2-3 years.

Applicants must fill in the request form including the following reference: POSTDOC_CLIMATE_Mar23

Applications should include:

• the Curriculum Vitae;
• a supporting statement briefly describing your qualifications and experience with regard to the competences and duties here described (important: 250 words maximum);
• contact details of two referees, including email and phone number;
• copy of the highest diploma.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Only the applications submitted through the request form will be considered.

The interviews could be placed during the reception candidatures period.

Diverse candidacies are welcome that includes: gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, physical abilities, and political views.

EARLY-ADAPT (“Signs of Early Adaptation to Climate Change”, 2021-2026) is a European Research Council Consolidator Grant (ERC-2019-CoG), whose overarching aim is to jointly analyse the multiple drivers of recent trends in human health. Its driving hypothesis is that societies are starting to adapt to climate change, but the effectiveness of early adaptation is heterogeneous in space and time. EARLY-ADAPT is creating a daily, continental-wide database with multiple health outcomes, climate variables, air pollutants, desert dust and winter infectious diseases. The database is being used to model the relation between health and the environment, quantify the modifying effect of the societal factors, and perform a predictability analysis to determine the most realistic adaptation scenarios for the projections of future health. The project will allow to detect, understand and quantify the inequalities in adaptation between countries, regions, cities and social groups. More information is available here.

ADATES (“Adapting to temperature extremes in a changing climate: Past trends and future scenarios”, 2023-2027) is a project from the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS), which aims to ensure a socially just adaptation to future temperatures by analysing the groups that are most vulnerable to non-optimal and extreme temperatures, the interplay between environmental drivers, societal processes, adaptation strategies and the resulting health impacts, and (3) how can adaptation strategies mitigate the health impacts of plausible future temperatures. These questions will be addressed by quantifying the excess risk of adverse health outcomes related to exposure to non-optimal and extreme temperatures, including an analysis of historical trends and drivers of the adaptation process. Leveraging available climate projections, the project will also develop scenarios of health impacts of future temperatures incorporating different adaptation strategies. More information is available here.

HHS-EWS (“Operational Heat-Health-Social Early Warning System”, 2022-2024) is a European Research Council Proof-of-Concept Grant (ERC-2022-PoC), which aims to create a novel operational early warning system for environmental temperatures that incorporates the real risks to people's health, especially that of the most vulnerable populations. The system will transform the predictability of atmospheric variables into health predictions using epidemiological models specifically designed for the most vulnerable social groups. HHS-EWS is funded by the ERC Proof-of Concept scheme, which is intended to transform the theoretical research of the parent project into high-risk but potentially high-benefit innovations. In this case, the innovation aims to increase society's resilience to climate change, building on the theoretical research in epidemiology and social sciences being carried out in the context of EARLY-ADAPT. More information is available here.

CATALYSE (“Climate Action to Advance Healthy Societies in Europe”, 2022-2027) is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-HLTH-2021-ENVHLTH-02-03), whose overarching aim is to provide new knowledge, data, and tools on: i) the relationships between changes in environmental hazards caused by climate change, ecosystems, and human health; ii) the health co-benefits of climate action; iii) the role of health evidence in decision making; and iv) the societal implications of climate change for health systems. CATALYSE will develop innovative surveillance and forecasting tools that facilitate effective response to environmental health hazards, including a heat-health early warning system that incorporates weather forecasting, health data and epidemiological modelling. The early warning system will focus on Catalonia, Spain, based on high-quality health data, high-resolution weather forecasts from the Catalan Meteorological Agency, and established links with local public health stakeholders.

In ISGlobal we are committed to maintaining and developing a work environment in which the values and principles of our organization are respected and equal opportunities between women and men be promoted in each of the areas in which we operate, not tolerating discrimination based on criteria such as age, gender, marital status, race, ethnicity, functional diversity, political leanings, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

ISGlobal supports the initiative #ScienceforUkraine. Therefore, to sustain Ukraine’s presence in the European Research Area and international scholarly community, candidates from Ukraine on all levels of scholarly career are welcome: students, PhD candidates, early career researchers and senior scholars.

We confirm our commitment towards the value of the diversity of our staff and student population and seek to promote peace, equity, diversity and inclusion as essential elements in contribution to improving health worldwide.