Your job
Do you have a background in Hydrology, Civil Engineering, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences or a related field, and are your eager to do a PhD? Are you interested to transport modelling, to improve our understanding of plastic distribution in the aquatic environment? Do you want to contribute to solving the ‘plastic problem’? Then this could be the ideal PhD for you!
The Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management (HWM) is looking for an aspiring PhD researcher to contribute to their research on improving the understanding of plastic distribution in European rivers through transport modelling.
Rivers play a crucial role in the transport of land-based plastic pollution towards the ocean. However, a growing amount of observational evidence suggests that most plastics never make it into the sea. At the Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group (HWM) we try to quantify and understand river plastic emission, transport, and retention processes across size ranges (micro to macro) by utilizing laboratory experiments, field measurements, and numerical modelling. In the recently funded EU project Innovative Solutions for Plastic Free European Rivers (INSPIRE), we aim to develop a modelling framework to (1) set baselines for river plastic pollution across Europe, (2) identify suitable locations for interventions, and (3) assess the effect of interventions under different scenarios. The project has a main focus on the Scheldt, Po, Douro, Savinja, Rhine, and Danube rivers.
You will work on (1) developing a modelling framework to estimate river plastic transport at European and river scale, (2) constructing a river plastic database with available observations across plastic sizes and environmental compartments, (3) designing a decision support tool to plan interventions across European rivers under different scenarios. You are expected to actively collaborate with a selection of the 26 project partners located across Europe and beyond, present your results to project partners, and report the scientific developments in journal papers and at conferences.
The project is embedded in the Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group (HWM) at Wageningen University. You will be supervised by dr. Tim van Emmerik and dr. Kryss Waldschläger.
Your qualities
The ideal candidate must have the following qualities:
- A high motivation for cutting edge research in the field of environmental pollution, particularly in the context of rivers and water bodies;
- A Master’s degree or an equivalent degree in Environmental Sciences, Hydrology, Engineering, Physics or a related field;
- Strong experience in hydrological and/or hydraulic modelling;
- Strong experience in data analysis;
- Familiarity with database development, data management, and data quality control procedures;
- Proficiency in Python/Matlab and/or R;
- Good organizational, writing and presentation skills;
- Excellent data processing and visualization skills;
- You are creative, inventive, and enjoy solving problems;
- You have both an independent working attitude, and like to be part of a team;
- Commitment to finalise a PhD, combined with a training and supervision trajectory;
- Ability to participate in courses within the master’s programme Earth and Environment, and to supervise MSc-thesis students within the project;
- Experience in working with large datasets and data integration is beneficial;
- Enthusiasm for writing scientific articles;
- Excellent command of the English language, both orally and in writing. Command of the Dutch language is not required.
For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.
We offer you
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:
- study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
- working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
- the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
- there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
- a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
- excellent pension scheme.
In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 2.541,- per month rising to € 3.247,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months, which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.
There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.
You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “ Best University ” in the Netherlands for the 18th consecutive time.
Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer for international employees.
Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research’s International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner find a job, housing, or schooling. For instance under the “30% rule”, certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.
Do you want more information?
To learn more about this position, please contact dr. ir. T. van Emmerik, by email: tim.vanEmmerik@wur.nl
For questions about the procedure, please contact Noorien Abbas, Corporate Recruiter, by email: noorien.abbas@wur.nl
Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval. Please restrict your application to a letter of motivation (max. two pages) and your academic CV. Applications without a letter of motivation and without mentioning the project will not be considered.
This vacancy will be listed up to and including July 17, 2023. We hope to schedule the first job interviews on July 20/21, 2023 and the second round on August 1/2, 2023. The preferred starting date for this position is September or October 2023, or soon after.
Equal opportunities
WUR employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. For more information please go to our inclusivity page. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.
We are
Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 students and over 150.000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.
Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch this video to get an idea of our green campus!https://www.youtube.com/embed/ApLORCXXhm4?enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wur.nl
About Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group (HWM):
We are a dynamic and committed team of 14 academics, 7 support staff, and around 40 PhD researchers and postdocs. Our focus is on hydrology and environmental hydraulics, which we combine to understand and quantify hydrological processes in catchments, aquifers, rivers and deltas. We develop novel sensing techniques, create models and perform field and lab experiments to advance process understanding. Furthermore, theoretical developments are tested in a fully equipped water and sediment dynamics laboratory, a soil hydrophysics laboratory, as well as in the field. This supports water managers in predicting the effects of changes in climate, land use or water management, designing nature-based solutions or forecasting hydrologic extremes.
Teaching and research at HWM are closely intertwined. Our teaching is rooted in earth and environmental sciences, with connections to engineering. We use active teaching methods such that students obtain a fundamental understanding and appreciation of the hydrologic system, its component processes and its interactions with atmosphere, soil and biosphere. Students develop analytical, field, laboratory and computer skills, which we practice in the classroom, hands-on tutorials, practicals and student projects.
We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.