RESEARCH ASSISTANT for ESGAP Project – with a route to a PhD on Environmental sustainability indicators

Basque Centre for Climate Change, Leioa, Spain

The Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) is opening a competitive call for applications for one Research Assistant position to pursue a PhD on issues related to environmental sustainability indicators. The selected person will take part in different projects aimed at developing novel environmental sustainability metrics in a Beyond-GDP context based on the Environmental Sustainability Gap (ESGAP) framework.

To that end, the candidate will work with environmental and economic data to build indicators that show how far each country is from environmental sustainability, and what closing that distance would require. Specifically, the work involves extending the country coverage of the Strong Environmental Sustainability Index (SESI) - a composite indicator that measures country performance against reference values of good environmental functioning - and computing, for the first time, the Monetary Environmental Sustainability Gap (M-ESGAP) of European countries - a composite indicator that estimates the cost of achieving environmental sustainability. The research will be conducted at BC3 and in collaboration with other international research institutions such as University College London, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development.

The position is intended to lead to a doctorate. The initial two-year contract may be extended for two further years upon a positive assessment of performance. This four-year period is designed so that the selected person can develop and complete a PhD thesis. The thesis would be supervised by Arkaitz Usubiaga-Liaño (BC3) under the doctoral programme of the University of the Basque Country (EHU).

Background on the ESGAP framework:

• Usubiaga-Liaño, A. & Ekins, P. (2021), "Monitoring the environmental sustainability of countries through the strong environmental sustainability index", Ecological Indicators 132, 108281;
• Usubiaga-Liaño, A. & Ekins, P. (2021) "Time for science-based national targets for environmental sustainability: an assessment of existing metrics and the ESGAP framework", Frontiers in Environmental Science 9, 761377.

Key responsibilities

• Contribute to the tasks associated with ongoing research projects.
• Work with other team members further developing the ESGAP framework and its metrics.
• Present results at project meetings, workshops and international conferences.
• Progressively, publish peer-reviewed research in international scientific journals.

Main requirements/skills:

• The applicant should have a University Master Degree in Environmental Sciences, Earth Sciences, Biology, Geography, Environmental or Ecological Economics or similar, with a solid background in quantitative methods.
• Interest in sustainable development and sustainability monitoring frameworks, and their science-policy interface
• Interest in developing a doctoral thesis in this field
• Good interpersonal and communication skills (both written and oral) in English
• Knowledge of programming languages such as Python or R would be highly valued
• Flexibility to collaborate in existing research projects
• Desire to work in a diverse and multi-disciplinary research environment

Benefits and work environment

• Interdisciplinary and inspiring work environment.
• Quiet and spacious workspaces.
• Possibility of participating in internal training and activities of the centre.
• 35-hour work calendar.
• 30 days of vacation per year.

Term of contract

Starting in November 2026. The position will be for a period of two years with a possibility for extending it for two more years upon a positive assessment of the performance.

Salary

The position offers an annual gross salary between €20,800.00 and €22,880.00, aligned with the candidate's academic and professional experience, complemented by attractive working conditions.

As an HR Excellence-awarded institution, BC3 is committed to reconciling research and academic requirements with family responsibilities. BC3 is particularly concerned with creating equal opportunities for people regardless of sex and gender. Anyone with relevant qualifications is therefore strongly encouraged to apply for the position.

Application procedure

Fill the form below and upload ONE PDF document with the following information:

CV
Including contact details of two referees

Motivation Letter
Max 2 pages describing your research interests, qualifications for the role and motivation to apply for this position.

Please consider that only applications sent through the form included at the bottom of the BC3 web page will be considered.

Informal enquiries can be made to Arkaitz Usubiaga-Liaño noting in the subject of the message "RA: ESGAP"

Contact Arkaitz Usubiaga-Liaño ([email protected])

Contrato financiado por | Contract financed by EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT AGENCY, European Union, GRANT reference 3503/B2025/EEA.60504