Contact person Deltares:
Brian de Bruin
Educational Level: WO / Master, PhD
Deadline: 05/11/2023
Location: Delft
Category: Young Professionals, Professionals
Do you find the prospect of working on Nature-based Solutions (NBS) to adapt to climate change in European coastal zones truly inspiring? Are you eager to make a significant impact on their climate resilience and decarbonizing adaptation pathways? If so, keep reading because this opportunity is tailor-made for you!
Job Description Project Researcher Coastal Restoration and Decarbonizing Climate Adaptation:
Deltares is seeking for a 2-years highly motivated and skilled researcher to join the REST-COAST (Large scale RESToration of COASTal ecosystems through rivers to sea connectivity) project, funded under the EC Green Deal. REST-COAST will demonstrate to what extent upscaled coastal restoration can provide a low carbon solution to climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction for threatened low-lying coastal systems, combined with gains in their biodiversity status.
You play a crucial role in formulating and implementing a formal framework. This will translate restoration measures in Biotopes and Ecosystem Services (ESS) with focus on carbon sequestration and decarbonization of coastal adaptation as a service. This framework aims to serve as a valuable tool for guiding the selection, design, and implementation of beyond pilot scale Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in adaptation pathways as input for a scalable adaptation plan. To develop a tested and validated framework, you will also be involved in analyzing field data collected by other teams and develop predictive algorithms linked to mapping of biotopes, interacting with many European coastal pilots and partners.
Main duties:
- Support the building of an integrated balanced portfolio of solutions, adaptation pathways and adaptation plan in Ems-Dollard and Wadden Sea and other European pilots.
- Co-development of an open-source GIS-based decision support tool delivering across scale place-based assessment of carbon-sequestration and decarbonizing solution portfolios (with NBS and ESS at the core) based on climate scenarios using European standards and data portals.
- Co-development and testing of guidance document to translate solution portfolios into adaptation pathways and adaptation plans.
- Co-development of customized adaptation plans learning from experiences in pilot regions, and other (EU) projects (e.g., MYRIAD, P2R, ACCRUE, REACH-OUT, DESIRMED), using the decision support tool.
As project researcher researcher you are actively engaged in various project Work Packages (WPs), ranging from the development of Technical Frameworks to their direct application in diverse REST-COAST demonstration pilots. The work will be executed in close cooperation with a second researcher position at Deltares (Delft, the Netherlands) that will focus more on the long-term ecosystem modelling and prediction of biotopes. You will become part of a group of researchers within the REST-COAST project.
Main scientific innovations within this position:
- Linking NBS to carbon sequestration and decarbonization of coastal adaptation.
- Address spatial challenges, reduction of climate risks, and sensitivity to ecosystem tipping points to determine, monitor and achieve policy targets.
- Evaluate the state of coastal carbon sequestration and its enabling conditions and identify areas for adjustment and optimization of restoration, analysing interactions across different ESS and Biotope types to increase the robustness and applicability of the portfolio and design tool.
- Conduct comprehensive mapping and visualizations to develop pathways for effective climate resilience strategies, contributing to the further development of decision support tools, GIS-based assessments, and guidance documents for adaptation pathways and plans.
- Move forward from single hazard and single topic toward multi-hazard and multi-topic problems solving using biotopes and ESS within coastal zones on regional scale.
Requirements:
- Preferably a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Climate Change, Geography, or a related field is preferred. Otherwise, a period 2-4 years of experience in a related field is well accepted;
- Strong background in climate resilience assessment, Nature-Based Solutions, and spatial planning.
- Experience with GIS-based decision support tools and analysis, as well as with programming skills and using large datasets.
- Familiarity with climate scenarios and European data portals is an advantage.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Ability and enthusiasm to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary and international research environment, as well as with stakeholders encompassing diverse backgrounds and disciplines.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Proven track record of scientific publications in relevant fields is a plus.
- A driving licence is strongly recommended.
Basic comprehension of Dutch and/or other European languages is an advantage, considering the foreseen interactions with Dutch and other European stakeholders.
We offer:
- Excellent training opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Deltares offers a market conform salary. Scaling will be based on your experience;
- ABP average salary pension, 34 days of vacation, vitality budget and a mobility budget;
- You will be hired for the duration of the project. The candidate will have an opportunity to apply for a staff position at Deltares upon finalisation to this contract;
- Deltares has an open, inclusive and collaborative culture;
- Here you can find more information about our attractive terms of employment.
Interested?
Are you committed to fulfill the correspondent period and do you fit the qualifications? Apply directly by uploading your CV and motivation letter/video. First round of interviews will be held on November 13 and 15. For more information you can contact Mindert de Vries (mindert.devries@deltares.nl) or Tom Bucx (tom.bucx@deltares.nl). Questions regarding the procedure call/app email Brian de Bruin (recruiter Deltares brian.debruin@deltares.nl; +3161526768
