Junior Researcher for Data Integration of GHG Fluxes from Organic Soils (Peat) (1.0 FTE)

• Employment: 1.0 FTE
• Gross monthly salary: € 2,846 - € 4,490
• Faculty of Science
• Required background: Research University Degree
• Application deadline: 8 June 2022

Does climate change matter to you? And are you convinced that the right data can help people and societies to set action? Then join our growing team in crunching down big carbon flux data to unravel climate mitigation options in peatlands and wetlands.

Peatlands call for sound climate action while drained peat soils remain a large source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission to the atmosphere. To study the effectiveness of measures to mitigate GHG emissions, the National Research Programme on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Peatlands Meadows (NOBV) was initiated following the National Climate Agreement of the Dutch government. In this programme we use transparent auto-chambers and eddy covariance combined with a network of soil and meteorological sensors to perform long-term unattended measurements of soil-atmosphere GHG fluxes and relevant environmental variables across a variety of research sites . Supplemented with microbiological, physical and biogeochemical soil analyses, we aim to improve mechanistic insight and develop GHG prediction models. In addition to land-based emission, we study emissions from surface waters in peatlands to determine their magnitude and better understand how they are influenced by land use and management.

Your research will be related to following tasks (relative weight to be determined based on your interest and qualifications): data integration of large sets of time series data; improving data processing in R, Python and/or Matlab programming for analysing continuous data such as GHG data from auto-chambers or eddy covariance or other micro-meteorological time series; computing and constraining carbon budgets on various time scales from contrasting environments; integrating flux data and environmental data to quantify carbon turnover in soils subjected to climate change; collaborative data analysis of key factors controlling effective peatland climate mitigation.

Your activities may be extended by upgrading your scientific work through policy advice. Grant acquisition and participation in research consortia will be facilitated during your appointment.

Profile

• You have experience in environmental sciences, data sciences and related fields through a PhD, MSc or multi-year research assistance. 
• You are fascinated by working with large time series of environmental variables.
• You have experience/affinity with monitoring ecosystem greenhouse gas fluxes and biogeochemistry.
• You have experience with programming (e.g. R, Python, Matlab) and handling, analysing and interpreting complex datasets.
• You have a proven record of international peer-reviewed publications that reflect experience in processing of large data sets.
• You have sound writing and oral communication skills in English and a strong ambition to publish future work; proficiency in either Dutch or German is welcome but not required.

We are

The Department of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology , part of the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES) of Radboud University, conducts research into water quality, soil chemistry, biodiversity and climate effects on land, water and sea. We are an active group with a young and dynamic team and many socially relevant tasks in addition to research and education. We pay ample attention to collaboration and personal development.

Radboud University
We want to get the best out of science, others and ourselves. Why? Because this is what the world around us desperately needs. Leading research and education make an indispensable contribution to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This is what unites the more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University. And this requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!

We offer

• Employment for 1.0 FTE.
• The gross monthly salary amounts to a minimum of €2,846 and a maximum of €4,490 based on a 38-hour working week, depending on previous education and number of years of relevant work experience (salary scale 10 ).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• It concerns a temporary employment till 1 November 2023.
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services . Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment  and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 29 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.

Additional employment conditions
Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions . You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.
Would you like more information?

For questions about the position, please contact Dr Christian Fritz, Researcher at [email protected] . Alternatively, you can contact Dr Ralf Aben, Researcher at [email protected] .

Practical information and applications
You can apply until 8 June 2022, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Dr Christian Fritz and Ralf Aben. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• A letter of motivation.
• Your CV.

The first round of interviews will take place on 16 June and 17 June. You would preferably begin employment on 1 September 2022.
This vacancy was originally published in February / March 2022. Applicants who were rejected at the time are kindly requested not to apply again.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure . It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.

We drafted this vacancy to find and hire our new colleague ourselves. Recruitment agencies are kindly requested to refrain from responding.