IIASA's Greenhouse Gas Initiative (GGI) is offering a position as a research scholar to further develop – in an interdisciplinary team – the Policy Assessment Framework, an integrated modeling framework to analyze international climate policy approaches.

Background

IIASA's Greenhouse Gas Initiative (GGI) is an interdisciplinary activity focusing on climate change, its anthropogenic driving forces, and possible response strategies. The GGI involves a substantial institutional investment of resources, including the participation of eight IIASA programs, and is envisioned as a long-term undertaking. Principal research activities include the development of long-term, global scenarios; the assessment of near to medium-term mitigation and adaptation opportunities for specific countries; and the development of the Policy Assessment Framework, which is designed to bridge the gap between national and global, as well between medium-term and long-term perspectives. Recent activities of GGI are documented on the GGI webpage.

Tasks

• The incumbent will contribute to the further development of the Policy Assessment Framework, in particular the linking of two large-scale bottom-up models (MESSAGE and GAINS) that have been developed at IIASA.
• Specific tasks include the refinement of existing methodologies for model linkage; development of new long-term energy and emission scenarios on the basis of short-term projections for selected world regions; development and modeling of novel approaches to bilateral and multilateral approaches to address climate change; assessment of interactions with other relevant policies, such as energy security and air pollution.
• The incumbent will contribute to the documentation and publication of relevant results in research reports and peer-reviewed journals.
• Close interaction with other GGI team members from various disciplinary backgrounds and different IIASA Programs will be essential.

Profile

• Preferably an advanced degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) in economics, policy, energy engineering/economics or a related field
• Strong proven analytical skills, including experience with bottom-up modeling and optimization methods
• Practical experience and understanding of international climate policy issues
• A good command of the English language
• Programming skills
• Knowledge of GAMS is an asset

Appointment Terms

The successful candidate will be offered an initial fixed-term contract for one year (beginning January 2007) with the possibility of extension. The salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. It is exempt from taxation in Austria, but subject to the principle of income aggregation. The appointment includes moving and settlement allowances.

Preference will be given to applicants who are nationals of IIASA member countries.

The Institute’s management and staff alike are committed to a working environment that promotes equality, diversity, and tolerance. The Institute encourages applications from all qualified candidates.

Applications

To apply send a cover letter, resume, two recent examples of research work, plus names, addresses (including e-mail), telephone and fax numbers of two work-related references to:
Walter Foith, Head of Human Resources
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Fax: (+43) 2236/713-13
E-mail: foithw@iiasa.ac.at

Closing date for applications: 30 November 2006.
Review of applications will begin immediately.

For further information about this initiative, please contact the GGI Scientific Coordinator Dr. Fabian Wagner; or Initiative Leaders, Dr. Markus Amann, Dr. Nebojsa Nakicenovic and Dr. Brian O’Neill. IIASA Fax: +43 2236 71313.

For general information about our Institute and its research activities, please visit our IIASA Web site.

Responsible for this page: John Clark
Last updated: 11 Oct 2006