Research Analyst Climate

The Institute

The ESRI, founded in 1960, is located in Dublin’s South Docklands area. Our mission is to produce high quality research, relevant to Ireland’s economic and social development, with the aim of contributing to knowledge and informing policymaking and public debate. We have over 100 staff including economists, sociologists and other social scientists, in addition to support and technical staff.

The results of the Institute’s research, and the policy implications that flow from it, have been the subject of a huge range of publications by ESRI staff over the last six decades. All research projects undertaken by the ESRI have a significant public good element and results are published without restriction.

The Institute has excellent facilities and a supportive atmosphere, with a particular emphasis on team-based research. 

Academic collaborations are an important dimension of our research, and we enjoy strong collaboration and engagement with industry stakeholders.

The Climate Research Area at the ESRI

The ESRI has developed a Climate Research Area over the past years. The research area aims to analyse energy/environment policy and other climate and energy issues in Ireland applying economic modelling. More specifically, this has involved constructing an energy Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model of the Irish economy, namely the Ireland Environment, Energy and Economy (I3E) model (www.esri.ie/current-research/the-i3e-model). This model is used to advise on the impacts of various climate policy options and climatic impacts across sectors and households as well as estimate future energy demand for emission projection purposes.

Our research has been extensively used as input to policymaking and is expected to significantly influence energy and climate change policy in Ireland. 

Role Description 

The Research Analyst will:

• Act as the central coordinator for data, modelling inputs, and analytical outputs across the climate research area.
• Be responsible for planning model development tasks, tracking interdependencies across projects, and ensuring consistency and timely delivery of outputs. This includes shaping modelling strategies, ensuring their alignment with the needs of funders, and maintaining methodological coherence across the team’s work.
• Draw on their expertise in climate change science, policies, and impacts to develop real‑world modelling scenarios that underpin policy analyses, ensuring that these scenarios are grounded in sound empirical data and relevant policy contexts.
• Bring creativity and critical judgement to the translation of policy questions into quantitative modelling tasks.
• Use their advanced modelling and programming skills to contribute significantly to the development, updating, and maintenance of the I3E model.
• Exercise analytical leadership, troubleshoot complex data issues, and propose methodological improvements where appropriate.
• Contribute to the preparation of policy reports, academic journal articles, and technical documentation.
• Support stakeholder engagement by presenting research findings and providing technical explanations to policymakers and external partners. 

While the appointee will receive supervision and additional training where relevant, the role requires a high level of independence and initiative.

Skills, Qualifications and Experience

Candidates will be expected to have: 

Essential: 

• A masters degree in economics.
• Extensive experience with emissions, energy, and household datasets.
• Strong ability to extract, manage, and integrate complex data.
• Deep familiarity with microdata and Supply and Use / input–output tables for CGE calibration.
• Working knowledge of CGE modelling and scenario development.
• Detailed understanding of Irish climate impacts, mitigation, and adaptation policies.
• Ability to translate policy questions into robust modelling scenarios.
• Proven ability to coordinate modelling tasks, data inputs, and analytical outputs across multiple projects, ensuring methodological consistency and timely delivery.
• Proven track record in applied research and model‑based analysis.
• Strong skills in applied GAMS modelling;
• Extensive experience in using R;
• Excellent writing skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Proven ability to work successfully under tight deadlines;
• Excellent attention to detail;

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

  Experience with Overleaf/LaTeX and Stata will be an advantage.

Location

ESRI, Whitaker Square, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2. Applicants should note that staff have the option of working remotely from their home in Ireland on a ‘blended’ basis. The blended working scheme is currently running on a pilot basis, with a minimum requirement of one day per week (or as business requires) based in the ESRI office. Full details will be provided at interview.

Terms & Application Procedure 

The role is full-time (35 hours per week—standard working hours are 09.30-17.30, Monday—Friday; flexible working hours are supported). 

Appointments (full-time or part-time) will be on a three-year, fixed-term contract basis, and the starting salary will be €49,818 (pro-rated as applicable) which is the first point of the ESRI Administrative Officer (Higher) salary scale.   Part-time working arrangements for PhD candidates will be discussed at interview. 

To apply for this position, please follow the link below. The closing date for applications is 5 p.m. on 09 February 2026. All applications will be acknowledged. Late or incomplete applications will not be processed. The selection process will consist of shortlisting of candidates based on information supplied in their application documents, a preliminary interview and, for candidates successful at that stage, a final interview, presentation, and written assessment. Interviews will be conducted virtually via MS Teams.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion are fundamental values in our Strategic Plan. We recognise that a diverse workforce brings a range of perspectives and experiences that foster innovation and enriches our research. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, irrespective of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, nationality, marital status, family status, religion, sexual orientation, or socio-economic background.   As such we particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups. 

If you have a disability, please let us know if you have any requirements should you be invited for assessment /interview or that you wish us to account for when considering your application.

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