PhD in 'Climate-related health impacts on children'

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike. 

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located. 

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again. 

2 - Position description

We are looking for a PhD candidate in climate science to contribute to the improved attribution and projection of climate-related child health risks in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions. This PhD position is part of the EU-funded CLIMES project.

The bclimate group of the Department of Water & Climate is looking for a motivated PhD candidate in climate science to contribute to the improved attribution and projection of climate-related child health risks in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions. This PhD position is part of the EU-funded CLIMES project.

Key words: child health, impact attribution, climate change, earth system modelling, environmental epidemiology, doctoral networks.

Climate change poses growing risks to child health, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where exposure to extreme heat and climate variability is high, and health systems are often vulnerable. However, region-specific exposure-response relationships for children are scarce, and most existing climate-health assessments do not capture the influence of sub-daily meteorological variability, which is crucial for understanding heat-related impacts. This PhD project aims to quantify the effects of climate variability and change on child health outcomes across Sub-Saharan Africa by combining epidemiological data analysis with advanced Earth system modelling. The research will involve running the Community Earth System Model (CESM) under past and future climates.

As part of the CLIMES Doctoral Network, you will be hired along a leading cohort of early-career researchers studying different aspects of impacts of climate extremes in Europe, from public health to societal perspectives and agricultural impacts, and will have access to a rich program of training activities and research exchanges. These are designed to enhance your career prospects in both academia and the private sector, integrating knowledge from climate science, data science, risk assessment, and the social sciences. You will also be affiliated to the Swedish Centre for Impacts of Climate Extremes. You will be based at VUB, and supervised by Prof. Wim Thiery, but as part of your duties, you will be required to complete two in-person international secondments at WASCAL (West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, Ghana) and ISGLOBAL (Fundación Privada Instituto de Salud Global Barcelona, Spain).

For more questions about the project or the position, please contact us at bclimate_admin@vub.be.

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base. 

3 - Profile

What do we expect from you?

• MSc degree in climate science, environmental science/engineering, geography, hydrology, physics, statistics, applied math, computer science, or in a related field

• By the start of the PhD, you hold an MSc degree in climate science, environmental science/engineering, geography, hydrology, physics, statistics, applied math, computer science, or in a related field;
• You have a strong interest for climate science and human health;
• You have experience in working with large datasets, and skills in quantitative analysis;
• You have experience in programming, for instance in Python (ideally), R, or Matlab; 
• You have a good knowledge of written and spoken English;
• You are eager to communicate your scientific results to fellow scientists and the public;
• You have a creative personality, who enjoys solving technical and scientific challenges;
• You are curiosity-driven, reliable, and enjoy working in an international and collaborative research environment.

• You have not performed any works in the execution of a mandate as an assistant, paid from operating resources, over a total (cumulated) period of more than 12 months.

• As a (non-)EEA national, meet the conditions for obtaining a valid permit for VUB and comply with the VUB residence requirements. More info here.

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

4 - Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

You’ll be offered a full-time PhD-scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities), with planned starting date 01/09/2026. The starting date of the position is flexible, but ideally somewhere around September 2026.

This concerns a position at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels, Belgium), in the department of Water and Climate (bclimate research group, led by Prof. Dr. Wim Thiery), in a dynamic and international environment. Find all the information on VUB’s work environment here. Furthermore, you will have international collaborations with partners of the CLIMES project, training events and fully funded secondments.

You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government.

IMPORTANT: The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to the condition precedent of your enrolment as a doctorate student at the university.

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike; 
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in  all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques; 
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps; 
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
• And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.

5 - Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?

Then apply, at the latest on 22/03/2026, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:

• your motivation letter in English (max. 1 page);
• your CV (including your experience in different programming languages);
• your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni)
• optional: your latest transcript of records.

Our application process is as follows (subject to change):

• step 1: an initial selection based on your application file late March/early April; 
• step 2: a job interview late April.

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Wim Thiery at wim.thiery@vub.be.

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.