Postdoc in Urban Climate Morphology Delft University of Technology in Netherlands

Postdoc in Urban Climate Morphology at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

This postdoctoral position sits within the CROSS-PED project (Cross-scale Passive Cooling Strategies for Positive Energy Districts), an international collaboration focused on making cities more climate-resilient through scalable passive cooling strategies. The role is based at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at TU Delft in the Netherlands.

The postdoc will develop and apply data-driven methods to identify cross-scale urban archetypes, from building façades and individual buildings to neighbourhood configurations. The work combines urban morphology, GIS, spatial data integration, statistical analysis, clustering and unsupervised classification to create transferable methods for comparing urban types across contexts. The researcher will work with datasets from The Hague, Bari and Bucharest, with a particular focus on building stock from 1980 to 2000.

The project links urban form to microclimate and energy performance. Responsibilities include quantitative morphological analysis, microclimatic modelling, and the assessment of thermal performance, including solar radiation, wind flows and urban heat island effects. The outputs are expected to support building- and district-scale energy assessments and the development of context-sensitive cooling strategies.

The position also includes collaboration through Urban Living Labs, where the researcher will engage with municipalities, professionals and citizens to co-create and evaluate cooling solutions. The successful candidate will work within an interdisciplinary consortium of European universities and municipalities and will contribute to datasets, publications, design guidelines and international project activities.

Eligibility highlights: a PhD in Urbanism, Urban Geography, Geoinformatics, Environmental Engineering, Urban Climate or a related discipline; advanced GIS and spatial data processing skills; experience with Python and/or R; experience in microclimatic modelling and quantitative urban analysis; and strong English communication skills. Experience with passive cooling, building energy assessment, participatory research or Urban Living Labs is an advantage. Dutch is helpful but not required.

Funding and conditions: This is a 32-month temporary full-time postdoc position (36–40 hours/week), with salary on Scale 10 of the CAO for Dutch Universities: €3706–€5760 gross per month for a full-time 38-hour contract, plus 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus. Additional benefits include pension coverage, leave entitlement, training opportunities, and relocation support.

Application deadline: 30 November 2026. The intended start date is March 2027, with some flexibility.