Research Associate (f_m_x) - Political and Social Sciences, Spatial and Planning Sciences - LINK URBAN DIGITAL TWINNING

GFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung

The Research Institute for Sustainability at GFZ (RIFS) conducts research with the aim of investigating, identifying, and advancing development pathways for transformation processes towards sustainability in Germany and abroad. The institute was founded in 2009 as the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) and has been affiliated with the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences under its new name since the 1st of January 2023 and is thus part of the Helmholtz Association. For our research group on Regional Sustainability Transformations, we are looking for a:

Research Associate (f_m_x) - Political and Social Sciences, Spatial and Planning Sciences - LINK URBAN DIGITAL TWINNING

Reference Number 10876

The successful candidate will contribute to the joint research project LINK Urban Digital Twinning (LINKUDT), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under the programme Planning Acceleration for Climate Adaptation through Urban Digital Twins (UDT) (Planungsbeschleunigung für die Klimaanpassung mit Urbanen Digitalen Zwillingen, UDZ)
The project develops and tests Urban Digital Twins as tools for climate adaptation and sustainable urban development, with a particular focus on digital sovereignty, interoperable data infrastructures, and participatory and transdisciplinary approaches.
Project partners include, among others, TU Dresden, 52 ?North, and the nexus Institute. The RIFS sub-project assumes a central role in accompanying research: it reviews the international state of research, identifies key stakeholders, accompanies living labs through dialogue, organises exchange and networking formats (workshops, discussion fora, working meetings), and prepares outputs for knowledge transfer – including policy recommendations, policy papers, and a publicly accessible results repository. We are seeking a motivated researcher with expertise in participation and engagement research, particularly in the context of climate adaptation and digital planning tools. The successful candidate will work closely with project partners, support the co-creative development of recommendations and publications, and contribute to the design and implementation of exchange, training, and dissemination activities.
In addition to a social science perspective, the project integrates governance, transformation, and data infrastructure approaches; openness to fundamental questions of geoinformation and Urban Digital Twins is desirable. Your responsibilities:

• Systematic review and synthesis of the international research landscape on Urban Digital Twins (UDTs) in the context of climate adaptation – focusing on governance, data sovereignty, data infrastructures, and networking strategies
• Identification of key stakeholders (administration, politics, civil society, science, business) in the project regions and analysis of their roles, needs, and interfaces for future collaboration
• Accompanying research in living labs: planning and conducting interviews, surveys, and, where appropriate, participant observation; deriving success factors and challenges for UDT diffusion
• Contribution to exchange and networking formats: conceptual and methodological support for on-site workshops, discussion fora, and working meetings, including moderation, documentation, and follow-up
• Support in developing and maintaining a digital knowledge and exchange platform, and contributing to training materials for municipal and regional stakeholders
• Independent conception, execution, and analysis of scientific studies; (co-)authoring concept papers and policy briefs with concrete recommendations for action
• Science communication: writing articles and giving presentations; contributing to newsletters, the project website, and other transfer products; representing the consortium at conferences and public events
• Cross-project collaboration: participating in coordination and dissemination tasks across work packages, steering committee meetings, and reporting activities

Your qualifications:

• Excellent university degree (MA/MSc) in political or social sciences, sociology, or related disciplines, especially communication, spatial or planning sciences, geography, or socioinformatics; a PhD is an advantage
• Sound knowledge of participation and engagement research; ideally experience with participatory approaches to climate adaptation/urban development or with digital planning tools
• Practical experience in designing and moderating co-design or participation formats and in stakeholder collaboration; strong command of qualitative methods (e.g. interviews, focus groups, document analysis)
• Proven experience in producing academic publications and transfer outputs (policy briefs, guidelines, recommendations, contributions for practitioners and the public).
• Fluent German and excellent English (spoken and written)
• High level of initiative, creativity, and organisational skills; team-oriented, yet independent and structured working style.
• Strong intercultural sensitivity and diversity competence; ability to communicate effectively with administration, civil society, academia, and business.

• Strong interest in transdisciplinary collaboration and enthusiasm for working across scales – between local and (trans-)national perspectives, and between individual and societal levels
• Desirable: Competence in empowerment and civic participation, basic understanding of municipal data and governance structures (e.g. open data, data ethics/sovereignty), and experience with collaborative working and visualisation tools

What we offer:

• Ambitious and varied tasks in a dynamic and international research environment
• State-of-the-art equipment
• Public service benefits
• Extensive training opportunities
• Professional career advice offered by our in-house Career-Centre
• Flexible working hours and conditions
• Support with finding a good work-life balance offered by benefit@work
• Institute day-care centre on site