[PHILOS-L] Postdoc Position on Philosophy of Science and/or Moral Philosophy with a focus on climate change research [fulltime, 2 years and 8 months] within at Erasmus School of Philosophy, Erasmus University Rotterdam Application deadline: 25th August 2026, 23h55 C

[Gideon Frey]

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Introduction

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.

 

Job description

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.

 

Job requirements

 

Necessary requirements

1. PhD in Philosophy.

2. Expertise in philosophy of science and/or moral philosophy.

3. 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

 

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

• Deadline for submissions: 25th August (23.59 CET)
• Shortlisted candidates will be notified no later than 10th September
• Interviews: likely 18th  September

 

Information on how to apply: https://www.eur.nl/en/working-at-eur/vacancies/postdoc-position-philosophy-science-andor-moral-philosophy

 

For questions regarding this position, please contact dr. Laura García-Portela at

garcia...@esphil.eur.nl

 

Employment conditions and benefits

Starting date, salary and benefits

The position starts 1st of November 2026 (or as soon as possible thereafter) and lasts, initially, for a maximum of 2 years and 8 months. This position comes with good employment conditions, compliant with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO NU).

 

The salary is in accordance with the candidate scale of the CAO NU. 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 at Scale 11 on a fulltime basis

(38 hours per week), in accordance with the CAO-NU. In addition, the attractive

employment package includes an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, generous leave

provisions for a healthy work-life balance, a good pension scheme, a budget for

conferences and research travel, excellent options for collective insurance, and a

provision for the use of the Internet at home. International researchers may qualify

for a tax advantage where 30% of their salary is tax-free. The employee may also

use a number of campus facilities, such as sports facilities and the library. For

international spouses we have set up a dual career programme.

 

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 School of Philosophy (ESPhil)

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)

 

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a

strong social orientation in its education and research. Inspired by the dynamic and

cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam, our scientists and students work in close

collaboration with internal and external parties to solve global social challenges. Our

mission is therefore "Creating positive societal impact". Our academic education is

intensive, active and application oriented. Our research increasingly takes place in

multidisciplinary teams, which are strongly intertwined with international networks.

With our research impact and thanks to the high quality of education, EUR ranks

amongst the top European universities.

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