Are you keen to better understand how critical infrastructure systems can be made more resilient to climate extremes? Please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Jouw functie
Critical infrastructure (CI), such as electricity and transportation systems, are the backbone of our society. When natural hazards strike, the importance of these systems becomes apparent: a disruption of a single CI service can quickly result in a knock-on effect on households, companies, and other CI systems, thereby causing wide-spread impacts on society.
The position entails: (i) understanding the interdependencies across infrastructure networks and society, (ii) what type of interventions (from asset to system-level) can be best taken to improve the resilience of these interdependent systems to climate extremes, and (iii) developing this within a multi-hazard setting.
This research is part of the Horizon Europe Multi-hazard Infrastructure Risk Assessment for Climate Adaptation (MIRACA) project. The work will be carried out at the IVM. The candidate will work in close collaboration with the MIRACA consortium partners.
Your duties
- you will support in developing state-of-the-art knowledge on developing climate adaptation strategies for critical infrastructure systems
- you will work together with colleagues of the MIRACA project consortium on contributing to various deliverables on climate adaptation of critical infrastructure
Jouw profiel
- you have a MSc degree in environmental sciences, civil engineering, transport engineering, climate sciences, or similar
- you have proven affinity with research in critical infrastructure systems (e.g., energy, transport, telecom, or healthcare) and/or proven affinity with research in climate adaptation strategies
- Experience with programming in Python (e.g., geopandas, rasterio, networkx/igraph)
We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not fully meet all the requirements.
Wat bieden wij
- An exciting junior researcher position in a socially-engaged organisation with a supportive project team and an active early-career scientist community. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:
- a salary of minimum € 3.546,00 (Scale 10.0) and maximum € 5538,00 (Scale 10.12) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience;
- a position for at least 0.6 FTE. Your employment contract will be a 1 year contract.
We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:
- a full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
- 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
- solid pension scheme (ABP)
- contribution to commuting expenses
- optional model for designing a personalised benefits package
Over ons
Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
Established in 1971, IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognised for its high-quality research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. The mission of the institute is to contribute to sustainable development and care for the environment through scientific research and teaching. IVM aims to do excellent problem-oriented research that is useful to a wide range of stakeholders in the Netherlands and internationally. A unique strength of our research is to understand sustainability problems in their social and economic context. IVM’s research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Geography, Environmental Policy Analysis; and Water and Climate Risk. Since 2001 IVM has been part of the Faculty of Science at VU Amsterdam (legal name Stichting VU).
The department of Water and Climate Risk (WCR) studies hydrological and climate processes, and how these processes lead to risks and opportunities for society, the economy, and the environment. A defining characteristic of the department is a multi-disciplinary approach that combines expertise from natural sciences with knowledge from the fields of economics, e-Science and geography. This approach has led to a unique research portfolio of water and climate risk projects, and the department is a global leading institute in flood and drought risk assessment, and risk management research.
Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means collaborating with students, lecturers and researchers who are focused on their field, yet have a broad view of the world. We are proud of a positive and inclusive workplace culture within the faculty, where we work together with great energy and a pragmatic attitude to tackle social challenges. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex societal issues for a sustainable, healthy and just future.
From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from helium to the universe and from genetics to medicine: our education and research cover the full breadth of science, from molecules to mankind. Our academic education and research are highly experimental, technical and interdisciplinary in nature. That is why we collaborate extensively with leading scientific institutes and industry. The faculty has more than 8,000 students studying in one of the 39 programms and employs more than 1,400 staff across 10 scientific departments, making us one of the largest science faculties in the Netherlands.
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely – a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct
We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.
Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.
We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.
Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.
Interesse
Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application.
Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.
IMPORTANT: Motivation letter should be limited to 1 page, resumés to 2 pages. Motivation letters generated with ChatGPT or other AI language tools will not be considered.
The job interviews are planned on Friday November 21
Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.
Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.
Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.
