Postdoctoral Research Associate: Liveable Futures: Climate Change and Socio-Cultural Transformations after Progress, National Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Spain

Post title: Postdoctoral Research Associate
Faculty: Institute for Language, Literature and Anthropology
Institution: National Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
Grade: FC2-FC4.
Reports to: Dr Martin Savransky (Principal Investigator and Distinguished Research Fellow)
EoIs Deadline: 5th September 2025, 5pm CET.

Process

This is an invitation to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) ahead of a formal application process scheduled for the Autumn. As part of the EoI stage Informal interviews will be held in mid-September 2025 to help shortlist candidates. This is an informal process to enable interested candidates to reach out to the research team. While it is not necessary to submit an EoI in order to make a formal job application, those shortlisted at the EoI stage will receive guidance and advice throughout the formal application process to ensure they are well-prepared to navigate its requirements.

About the Role

We’re inviting expressions of interest (EoIs) for potential applications to a 3-year (36 months in the first instance), full-time (100%) position as Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) as part of the interdisciplinary project “Liveable Futures: Climate Change and Socio-Cultural Transformations after Progress” (ATR2024-154966), to start in January 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The post will be based in the research team of Dr Martin Savransky (Principal Investigator), hosted by the Institute of Language, Literature and Anthropology at CSIC (Madrid, Spain). Focusing on the case of a small coastal community in Wales (UK) that has been threatened with “decommissioning” due to its extreme vulnerability to climate-induced catastrophic flooding, the aim of this interdisciplinary project is to interrogate and conceptualise how societies affected by climate change can envisage and enact liveable futures after progress.

Under the direction of the Principal Investigator, and working closely with other project team members and associates, the PDRA will be responsible for conducting in-depth ethnographic fieldwork in Wales for extended periods of time and help to develop and implement the academic, theoretical, and community-focused components of the project. Responsibilities of The PDRA position include, but are not limited to:

• Development and implementation of a case study in Fairbourne, Wales, using ethnographic, oral history, and qualitative case study methods to understand the “decommissioning” plan for Fairbourne, and to gain original insights into its sociocultural, economic, and political consequences for the residents and the wider community.
• Fieldwork duties, including: cultivating and maintain relations with key informants, gateway contacts, and local stakeholders; develop interview scripts; recruit, organize, and conduct oral history interviews with participants; collect and organize primary and secondary documents (including policy and media documents) and relevant case study materials; attend public meetings and assemblies; record and manage fieldnotes, metadata, photographs, and other project data; organize and archive data, consent forms, and ethics paperwork in line with project and CSIC’s policies; and deliver periodic presentations and written fieldwork reports to the Principal Investigator and team.
• Design and implementation of relevant speculative research-creation methodology for engaging the community in devising alternative futures.

Other responsibilities will include actively assisting the PI in project management tasks; active participation and leadership in team-based workshops (data analysis, writing outputs, liveable futures network meetings; and project planning); travel and managing travel logistics; delivering academic presentations at scientific conferences; and project talks to the public. The PDRA is expected to deliver and/or significantly contribute toward an average of three written outputs (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles) per year.

Applicants must have a PhD at the time of application, considerable fieldwork and primary data collection experience, as well as a strong theoretical grounding in cultural anthropology, urban political ecology, environmental humanities, environmental geography, STS, and/or other relevant interdisciplinary field(s). The candidate will also have excellent English language skills and ideally a working knowledge of Spanish. Ideally, the candidate will also have a track record of working with difficult societal topics or marginalized populations, a keen interest in social and environmental justice, and a demonstrable commitment to theoretically informed, empirical research. The right to spend extended periods of time in the UK would be an advantage.

The role will suit a self-motivated and reflexive learner who enjoys working with people, who can balance the advancement of social theory through empirically grounded research, and who seeks to advance transformative research. Further, the post will be suitable for someone who can manage international travel (for significant stretches of time) and who enjoys working with diverse stakeholders.

This is a full-time position, with a salary ranging from 38,682€ to 47,164€ per annum, depending on years of postdoctoral experience.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD in anthropology, human geography, sociology, or a cognate discipline in the social sciences /humanities;
2. Working proficiency in English
3. Demonstrable knowledge of critical approaches to climate change, critical resilience and adaptation, environmental humanities, and/or urban political ecology; demonstrable interest and knowledge of critical social theory.
4. Experience in conducting independent fieldwork and methods of qualitative data collection and analysis using a case study design;
5. Proven ability to build and manage relationships with research participants and/or community stakeholders in international and diverse community settings;
6. Excellent written and oral communication skills, to a diverse set of audiences;
7. Proven ability to work effectively independently and collaboratively in team settings;
8. Proven project management experience;
9. Track record in publishing peer-reviewed outputs; experience in co-authoring and/or leading research outputs.

Desirable criteria

1. Expertise in working with sensitive societal topics and/or marginalized populations;
2. Working proficiency in Spanish;
3. Possessing the right to spend extended periods of time (>6 months) in the UK;
4. Evidence of stakeholder engagement beyond academia, such as work with NGOs, policymakers, local governments, or grassroots organisations;
5. Demonstrated ability to navigate ethical challenges in research involving marginalised populations, including knowledge of safeguarding, informed consent, and data protection; Familiarity with institutional and national ethical frameworks and navigating research governance in international contexts;
6. Experience in speaking, writing, and communicating findings and outputs accessible to non-experts and/or the general public (e.g., policy briefs, public engagement, media, exhibitions);
7. Experience of conducting research using speculative, inventive and visual research methodologies.

How to Submit an EoI

International candidates are welcome to apply. We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement (2 page maximum), detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert, as well as the desirable criteria where relevant.

Informal inquiries can be addressed to Dr Martin Savransky (savransky.martin@gmail.com)

EoIs Deadline: 5th September 2025, 5pm CET