Postdoctoral Research Assistant (F/M/D) for Critical Urban Research

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – The Research University in the Helmholtz Association creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is our goal to make significant contributions to mastering the global challenges of mankind in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees of KIT cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in research, academic education, and innovation.

The Institute of Regional Science (IFR) is looking for the next possible date and limited for 3 years for a

Postdoctoral Research Assistant (F/M/D) for Critical Urban Research

You will contribute to the implementation of the EU-funded research project “PREFIGURE - Prototypes for addressing the housing-energy-nexus”, which is coordinated by the Institute for Regional Science (IfR) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and the research project “Net Zero Cities” coordinated by the Research Institute for Technology Assessment and System Analysis (ITAS). Both projects investigate housing energy upgrades and the renovation of the housing stock aiming at accelerating the green transition. “Net Zero Cities” focuses mainly on financial innovations in housing energy upgrades, while “PREFIGURE” examines political, economic and social innovations that address the energy poverty of vulnerable

Your workplace will be at the Institute of Regional Science and the Institute of Technology Assessment (ITAS). We promote co-operation with international research institutions and close exchange with other researchers (particularly with the partners of the PREFIGURE project) and support horizontal ways of working. We finance travel and participation in international and national workshops and conferences. You will be given the opportunity to creatively develop ground-breaking ideas and independent project proposals.

Your tasks:

• You will develop a critical and comprehensive in the field of climate finance and green transition in the housing sector, with a particular focus on Germany and the Upper Rhine Valley.
• You will conduct and analyse own empirical research in the two projects.
• You will present research results at national and international conferences.
• You will publish empirical results in peer-reviewed international journals in sole and co-authorship.
• You will support the conception and attraction of national and international funding initiatives and independently acquire third-party funding.
• You will conduct teaching in our Master programme in Region Science/Spatial Planning of up to one course per semester.
• You will actively partake in relevant academic networks at regional, national and international.

Personal qualification

• You should have an interdisciplinary educational background (Master) with a Doctoral Degree in a relevant field for the proposed research (e.g. Human Geography, Urban Studies, Political Economy, (Ecological) Economics, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Ecology); with a specific scientific focus on economic geography or urban political economy.
• You have strong competences and knowledge of literatures on urban studies, housing financialisation, assetisation, energy poverty, social and climate justice.
• You have competences in mixed methods, with expertise in qualitative methods.
• You are experienced in attracting third party funding.
• You have a publication record at international peer-reviewed journals.
• You work independently, are target-oriented and like teamwork.
• You are a talented communicator, have excellent written and spoken English language skills and are fluent in German language.

Become a member of staff of the only German University of Excellence that conducts large-scale research on the national level. Work under excellent working conditions in an international environment and be active in research and academic education for our future. Benefit from specific training when starting your job and from a wide range of further qualification offers. Use our flexible working time models (flexitime, work from home), our sports and leisure offers, as well as our child and holiday care services. We also pay a share of EUR 25/month in the Job Ticket Baden-Württemberg. Enjoy a large variety of dishes, snacks, and beverages at our canteens.

We prefer to balance the number of employees (F/M/D). Therefore we kindly ask female applicants to apply for this job.

Recognized severely disabled persons will be preferred if they are equally qualified.

Please send your complete application documents in a single PDF document by e-mail until January 31, 2024 quoting the vacancy number 2330/2023 and the reference “PREFIGURE” to the secretariat of the Institute of Regional Science (Irma Diegmann / Eveline Puchstein): [email protected] .

Your application should include a curriculum vitae including a list of presentations and publications, a motivation statement relating to the position (max. two pages), degree transcripts and a maximum of two publications demonstrating your previous expertise. The application can be submitted in English or in German.

For further information, please contact Prof. Dr. Michael Janoschka, e-mail: [email protected]  or Dr. Georgia Alexandri, e-mail: [email protected] .

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You can find further information on the internet: www.kit.edu

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