PhD position in Integrated Assessment of Drought Resilience and Alternative Futures in the Context of Climate Change

23 May 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

University of Twente (UT)

Research Field

Technology

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Netherlands

Application Deadline

12 Jun 2024 - 21:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

40.0

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

The challenge
Freshwater is crucial to sustain life, development, and the environment and lies at the heart of multiple Sustainable Development Goals. All around the world, however, water systems are increasingly under pressure. This is also the case in the border region between the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, Germany and the provinces of Overijssel, Drenthe and Gelderland, the Netherlands. In this region, an intricate mix of climate change (precipitation patterns), local geography, water systems characteristics, and socio-economic developments exacerbates drought risks. A key challenge for the region, therefore, is how to become more drought resilient – now and in the future. But what constitutes drought resilience in a complex transboundary context? And how can it be achieved? What effect do different pilot measures have to increase the entire region’s drought resilience? Are there tradeoffs between increasing drought resilience and other societal challenges? These and other questions are central in this PhD position.
The position
This PhD position aims to assess and improve drought resilience in abovementioned cross-border region. Together with stakeholders, you will co-develop an indicator framework to assess drought resilience, building on resilience and collaboration literature, as well as on prior knowledge developed by students and colleagues in our department working on related questions. You will use this framework to assess to what extent pilot measures currently implemented in the region are contributing to drought resilience. Next, you critically evaluate the pilot measures with a focus on trade-offs and synergies with other key sectoral challenges, developments and ambitions (such as flood defense, water quality, biodiversity, agriculture). Following these assessments, you facilitate the co-creation of alternative futures for the region, how these can be achieved and what role the upscaling of pilot measures can play. Throughout the PhD trajectory, a strong collaboration with regional partners, policymakers and other stakeholders is expected, not only to acquire qualitative and quantitative information and data but also to co-create the assessment framework, alternative futures and pathways.

Requirements
Specific Requirements

• We are looking for an enthusiastic, professional, and highly motivated candidate;
• You hold a Master’s degree in a field relevant to the PhD topic, such as Civil Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Engineering, or any other interdisciplinary study connecting Environmental/Water Science, Social Sciences, and Engineering;
• You are a strong conceptual thinker with outstanding analytical skills;
• You have strong social skills and enjoy working with stakeholders;
• A background in one or more of the following topics is an advantage: integrated assessments for sustainability, resilience assessments, scenario analysis, mixed-methods approaches, complex systems analysis, quantitative modelling;
• You exhibit high levels of self-motivation while also being a team player;
• You enjoy working in a multidisciplinary research setting with an international research team to achieve both scientific excellence and policy relevance;
• You can prove your excellent command of the English language and strong (professional) communication skills;
• Proficiency in German and/or Dutch (or willingness to learn) is a clear advantage.

Additional Information
Benefits

• A full-time 4-year PhD-position, starting as soon as possible.
• We provide excellent mentorship and a stimulating research environment with excellent facilities;
• You are offered a professional and personal development program within the Twente Graduate School;
• A starting salary of € 2.770 gross per month in the first year and a salary of € 3.539 in the fourth year gross per month;
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• A solid pension scheme;
• Minimum of 29 holidays per year in case of fulltime employment;

Additional comments

For additional information regarding this position, you are welcome to contact dr. Lara Wöhler, [email protected] .
Please apply by uploading a motivation letter (1 page), your CV (max 3 pages without photo), a writing sample (max 1 page e.g., an Abstract of a publication or a one-page summary of your master thesis) as well as relevant certificates until 12.06.2024 using the link below.
The application must not exceed 5 pages excluding certificates. The first (online) job interview will take place end of June. We encourage Master students to apply even if they still have to graduate in the coming months.

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/341794/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Universiteit Twente

Country

Netherlands

City

Enschede

Postal Code

7522NB

Street

Drienerlolaan 5

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/341794/phd-position-in-integrated-assessmen…

Contact

City

Enschede

Website

http://www.universiteittwente.nl/

Street

Drienerlolaan 5

Postal Code

7522 NB

STATUS: EXPIRED