PhD Position on Strengthening Mortgage Portfolio Resilience to Physical Climate Risks

TL;DR

PhD Position on Strengthening Mortgage Portfolio Resilience to Physical Climate Risks: Building spatially-explicit computational Agent-Based Models (ABMs) of housing markets to study how physical climate hazards affect property values and scale into mortgage portfolio defaults, with an accent on flooding and drought-induced foundation damage. Focus on integrating climate projections with behavioural and market dynamics, and solving the climate–mortgage–property value nexus using statistical/econometric analysis and stakeholder engagement.

Location: hirify.global (Netherlands)

Salary: €3059 - €3881 gross per month

Company

hirify.global is an international technical university delivering research and innovation across science, engineering, and design.

What you will do

• Design and advance agent-based models (ABMs) of housing markets to assess how physical climate risks impact homeowners and mortgage lenders.
• Integrate climate projections (e.g., KNMI, PBL, Klimaateffectatlas) with behavioural and market dynamics in spatially-explicit ABMs.
• Use the models to trace how perceptions of physical climate risk propagate into property values and financial positions.
• Evaluate mitigation instruments to reduce inequalities and overall damages across different climate risk “owners”.
• Complement modelling with statistical and econometric data analysis, stakeholder workshops, and a tailored homeowners survey.
• Collaborate with hirify.global research groups and engage with financial-sector and public-institution stakeholders.

Requirements

• Demonstrable prior experience with agent-based modelling (ABM) (core requirement).
• MSc in Economics, Spatial/Environmental/Financial Economics, Computational Science, Complex Systems, Geography, Engineering & Policy Analysis, or a closely related field.
• Strong programming skills in a scientific language (Python, Julia, etc.).
• Experience with statistical and/or econometric data analysis.
• Ability to work with spatial data/GIS (asset).
• Fluent written and spoken English.

Culture & Benefits

• Fully funded 4-year PhD project with employment in principle, offered via 2 employment contracts (1.5 years with a go/no go assessment, then 2.5 years).
• Salary and benefits follow the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, including 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• Enrollment in the hirify.global Graduate School with supervisors, academic staff, and a mentor.
• Customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution; flexible work schedules can be arranged.
• Relocation support for moving to the Netherlands, including events and a Dual Career Programme for accompanying partners.

Hiring process

• Interviews start from June 26 and continue thereafter; shortlisted candidates complete a two-stage interview process.
• First-round interviews are held in early July; the project is expected to start in early autumn 2026.
• Application requires a motivation letter, CV, and a list of publications/software outputs (if applicable), plus at least two references.