Tenure-Track Group Leader Positions Climate Solutions Hub

Empa and Eawag, two world‑leading research institutes within the ETH Domain, are bundling their expertise to address one of the key questions of our times:
How can demonstrated but underutilized climate change adaptation and mitigation technologies (like Net Zero construction, resilient urban water systems, renewable energy, etc.) be scaled up and mainstreamed to reach their full transformative potential?

To tackle this question we are establishing the Climate Solutions Hub (CSH), a new collaboration platform in which scholars from our two institutes and beyond will collaborate with partners from industry, the public sector and civil society to analyse and support the scaling of innovative climate solutions.

To support the buildup of this pioneering Hub we are opening two Tenure‑Track Group Leader positions that will explore innovation‑scaling processes from complementary perspectives.

You will be responsible for establishing a research group dedicated to quantitatively assessing system‑level implementation and market potentials of innovative climate solutions. This includes modelling climate solutions spatially and socio‑economically, estimating their overall market potential, and focusing on climate‑positive infrastructure such as Net Zero construction techniques, water reuse or blue‑green infrastructure. Candidates are encouraged to bring in ideas and expertise from related fields.

• Building up and guiding your own research group with a high‑quality publication record and international visibility in relevant academic communities
• Creating a strong competence base in modelling and assessing plausible pathways through which innovative climate solutions may scale to wider, potentially global applications
• Securing third‑party funding for research and stakeholder integration activities
• Actively supporting the build‑up of the Climate Solutions Hub through engagement in integrated research projects, close collaboration with the managing team and the Hub’s key stakeholders
• Co‑designing roadmaps, geographic maps, strategy tools or compelling visualisations that support innovation‑scaling dynamics with partners in industry, the public sector, NGOs or the media

You are team‑oriented and forward‑thinking with a strong methodological background in modeling approaches and a passion for work at the interface of social sciences, engineering and natural sciences, and in close collaboration with stakeholders.

• PhD in environmental economics, economic geography, urban studies, public policy, engineering, environmental sciences or related fields
• Promising publication record in modelling and critically assessing the implementation potential of solutions to climate change under varying geophysical, economic and political conditions
• Relevant methodological strengths, e.g. in applying technology adoption and diffusion models, feasibility and suitability mapping and/or policy and regulatory scenario modelling
• Experience in developing research projects in close collaboration with stakeholders and communicating key results to broad non‑scientific audiences
• Experience in research on climate‑relevant innovation in infrastructure sectors is a plus
• Excellent proficiency in English; knowledge of at least one of the official languages in Switzerland (German, French, Italian) is a plus
• Clear vision for including equity, diversity and inclusion in managing your research group

You will be responsible for establishing a research group dedicated to assessing how novel value propositions and business models are developed around innovative climate mitigation and adaptation technologies. The position explores how firms, engineering consultants, as well as municipalities and semi‑public entities jointly develop new products and business offerings and value chains around innovative approaches for tackling climate change. The position will focus on climate‑positive infrastructure solutions such as Net Zero construction techniques, water reuse or blue‑green…