PhD Position on Strengthening Mortgage Portfolio Resilience to Physical Climate Risks

Join our TU Delft team to explore how physical climate risks reshape house prices and ripple into mortgage portfolios, and help make homeowners and lenders more resilient to climate hazards.

Background

Real estate is a key foundation of global wealth and has long been viewed as a safe asset. For most people, buying a home is the largest financial investment of their lifetime. Physical climate risks such as floods, droughts, storms, and wildfires, challenge that assumption. Conventional, backward-looking climate risk assessments capture direct damages but overlook indirect effects such as value depreciation and asset stranding. In a climate-affected future, the value of exposed properties may structurally change, challenging the financial health of both homeowners and the financial sector that holds their mortgages.

Job description

This fully funded 4-year PhD project asks whether, where and when local property damage from physical climate risks systematically harms homeowners (micro level) and could scale up into portfolio-wide mortgage defaults for lenders (macro level). The empirical focus is the Netherlands, with two concrete hazards: flooding and drought-induced foundation damage to homes. Focusing on diverse ‘climate risk owners’, this PhD project will explore how different risk mitigation instruments help reduce inequalities and overall damages.

Methodologically, the project will rely on spatially-explicit computational Agent-Based Models (ABMs) of housing markets, combined with stakeholder workshops and a survey. Leveraging on existing models (like the RHEA ABM, Bank of England ABM), you will design and advance ABMs that combine climate projections (e.g., KNMI, PBL, Klimaateffectatlas) with behavioural and market dynamics, and use them to assess the climate-mortgage-property value nexus. The aim is to trace how shifting perceptions of physical climate risk work their way into property values, and onward into the financial position of homeowners and lenders, and to weigh the strategies that could strengthen resilience on both sides. This modelling is complemented by statistical and econometric data analysis, engagement with relevant stakeholders, and a tailored homeowners survey.

You will be based at TU Delft at the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, within the Multi-Actor Systems department, working closely with Prof. Tatiana Filatova and Dr. Theodoros Chatzivasileiadis research group on systemic climate risk in complex adaptive economies. Wider collaboration with the TU Delft Faculty of Architecture, and Delft Climate Action Program is foreseen. You will join a multidisciplinary team spanning computational modelling, behavioural research and climate-risk analysis, and engage directly with stakeholders from the financial sector and public institutions. Positioned at the interface of climate finance and agent-based modelling, your work will have a clear path to real-world impact on how climate risks are priced and managed in mortgage lending.

Job requirements

A successful candidate will have:

• demonstrable prior experience with agent-based modelling (ABM). This is a core requirement for the position.
• an 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.
• the ability to work with spatial data/GIS (an asset).
• domain interest in housing and mortgage markets, climate-risk pricing, financial stability, or coupled social–environmental systems (an advantage).
• willingness to engage with financial-sector and policy stakeholders, and to contribute to survey design.
• solid problem-solving skills and the capacity to take initiative.
• fluent written and spoken English.

For more details, please check the Graduate School admission requirements: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/education/programmes/phd/admission. Dutch is not obligatory; TU Delft offers opportunities to learn the language if desired.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Technology, Policy and Management

The Faculty of TPM provides an important contribution to solving complex technical-social issues, such as energy transition, mobility, digitalisation, water management and (cyber) security. TPM does this with its excellent education and research at the intersection of technology, society and policy. We combine insights from both engineering and social sciences as well as the humanities. TPM develops robust models and designs, is internationally oriented and has an extensive network of knowledge institutions, companies, social organisations and governments.

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Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €3059 - €3881 gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information

The first interviews will commence from June 26 and continue thereafter. For more information about this position, please contact: Prof Dr. T.Filatova, e-mail: t.filatova@tudelft.nl, web: https://www.sc3.center/

Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 28 June 2026 upload the following documents:

• Your motivation letter.
• Your CV.
• A list of publications or software outputs (if applicable).
• In addition please provide the names and contact information of at least two relevant references. We will not contact these references without your consent.

You can address your application to Prof Dr. T.Filatova.

Please only use the online system to apply, applications sent by email will not be considered. Application written by LLMs will not be considered.

We will contact shortlisted candidates for a two-stage interview process. First round interviews will be held in early July. The project is expected to start in early autumn 2026.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology. The assessment is based on information provided by the candidates themselves, such as their motivation letter and CV, and takes place at the final stages of the selection process. When the outcome of the assessment is negative, the candidate will be informed. The processing of personal data in the context of the risk assessment is carried out on the legal basis of the GDPR: performing a public task in the public interest. You can find more information about this assessment on our website about knowledge security.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.