Postdoc researcher - impacts of climate change on microbiological water quality

Your job

The Earth Systems and Global Change group at Wageningen University and Research is looking for a postdoctoral researcher (3 years, full time) who is interested in assessment of microbiological water quality, with a focus on climate change impacts, using models.

In this position you will contribute to three projects, including the PreVir project, the project entitled “Food Safety in a Circular Water- and Food System ”  and the WaterPath project . All three projects evaluate the impact of climate change, in particular extreme events, on the microbiological water quality and/or the quality of fresh produce and shellfish. In the projects we use process-based and statistical models to evaluate these impacts.

In this role you will be responsible for data gathering for the models, developing statistical models and further developing the Global Waterborne Pathogen (GloWPa) model and performing scenario analysis to evaluate future change. You will assist in the management of the contribution of our project to the two projects mentioned above and of the WaterPath project. Additionally, you will assist in supervision of a number of PhD students in the field of water quality modelling. You should be proficient in scripting and programming.

You will work here
You will be part of the Earth Systems and Global Change (ESC) group of Wageningen University, which is a new group comprising the Water Systems and Global Change and Environmental Systems Analysis chairs. The Earth Systems and Global Change Group is a solution-oriented multidisciplinary research group focusing on sustainability and global change. Within the water quality subgroup, we aim to improve our understanding of water quality for the present and the future and contribute to the development of synergetic interventions to reduce water pollution and its impacts. You will be collaborating mostly with Dr. Nynke Hofstra , associate professor in the group.

Your qualities

You are a capable and enthusiastic water quality modeler with management and supervisory skills.
You possess:

• a PhD degree (or about to obtain) in the field of hydrology, water quality, geocomputation, earth sciences, environmental sciences, engineering, physical geography or a related field;
• a good academic record and publication record;
• demonstrable experience and enthusiasm for working with large datasets and hydrological or water quality modelling in the context of global change;
• proficiency in scripting and programming (e.g., R, Python, C++);
• preferably knowledge of microbiology and climate change;
• willingness and capacity to take a leading role in multidisciplinary teams;
• ability to work with PhD and MSc students in an advisory role;
• excellent oral and written English.

In our international working environment, there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position, it is about

language level

C1. If you do not yet have this level, we will of course help you and you can go to our language center

Wageningen in'to Language

.

You can see that there are plenty of challenges ahead of you. These challenges can also be seen as development opportunities. So, if you do not yet have the track-record required in the vacancy, but do have solid work experience, we would also like to invite you to apply.

We offer you

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment . A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• sabbatical leave, 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, 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 of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 3.226 and € 5.090 for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10).

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. 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 19th 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 to international employees.

Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures 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 to find a job, housing, schooling.

Do you want more information?

For more information about this position, please contact Nynke Hofstra, Associate Professor, by email: [email protected]

For more information about the procedure, please contact Noorien Abbas, corporate recruiter, by email: [email protected]

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.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including 18 March 2024. We hope to schedule the first job interviews in the first week of April 2024.

Procedure
As part of our selection process, an assessment may be incorporated within the procedure.

Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (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. 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, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 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!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.