Scientific Collaborator Science Integration

Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, is an internationally networked aquatic research institute within the ETH Domain (Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology). Eawag conducts research, education and expert consulting to achieve the dual goals of meeting direct human needs for water and maintaining the function and integrity of aquatic ecosystems.

The newly funded NCCR CLIM+ invites applications for the position of a

The NCCR CLIM+ will establish the first fully interdisciplinary, Switzerland-wide climate research community that tackles pressing issues related to climate extremes such as heatwaves, floods, heavy rainfalls, droughts, wildfires, and further compound events. It will thereby and additionally interact with stakeholders ranging from public health to finance, agriculture, and water management.

By pooling competence from 20 leading Swiss research institutions across multiple natural and social science disciplines, NCCR CLIM+ will combine fundamental knowledge with transformational knowledge.

Under the lead of ETH Zurich and the University of Bern the newly founded Center for Climate Extremes and Resilience in Swiss Society (CERESS) will connect with numerous further universities and climate centers across Switzerland. CERESS will support nationwide research, co-design living labs, and produce actionable solutions, thus forming a new transdisciplinary nexus between science, society, practice, and politics.

Job description
The NCCR CLIM+ Scientific Collaborator for Science Integration is supporting and promoting interdisciplinary work across different work packages, disciplines, and research teams. The main task is to foster science integration and coordination within the NCCR CLIM+ consortium while also supporting the establishment of interdisciplinarity within the newly created CERESS Center. The scientific collaborator facilitates three types of ‘boundary work’ developed within the NCCR CLIM+ to bridge between different academic disciplines and scientific fields:
First, the scientific collaborator supports the identification of suitable “boundary concepts” such as ‘extreme events’, ‘risks’, or ‘resilience’ that operate differently across disciplines or 2 fields. The output of this process will be a joint glossary. Second, the scientific collaborator supports the development of a joint conceptual framework (“boundary object”) addressing the multidimensional nature of societal transformations toward resilience in the context of climate extremes.

Third, the scientific collaborator supports the establishment of conducive ”boundary settings”, i.e., integrative formats such as NCCR CLIM+ meetings, training schools, workshops, retreats, as well as the NCCR CLIM+ Young Scholars Forum, i.e., a ‘protected niche’ for early career collaborators.

The candidate will be employed at the University of Bern with a main work place at the Management Center of the NCCR CLIM+ at the University of Bern. The candidate will benefit from a second work place at Eawag in Dübendorf to integrate in the Inter- and Transdisciplinary Research Group (led by Dr. Sabine Hoffmann) and build on research group’s expertise and experience in leading science integration in large research consortia.

Site visits at the different partner institutions and the participation in different work packages/team meetings and workshops complement the profile.

The position is fixed-term until 30 April 2030 with potential prolongation of 2x 4 years, upon SBFI NCCR contract.

Requirements
Candidates should hold a PhD in social sciences, human geography, inter-disciplinary environmental sciences, science and technology studies, sustainability transformations, or a related field. They should demonstrate a strong interest in questions related to climate extremes, mitigation, and adaptation with experience in working in larger interdisciplinary consortia and developing and applying interdisciplinary concepts, methods and tools. The position requires panoptic perspectives and close interactions with all PIs, Post Docs, and PhDs involved in the consortia.

Candidates…