Contact person Deltares: Brian de Bruin
Educational Level: WO / Master
Deadline: 12/06/2023, 13:00
Location: Delft and Wageningen University
Category: Young Professionals
Are you interested in nature-based solutions (NbS) that stimulate the sponge functioning of landscapes to mitigate both floods and droughts?
Do you want to collaborate with stakeholders and partners from various European Member States to unravel which water management strategies are effective for this goal both now and in the future?
At Deltares, we have a full-time four-year PhD position to work on these topics. Want to know more? Read on.
What can you expect as PhD candidate
This position is part of the overarching EU project ‘SpongeScapes’. This transdisciplinary research project aims to assess the hydrological potentials and limits of NbS in increasing the sponge functioning of landscapes and how they can help to ensure resilience and sustainability.
As PhD researcher you will focus on the quantification of NbS to increase sponge functioning of landscapes using a modelling approach. You will focus on several cases at catchment scale both in the Netherlands and abroad. The cases are mostly focusing on rural areas that are prone and vulnerable to climate impacts and are suffering from risks of both flooding and drought. This research will contribute to the expansion of empirical knowledge on how individual solutions can be combined into overarching sponge strategies and how small scale process functioning can be translated into larger scale assessments.
Your main tasks are:
- Develop expertise especially on the hydrological aspects related to sponge functioning of landscapes, and how they depend on relief, vegetation, soil and subsurface.
- Use hydrological modelling tools that combine groundwater and surface water dynamics to understand the response of the landscape to selected measures following the motto ‘green where we can, grey where we must’ both now and under scenarios of change.
- Translate your results into direct input for the practitioners and stakeholders dialogues to help them select the most effective solutions to increase sponge functioning of landscapes.
Together with people from the cases, you will identify existing and new sponge strategies, and evaluate the potentials and limits of the NbS strategies. In doing so, you work with colleagues of the project team stimulating interdisciplinary cooperation (combining hydrology, groundwater and soil science and ecology) and participate in the stakeholder engagement processes to select measures where this is needed. This includes informing, consulting and involving, and co-creation with partners in identifying possibility, applicability, and effectiveness of various types of NbS and traditional solutions to improve the sponge functioning of landscapes throughout Europe.
As PhD candidate you will be responsible for strengthening and further developing the modelling approach to assess sponge functioning at landscape scale, together with expert colleagues working on hydrological model development. This PhD position is based at Deltares (Delft office) and Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
Job qualifications PhD Position
- You have an MSc degree in hydrology (or similar) and have proven hydrological modelling skills;
- You are able to work at the cross-section of hydrology, physical geography and governance;
- You have a keen curiosity to further develop knowledge related to NbS incl. soil management, geography, ecology and agricultural management practices and general sustainability and climatic environmental sciences, plus an interest in translating output for stakeholder dialogues;
- Quantitative research skills, including knowledge of hydrological modelling , programming and interpreting and analyzing remote sensing data and Geographic Information System (GIS) information.
We are open to candidates from varied backgrounds with a strong motivation to learn new methods and do research in a European setting. Fluency in English is required and basic Dutch to facilitate communication with Dutch stakeholders is an asset.
We offer
You will be offered a temporary position (1.0 FTE) at Deltares, initially for one year with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period. Furthermore, we offer:
- A salary in line with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU);
- In addition, Deltares offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model);
- Deltares has an open, inclusive and collaborative culture.
Your PhD will be carried out at Deltares and Wageningen University. For this we expect you to be present on both locations for at least several days during the week, depending on the work at hand and need to cooperate with other colleagues. You will join the Wageningen University PhD program, and obtain a PhD from that university after successful completion of the project.
Additional Information
For more information about this position, please contact Dr. Albrecht Weerts (Sr. Expert Hydrological Modelling at Deltares and Professor at Wageningen University) at albrecht.weerts@deltares.nl with a copy to Dr. Ellis Penning (Coordinator of SpongeScapes) at ellis.penning@deltares.nl. and Annegret Larsen (Assistant Professor at the Soil Geography and Landscape group of Wageningen University) at annegret.larsen@wur.nl.
How to apply
Are you interested in this vacancy and do your qualities match the job profile? Then apply directly via the apply button and upload your CV and motivation letter. Do you have questions about the vacancy? Please contact Brian de Bruin (HR Recruitment Officer) brian.debruin@deltares.nl, +31615267686.
To allow equal opportunities for applicants from different locations, interviews are planned to take place online at the 27th of June and 4th of July.
Deadline Monday 12th of June 12.00.
