Research assistant in Social-Ecological Systems and Natural Capital

Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) is a research centre for resilience and sustainable development at Stockholm University. The centre promotes scientific understanding of complex, dynamic interactions between humans and nature in the biosphere; educates the next generation of researchers and leaders in sustainable development; and collaborates with change agents who share our vision. The centre is a joint initiative of Stockholm University and the Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In total, SRC has around 160 employees. 

More information about us, please visit: Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Project description

Under current pressures of humans on the planet many ecosystems are at risk of undergoing large, abrupt and persistent changes. Examples of these “regime shifts” include the collapse of fisheries, the shift from forest to savannahs, or the melting of ice sheets. Regime shifts are difficult to predict, costly or sometimes impossible to reverse, and they often impacts the benefits people get from nature such as food or climate regulation.

This project will contribute to a global assessment of regime shifts, their causes and impacts on society by continuing the development of the Regime Shifts Database (www.regimeshifts.org). The research assistant will collaborate with an international team gathering case studies for the database and designing communication tools for stakeholder engagement.

This position offers an opportunity to engage in research with global impact. You will be part of a pioneering research initiative, the Mistra-funded research programme Finance to Revive Biodiversity (https://finbio.org/).  FinBio aims to ensure that biodiversity and nature-related risks become a key aspect of decision-making in across the financial sector, from regulation to investment decisions. 

Main responsibilities

Duties will vary depending on specific needs and activities. Tasks may include:

• Coding case studies for the regime shifts database from scientific literature reviews
• Coding potential case studies from newspapers in English and other languages
• Co-designing a web interface and communication tools for academic and non-academic users
• Co-designing editorial tools that enable asynchronous collaboration and reproducibility.

Qualification requirements

Applicants are expected to have a masters university degree or equivalent experience in sustainability research, or another relevant discipline such as computer science or data science. Applicants close to completion their degrees are eligible (soon to defend theses). The applicant is expected to be fluent in English, knowledge of other major languages such as Spanish, Chinese, or French is an asset.

We are looking for an applicant with experience and training in data management and web design. An interdisciplinary background with experience and knowledge in reproducible research, Rmarkdown or Quarto is advantageous, as well as documented experience on working with databases and programming.

About the employment

This is a full-time employment for 12 months. Stockholm University applies individual salary setting. Start date in January 2026, or as per agreement.

We offer

With us, you will experience the dynamic interaction between higher education and research that makes Stockholm University an exciting and creative environment. You will work in an international environment and get favourable conditions. The university is located in the National City Park with good transport links to the city.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact

Further information about the position can be obtained from researcher Juan C. Rocha, juan.rocha@su.se, or professor Garry Peterson, garry.peterson@su.se. 

Application

Apply for the position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete and that it is submitted before the deadline.

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.