The newly established interdisciplinary research group „ReSpace! Connected Response-able Spaces and Infrastructures for Sustainable Living“ is a cutting-edge initiative at Technische Universität Braunschweig, bringing together an interdisciplinary team dedicated to investigating, designing, imagining and narrating sustainable spatial responses to the challenges of climate change. ReSpace! will focus sustainable communal and public infrastructures for future living amid the realities of climate change. It is funded by zukunft.niedersachsen, a funding programme of the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony (MWK) and Volkswagen-Stiftung, as part of TU Braunschweig’s project „Ecoversity – Collaborative space for change“.

The aim of ReSpace! is to advance integrated knowledge and understandings of how spatial infrastructures and typologies can be conceived of or transformed in the context of climate adaptation, while also addressing resource constraints and societal demands in the complex interplay of global and local (economic) entanglements. The reasearch group will forward cross-disciplinary collaboration between architecture and urban design, the humanities, social and natural sciences, and engineering to create innovative solutions for future sustainable living in the context of climate change and resource scarcity. Partnering with actors – cities, municipalities, NGOs, non-university research institutions and industry – ReSpace! focuses not only on developing spatial role models, but also on transferring knowledge to regional and institutional stakeholders.

The cooperating research institutes of ReSpace! invite applications for one postdoctoral and several doctoral positions (m/f/d) to start on October 15, 2025. 

• The Institute for Sustainable Urbanism (Prof. Dr. Vanessa Miriam Carlow, ReSpace! speaker) has the lead in the consortium and is looking for

1. a postdoctoral researcher (m/f/d) (TV L E14, full-time position, 3 years, fixed-term, (possibly with the potential option to extend). For the position as „ReSpace! General Manager (m/f/d)“ from the fields involved (e.g. urbanism, architecture, landscape architecture, planning, or related); focus is on the overall project development and management, initiating and organizing the cooperation with stakeholders and close cooperation within the TU Braunschweig Ecoversity project, as well as strengthening the research agenda of TU Braunschweig core research area „Future City“ through contributing to publications, research proposals and projects. The position offers the opportunity for further scientific qualification.
2. a doctoral researcher (m/f/d) (TV L E13, full-time position, 3 years, fixed-term) to co-design, forward-looking robust and sustainable solutions, spatial protypes and role models for climate change adaptation within a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative research setting.
    

• The Institute for Geoecology, Department of Climatology and Environmental Meteorology (Prof. Dr. Stephan Weber) is looking for a doctoral researcher (m/f/d) (TV L E13, up to 100 %, 3 years, fixed-term) in the field of urban climate, microclimatological fieldwork and modelling. The prospective candidate should analyse trade-offs and benefits of urban blue-green-grey infrastructures in local climate change adaptation and mitigation.
   
• The Institute for Intermodal Transport and Logistics Systems (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Pannek, ReSpace! co speaker) is looking for a doctoral researcher (m/f/d) (TV L E13, full-time position, 3 years, fixed-term) in the realm of Transport-as-a-Service concepts. In particular, the candidate will cover the integration and optimization of vehicles and load units in urban transport on a strategic and disposition level.
   
• The Institute of Transportation and Urban Engineering (Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernhard Friedrich) is looking for a doctoral researcher (m/f/d) (TV L E13, full-time position, 3 years, fixed-term) in the realm of transportation focusing on policy design for sustainable systems and evaluation of economic viability, accessibility, equity, and environmental indicators through agent-based simulation.

More doctoral positions will be available e.g., at the English and American Studies (Prof. Dr. Eckart Voigts, ReSpace! co-speaker), Institute for Applied Mechanics, Dept. Data-Driven Modeling of Mechanical Systems (Prof. Dr.-Ing. Henning Wessels), Institute of Machine Tools and Production Technology (Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Herrmann) and Institute of Structural Design (Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Kloft), which will be advertised shortly.

Applicants of all nationalities are welcome. At the same time, people with severe disabilities are encouraged to apply. Applications from severely disabled persons will be given preference if they are equally qualified. Please attach a proof of disability to your application. ReSpace! is also working on the fulfilment of the Central Equality Plan based on the Lower Saxony Equal Rights Act (Niedersächsisches Gleichberechtigungs­gesetz – NGG) and strives to reduce under-representation in all areas and positions as defined by the NGG. Therefore, applications from women are particularly welcome in this case.

The full job postings can be found at www.tu-braunschweig.de/respace/opportunities

Detailed information on the scientific programme and the team of involved scholars, please see here: www.tu-braunschweig.de/respace