Postdoc (f/m/x) Future Flood Risk Assessment under Climate and Socioeconomic Change

The UFZ

The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) is a world-leading institution in environmental research and a member of the Helmholtz Association, Germany’s largest scientific organisation. With approximately 1,200 employees across Leipzig, Halle, and Magdeburg, we have been conducting research since 1991 using a transdisciplinary approach to address the most pressing challenges of our time: biodiversity loss, climate change, and environmental pollution. Our goal is to translate excellent research into practical solutions for policymakers, business, and society, and to serve as a reliable partner in supporting transformation processes toward a sustainable and just future for current and future generations. We foster a culture of collaboration, openness, and diversity within a work environment that actively promotes creativity and personal development.

The job

We are looking for an expert in flood risk modelling and scenario analysis to join a new research project on future flood risk assessment in Saxony-Anhalt, funded by the State Ministry for the Environment (MWU).

Saxony-Anhalt is one of the German federal states particularly affected by flood risks. The river basins of the Elbe and Saale, with their numerous tributaries, shape large parts of the state and determine both the spatial distribution of flood hazard and the requirements for technical and precautionary flood protection. The flood events of 2002, 2011, and 2013 demonstrated that even in a comparatively well-developed flood protection system, significant damages can occur when exceptional hydrological events coincide with high exposure of critical infrastructures, settlements, and agricultural land.

In recent years, Saxony-Anhalt has implemented extensive measures for technical flood protection, hazard and risk prevention, and spatial planning. However, looking ahead to the coming decades, the central question remains open: how can future-proof flood risk management be designed under changing climatic, demographic, and socioeconomic conditions? In particular, the time horizon up to 2050 requires an integrative perspective, as not only the hazard potential from changing precipitation and runoff regimes may evolve, but also the exposure and vulnerability of populations, assets, and infrastructure.

As an expert in flood risk modelling, you will play a central role in developing a flexible, machine learning-based method to estimate future flood risk in Saxony-Anhalt based on projected climate changes and demographic and socioeconomic development scenarios. The project will create a spatially differentiated, scenario-based foundation to identify, for the period up to 2050+, those regions, catchments, and protected assets where flood risks are expected to increase most strongly or where they can be effectively limited through targeted adaptation measures. The results will serve as a scientific decision-making basis for the state's strategic planning, municipal adaptation concepts, and the prioritization of protective and precautionary measures.

You will work closely with colleagues from hydrology, and social science, as well as with key stakeholders from state authorities. This position is ideal for candidates who enjoy developing and applying innovative modelling approaches that bridge advanced scientific methods with real-world flood risk management needs.

Your tasks

Working closely with the project leader, team members, and project partners, you will:

• Develop a machine learning-based emulator approach to estimate flood damage potential under changing climatic and socioeconomic conditions, based on existing flood hazard maps,
• Integrate climate projections from hydrologic model simulations for different warming levels to derive future runoff scenarios for Saxony-Anhalt,
• Combine demographic projections and socioeconomic scenarios with spatially explicit asset data (BEAM dataset) to model future exposure and vulnerability,
• Produce spatially differentiated flood risk scenarios for Saxony-Anhalt up to 2050+, including comprehensive uncertainty analysis across climate, demographic, and socioeconomic dimensions,
• Derive actionable recommendations for strategic state planning, municipal adaptation concepts, and prioritization of flood protection measures in close coordination with MWU and
• Contribute to publications in high-quality scientific journals and present results at conferences and stakeholder workshops.

We offer

• The freedom to master even the most demanding challenges between basic research and practical application
• The chance to work in interdisciplinary, international teams and benefit from a variety of perspectives
• Firstclass integration into national and international research networks to work together on global challenges
• Excellent research infrastructure and research data management to optimally support your work
• Flexible working hours and a wide range of options for balancing work and care responsibilities through our family office
• Competent support and advice for international colleagues arriving at the UFZ from the 'International Office'
• Special annual payment, capital-forming benefits and subsidised Germany Job Ticket
• A workplace in a vibrant region with a high life quality and social and cultural diversity

Your profile

• Completed university degree (Master’s, Diploma, or Doctorate) in environmental science, water science, or a closely related field in the natural or social sciences
• Strong knowledge of flood risk assessment, including hazard, exposure, and vulnerability analysis at the catchment scale
• Sound experience in applying hydrological and hydraulic modelling approaches, including machine learning methods
• Excellent programming skills, preferably in R or Python Fortran
• Strong interest in integrated flood risk management and in addressing real-world stakeholder needs through scientific work
• Ability to work in a team, excellent communication skills, and strong scientific writing skills
• Very good command of English; German is an advantage
• Motivation to contribute to a solution-oriented initiative shaping the future of flood risk management in Saxony-Anhalt and beyond