Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) in Environmental Economics / Economic Theory
fixed term for 3 years
September 1st 2026 (or as mutually agreed)
Kaiserslautern
Full time
E 13 TV-L
Business Studies and Economics
"Chair of Environmental Economics"
With about 17,000 students, more than 300 professorships and around 160 degree programs, the RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau is the technical university of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. As a place of top international research, it offers excellent working conditions and career opportunities. Those who study, research or work at RPTU experience a cosmopolitan environment and shape the future.
The project, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) studies how early warning systems can improve decision-making in socio-ecological systems that may exhibit tipping points. It combines economic theory and experiments to develop and test design principles for warning systems that differ across decision environments ranging from one-shot to dynamic settings and from single-agent to strategic multi-agent interaction.
The postdoctoral researcher will be based in Kaiserslautern and, under the supervision of Prof. Daniel Heyen, will lead the theoretical analysis of the project. The successful candidate will work on formal models of decision-making under uncertainty, learning, and strategic interaction, and will collaborate closely with the project’s experimental team at the University of Augsburg.
- Lead and further develop the project’s theoretical work packages on early warning systems and tipping risks
- Develop analytical and numerical models of decision-making under uncertainty
- Work on one-shot and dynamic optimization problems with learning
- Analyze strategic multi-agent settings using game-theoretic tools
- Contribute to joint theory-experiment integration within the project
- Present research at international conferences and prepare papers for submission to leading journals
- Contribute to project coordination and collaboration within the Kaiserslautern–Augsburg team
- A relevant, successfully completed academic degree and PhD in economics, mathematics, or a closely related field
- Strong background in economic theory, especially one or more of the following: decision theory, dynamic optimization, game theory, information economics, environmental economics
- Excellent analytical skills and experience conducting independent theoretical research
- Strong interest in questions related to uncertainty, learning, climate or environmental tipping points, or the value of information
- Ability and willingness to collaborate in an interdisciplinary project linking theory and experiments
- Very good English skills, written and spoken
- Experience with numerical methods and programming (for example Python, Matlab, Julia, or R) is desirable
RPTU stands for diversity among all employees. We welcome applications from all interested parties, regardless of their ethnic and social origin, age, religion, gender, disability and sexual orientation or identity. Preference will be given to severely disabled persons and persons equivalent to them if they have the appropriate qualifications and suitability.
The RPTU aims to increase the proportion of women in areas where women are underrepresented. Applications from researchers from abroad are expressly encouraged. The position can also be filled on a part-time basis.
We look forward to receiving your detailed application (cover letter, CV, job market paper or one representative research paper, names and contact details of three references) by June 12, 2026 at the latest.
Please submit your application using the "Online Bewerbung" button below or via our application portal ().
For additional information, please contact Prof. Daniel Heyen (e-mail: ).
