IRD ((French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development) is looking to recruit an early career postdoctoral researcher to study future heat extremes in a suite of climate model simulations. The researcher will derive a range of environmental heat stress indicators to identify and catalogue instances where thresholds deemed dangerous or lethal to human health are crossed, and investigate whether the limits of human habitability due to heat will be exceeded in the future.

The postdoctoral position is based at IRD’s ESPACE-dev in Montpellier, France. The postdoc will be supervised by researchers from IRD’s ESPACE-dev and the UK Met Office. The position is part of the EU funded Horizon Europe project TipESM – “Exploring Tipping Points and Their Impacts Using Earth System Models” that focuses on understanding climate tipping points in the Earth system and their potential impacts on society. This task will focus on investigating the crossing of dangerous heat stress thresholds in a range of climate model simulations produced by the TipESM project. The postdoc will have opportunities to work in close collaboration with other project partners and attend general assemblies and specific project meetings. Short stays at the UK Met Office will also be possible.   

IRD is a multidisciplinary public research organization that, for nearly 80 years, has been committed to research partnerships with countries across the Global South. Its priorities are aligned with the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ESPACE-dev unit, where the project is hosted, focuses on data sciences, remote sensing, climate and environmental research.

What we are looking for:

• A PhD in climate science or a related field.
• Excellent quantitative skills and extensive experience in analyzing large datasets.
• Demonstrated competence in computer programming and proficiency in languages such as Python, MATLAB, CDO, NCL, and/or R.
• Experience with numerical climate modelling is highly desirable.
• Experience with heat stress indicators or occupational health is an advantage.

The position includes:

• 32 days of annual leave + 13 RTT (for a full-time position of 38.5 hours per week)
• Meal vouchers OR on-site cafeteria (depending on the location)

The responsibilities associated with this position are compatible with teleworking, IRD offers the possibility of teleworking 1 to 3 days per week. 

The successful candidate should ideally be able to start the position in January 2026.

For more questions about the position, contact ivana.cvijanovic@ird.fr.

To apply, please upload your CV, cover letter and contact details of two professional references, using the IRD job portal:

https://emploi-recrutement.ird.fr/job/emploi-chercheur-projet-tipesm-f-h_585.aspx?LCID=2057