Part-time (30 hours per week) | Application deadline: 27 April 2025

The Migration and Sustainable Development (MIG) Research Group, part of the Population and Just Societies (POPJUS) Program, is looking to recruit a Researcher to work on the European Research Council funded project Climate Change and Human (Im)Mobility: The Role of Compound and Cascading Risks (2C-RISK). The successful candidate will have a master's degree in the social sciences or related fields, and interest in quantitative migration research.

Background

The POPJUS Program produces empirical-based research focusing on human and social dimensions of global change processes. Within the program, the Migration and Sustainable Development Research Group (MIG) focuses on applying advanced data collection and estimation methods to quantify and better understand the trends, patterns, drivers, and consequences of different types of migration considering its interactions with the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. A particular focus of the research group is exploring how climatic changes and environmental factors directly and indirectly influence migration, and how these effects differ across geographical locations and population subgroups.

The Role

The successful candidate will work as part of a collaborative team of migration scholars, data scientists, and modelers within IIASA and other institutions on the Climate Change and Human (Im)Mobility: The Role of Compound and Cascading Risks (2C-RISK, 2025-2030) project. The project offers a comprehensive analysis of how compound and cascading climatic and non-climatic risks impact human mobility and immobility globally. By developing new insights into the conditions that drive climate-related (im)mobility and identifying populations at heightened risk, the 2C-RISK project aims to inform more effective policies to protect vulnerable populations in a changing climate. There will be a possibility for the selected candidate to pursue a PhD on a topic related to the project.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

• Actively contribute to the research of the 2C-RISK project, studying the impacts of climate change processes and extreme events on migration and immobility worldwide.

• Support the preparation and management of large-scale datasets on migration and environmental risks at both the micro and macro levels.

• Conduct statistical analyses to examine the role of climatic factors in driving various forms of human mobility and immobility, including the preparation of visualizations and infographics.

• Advance the state-of-the-art in the field by conducting innovative research, presenting findings at relevant conferences and workshops, and publishing results in peer-reviewed journals.

• Actively engage with project partners and other stakeholders to discuss and disseminate research findings.

Read about the opening post and apply through the IIASA website >