PhD opening: Functioning and dynamics of biodiverse salt marshes.

This research position is part of the joint German-Dutch-Danish SALTGARDEN project: Sustainable Adaptive Landscapes through Transdisciplinary Gardening to Advance the Resilience and Dynamics of our Ecological Natural?heritage. The project is part of the trilateral research program ‘Understanding complex pressures on the Wadden Sea and options for action’.

The SALTGARDEN project will investigate the dynamics and resilience of the Wadden Sea salt marshes and their contribution to ecosystem functions and services at all levels. To enable adaptive landscapes with biodiverse and dynamic salt marshes, the researchers aim to develop Nature-based Gardening strategies that balance human interventions and ecological self-regulation. The interdisciplinary research team (consisting of 4 PhDs, 3 Postdocs and their supervisors) will combine engineering, ecological and socio-economic experiments and models to quantify and predict future salt marsh developments, including the impacts on the Wadden Sea communities.

Within SALTGARDEN, you will develop and apply small-scale hydrodynamic models as well as large-scale biogeomorpological models. In collaboration with the Technical University of Denmark you will develop a detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics (OpenFOAM) model to simulate and quantify the trapping of microplastics in salt marsh vegetation. Next, you will integrate the vegetation development and interactions of biodiverse salt marshes (investigated by another PhD within the SALTGARDEN project) in a landscape-scale biogeomorphological model (Delft3D) to predict the landscape development of dynamic salt marshes towards the 21st century. Your findings will help to quantify the temporal evolution of the contribution of biodiverse, dynamic salt marshes to pollution filtering and coastal protection in the Wadden Sea.

The SALTGARDEN consortium is a collaboration between 6 universities, 3 research institutes, a landscape architect, area managers and NGOs. As a member of the SALTGARDEN team you will closely interact with your UT supervisors as well as fellow researchers within the consortium. Regular consortium meetings will accommodate knowledge exchange with our partners, increasing the relevance and impact of your research. Furthermore, you will present your work at (inter)national conferences and publish your findings in journal papers and a PhD thesis.

For more information about the position, you can contact Dr. ir. Erik Horstman ([email protected]).

Please upload your application via the ‘Apply now’ button before 30 June 2024.
Your application should include a cover letter (emphasizing your specific interest, motivation and qualifications), a detailed CV, an academic transcript of BS. and MSc education, result of an English test (if you attended a non-English taught MSc program), a publication list (if applicable) and contact details of two referees.
Since only three documents can be uploaded per application, please combine documents if needed. An interview and a scientific presentation will be part of the selection procedure.

The first selection interviews are scheduled for 9 July 2024, preferably in person for those living within day-trip distance from Enschede. If needed, a second round of interviews will be scheduled for 16 July 2024.

We aim for this project to start November 1st 2024.
We also welcome students to apply who expect to have finished their MSc thesis by this time.

The Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET) engages in education and research of Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. We enable society and industry to innovate and create value using efficient, solid and sustainable technology. We are part of a ‘people-first' university of technology, taking our place as an internationally leading center for smart production, processes and devices in five domains: Health Technology, Maintenance, Smart Regions, Smart Industry and Sustainable Resources. Our faculty is home to about 2,900 Bachelor's and Master's students, 550 employees and 150 PhD candidates. Our educational and research programmes are closely connected with UT research institutes Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Center and Digital Society Institute.