Postdoctoral Position; f​/m​/d | Integrated Assessment Modeling; Climate–Air Pollution–Economy

Postdoctoral Position (f/m/d) | Integrated Assessment Modeling (Climate–Air Pollution–Economy)

Scientist Mainz Chemistry Earth Sciences and Climate Research Job Offer from March 25, 2026

Open postdoc position is available at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC), co-supervised by Prof. Yafang Cheng (Director at MPIC) and Dr. Wenjun Meng (Project Team Leader at MPIC). The project aims at developing an advanced integrated assessment modeling framework that links socio-economic, environmental, and technological factors to understand the impacts of climate and energy policies.

The Integrated Assessment Modeling team at the Aerosol Chemistry Department of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC) develops and applies modeling frameworks that connect economic systems, energy transitions, climate impacts, and air pollution to support policy-relevant analysis. The group integrates insights from climate science, atmospheric/aerosol research, and economic modeling, with interests including improved spatial resolution and machine-learning-enabled approaches for policy analysis.

Postdoctoral Position (f/m/d) – Integrated Assessment Modeling (Climate–Air Pollution–Economy)

We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d) to contribute to model development and scenario analysis at the interface of economics and environmental science. We particularly encourage candidates with a strong economics background and interest in environmental and energy applications. The successful candidate will work on model development, scenario analysis, and interpretation of policy-relevant results in close collaboration with an interdisciplinary team.

• Contribute to the development and evaluation of integrated assessment modeling tools linking socio-economic pathways with environmental and climate outcomes.
• Design and run scenario experiments; analyze and interpret model results for policy-relevant questions.
• Document workflows and support reproducible research (model evaluation/validation, transparent assumptions).

• PhD in economics, environmental science or a closely related quantitative field (e.g., climate/energy policy, or other related field with strong quantitative/economic focus).
• Demonstrated interest in topics such as environmental economics, energy transitions, climate impacts, and air pollution.
• Strong quantitative skills (e.g., econometrics, optimization, I/O table, CGE, simulation modeling) and solid programming experience (e.g., Python/R/Matlab/C).
• Preferred (optional): familiarity with machine learning/statistical learning (e.g., regression/ML pipelines, neural networks, model evaluation), and experience using common ML libraries.
• Ability to work independently and communicate effectively in English in an interdisciplinary environment.

• Competitive compensation and benefits according to the applicable collective agreement (TVöD/MPG)
• Initial 1-year contract, extendable up to 2–3 years upon mutual agreement.
• An international, collaborative research environment at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry.
• Access to strong scientific networks across atmospheric chemistry, climate science, and policy-relevant modeling.
• Support for professional development, publication, and conference participation.

Please email the following as a single PDF:

to Dr. Wenjun Meng at

• You may include additional materials that demonstrate your skills and capabilities, such as code repositories or project demonstrations.
• Reference letters can also be submitted directly at the time of application, though this is not required.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. The starting date is negotiable, but preferably no later than Autumn 2026.

Prof. Yafang Cheng is the Director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and head of the Aerosol Chemistry Department. She is internationally recognized for pioneering research on…