Full-time postdoctoral position (100%) starting October 1, 2026; TV-L E14 fixed term for 3 years with the potential option to extend, subject to availability of funds.
THE OPPORTUNITY
ISU – Institute for Sustainable Urbanism and its research unit, SpACE Lab at ISU, provide a leading and dynamic environment for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary urban research and urban design education. Under the lead of Prof. Dr. Vanessa Miriam Carlow, currently, roughly 30 researchers and lecturers work across our teams on a broad range of innovative research projects, teaching formats, knowledge transfer, and in public discourse.
At SpACE Lab at ISU, we work on spatial responses to the grand challenges from an urban design and planning perspective. Together with our partners from a wide range of disciplines, cities, regions, and institutions – nationally and internationally – we investigate, analyse, model, design, test, and visualise sustainable spatial futures. To date, our main research fields in urban design and planning are a) Urbanization, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, b) Sustainable Mobility, and c) Participatory Practices. Our methods combine spatial analysis and modelling, scenario thinking, real-world laboratories, and various participatory planning formats based on cutting-edge digital tools. Our team brings together experience and expertise from architecture, urban design and planning, landscape architecture, media design, and data science. Research, teaching, and design are understood as part of a shared culture of experimentation and knowledge production. As an international and diverse team, we are based at the Department of Architecture at TU Braunschweig and building up inter- and transdisciplinary projects within the TU Braunschweig core research area Future City (tu-braunschweig.de/stadtderzukunft).
To advance innovative research, ISU is currently offering a postdoctoral researcher position in Urban Planning and GeoAI as a cross-thematic position. As such, the candidate will contribute to ongoing and new cutting-edge research by providing in-depth insights into of the digital realm and AI applications to our research and teaching teams. ISU is thus looking for a candidate with experience in informatics and/or data sciences in the context of urban planning, and a very strong interest in utilizing GeoAI for our main research fields mentioned above and beyond. A particular focus of the position will be to contributing to the advancement, investigation, and application of TRIPLING, an experimental research setup developed at SpACE Lab at ISU for coupling the exploration of real physical spaces with immersive digital environments. Another focus will be the support of the ISU CRC 408 AgiMo team. You will become part of the SpACE Lab at ISU team and work across projects, scales, and formats together with university and non-university project partners in the Braunschweig region and beyond.
YOUR KEY RESEARCH THEMES
- GeoAI: Extracting knowledge from large volumes of data through, e.g. deep learning, non-parametric statistics, system identification.
- Urban Modelling: Modelling and understanding of complex systems.
- Urban design governance: Novel methods, representation and decision-making tools for integral, multi-scale, human-centered and participatory urban design and planning practices.
- Experimental Spatial Research Infrastructures: Hybrid experimental setups linking real-world spatial investigation with immersive digital and physical environments.
ABOUT YOU
We are looking for exceptional applicants to conduct high-impact research with
- A doctorate in urban planning, urban design, architecture, geography (or equivalent), with strong interest and experience in computer science or other disciplines relevant for the position (as e.g. geoinformatics, information sciences, etc.),
- Demonstrated expertise in informatics and/or data sciences related to the SpACE Lab at ISU main research fields and application areas,
- Strong motivation to innovate, develop, and test technologies in our main research fields,
- Evidence of capacity to work as part of a multidisciplinary team,
- A track record in publishing research in leading journals, securing external funding, and performing high-quality, independent, collaborative research,
- Experience or strong interest in hybrid research environments linking immersive environments, digital models, simulation, and visualization,
- English (preferably also German) excellent written and verbal communication skills.
The position has a run time of three years, with further employment subject to secured funding availability. The remuneration is determined according to the assignment of tasks and fulfilment of personal requirements, up to pay group 14 TV-L. The position is in principle part-time suitable, but should be filled in full-time.
OUR OFFER
- An inspiring, international, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary environment
- A vibrant campus life
- A strong support network for early career researchers
- Fundamental and applied research on pressing global challenges
- Excellent infrastructures within TU Braunschweig’s Ecoversity
- Access to graduate school programmes, career development, and sports programmes
- An international and interdisciplinary scientific network
- Access to knowledge resources from a broad range of research projects, including CRC 408 AgiMo, ReSpace!, Urban Climate Future Lab and TRANSFORMPATHS!
ABOUT ISU
With ISU, we offer a motivating setting for intellectual and professional development at one of Germany’s leading Institutes of Technology. ISU with its research unit SpACE Lab at ISU is a research-based think tank, design and planning lab headed by Prof. Dr. Vanessa Miriam Carlow. We are a team of around 30 researchers, lecturers and student assistants from different backgrounds, disciplines and career stages. The diversity of our ISU team enables us to take a multi-perspective, unconventional approach to research questions, teaching and knowledge transfer. We are intensively involved in the international discourse on sustainable urbanism. As part of the TU Braunschweig’s core research area FUTURE CITY, we work with scientists from a wide range of disciplines and cooperate with more than fifty cities and NGOs worldwide. As part of our international network, we are also involved in running the research presence of TU Braunschweig in Singapore: TU BS Singapore.
ABOUT Technische Universität Braunschweig
TU Braunschweig is the academic centre in the middle of one of the most active research regions in Europe and has a renowned Faculty of Architecture. We work successfully with over 20 research institutions in our neighbourhood as well as with our international partner universities. Our university’s core research areas are Mobility, Engineering for Health, Future City and Metrology. With more than 16,000 students and 3,800 employees, Technische Universität Braunschweig is one of Germany’s leading universities of technology and as such part of TU9. The university stands for strategic and performance-oriented thinking and action, relevant research, committed teaching, and the successful transfer of knowledge and technologies into business and society. We are strongly committed to family-friendliness and equal opportunities. Strong engineering and natural sciences form our core disciplines, closely connected with the economic and social sciences, educational sciences, and the humanities.
APPLICATION
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and nationalities. At the same time, we welcome the interest of severely disabled people and give preference to their applications if they are equally qualified. Please indicate this in your application and enclose proof. Based on the Lower Saxony Equal Opportunities Act (NGG), we are working to fulfil the equal opportunities mandate and are endeavouring to reduce under-representation as defined by the NGG in all areas and positions. We are therefore particularly pleased to receive applications from women.
PROCESS
Phase 1: Submit your comprehensive digital application incl. cover letter, letter of motivation, CV, publication list and/or portfolio until
July 12, 2026 to isu-opportunities(at)tu-braunschweig.de *
Phase 2: Candidates considered for an interview will be asked to present a research design idea for the above-mentioned target areas during an interview in calendar week 35/2026.
CONTACT
Technische Universität Braunschweig
SpACE Lab at ISU – Institute for Sustainable Urbanism,
Prof. Dr. Vanessa Miriam Carlow
Pockelsstr. 2, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
isu-opportunities(at)tu-braunschweig.de / +49 531 391-3537
spacelab-isu.org | tu-braunschweig.de/isu
- The personal data will be stored for the purpose of processing the application. By submitting your application, you agree that your data may be stored and processed electronically for application purposes in compliance with the provisions of data protection law. Further information on data protection can be found in our data protection regulations at www.tu-braunschweig.de/datenschutzerklaerung-bewerbungen. Application costs and expenses incurred in attending interviews cannot be reimbursed.
