PhD Position GreenCare4Health. Green Interventions for Heat-Resilience: Design and Evaluation

TL;DR

PhD Position GreenCare4Health (Green Interventions for Heat-Resilience): Co-designing and evaluating green interventions to mitigate urban heat risks in dense socially vulnerable areas with an accent on microclimate performance, health outcomes, and community stewardship. Focus on developing and testing Health-Heat toolkit through Urban Living Labs in Netherlands and Brazil school communities.

Location: hirify.global, Netherlands. Willingness to conduct extended research visits (at least 3 months) to Brazil required. Relocation support to the Netherlands available.

Salary: €3059–€3881 gross per month (increasing yearly), plus holiday allowance and end-of-year bonus.

Company

Top international university combining science, engineering, and design to address global challenges in climate, health, and urban environments.

What you will do

• Co-design green interventions for school yards as "green commons" using participatory methods.
• Develop and refine Health-Heat (HH) toolkit with spatial design guidelines and evaluation metrics.
• Conduct multidimensional evaluations of microclimate, health, wellbeing, use patterns, and stewardship.
• Test interventions in Urban Living Labs in Netherlands and Brazil (including 3+ months in São Paulo).
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary team on evidence-based, context-sensitive design solutions.
• Shape your PhD trajectory, contribute to academic outputs, and engage societal partners.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Urbanism, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, or related field.
• Demonstrated experience or strong interest in collaborative projects, co-design, participatory methods, or Urban Living Labs.
• Proficiency in spatial modeling and/or microclimate analysis tools (e.g., ENVI-met, GIS).
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.
• Willingness to conduct extended research visits to Brazil.
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary, international team.

Nice to have

• Previous academic experience (e.g., research projects, publications).
• Affinity with Global South contexts.
• Working knowledge of Portuguese (for Brazil) and Dutch.
• Experience with health-related urban research or environmental psychology.

Culture & Benefits

• 4-year employment (initial 1.5-year contract + 2.5-year extension after assessment).
• Customisable compensation package, health insurance discounts, monthly work costs contribution.
• Flexible work schedules, enrollment in hirify.global Graduate School with research skills development.
• Strong focus on diversity, inclusion, and work-life balance.
• Relocation support via Coming to Delft Service, including events and Dual Career Programme for partners.

Hiring process

• Apply by May 29, 2026: CV, motivation letter, MSc thesis, transcripts, 2 references.
• Interviews on June 22, 2026; possible follow-up technical interview or assignment.
• Knowledge security risk assessment; English proficiency required for PhD.