PhD position on the economic impacts of infrastructure failure due to natural hazards

PhD position on the economic impacts of infrastructure failure due to natural hazards
PhD position on the economic impacts of infrastructure failure due to natural hazards

Published	Deadline	Location
yesterday	20 Oct	Amsterdam

Do you want to make a contribution to better understand the impact of natural hazards to critical infrastructure, and work in a team of outstanding water and climate scientists? Please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Job description
Overview of the research project
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. For this PhD position, you will work on research leading to a PhD thesis related to modelling the wider economic impacts as a result of critical infrastructure failure due to both single natural hazards and multi-hazard events (i.e., compound and cascading events).
The position entails: (i) understanding the dependencies between infrastructure networks and the economic system, (ii) explicitly modelling the temporal and spatial economic impacts of natural hazards, (iii) developing a risk framework in which we can assess adaptation strategies on various levels within our society (e.g. asset, network and society) and (iv) developing this within a multi-hazard setting.
Methods include network modelling, macroeconomic modelling, such as input-output and computable generable equilibrium modelling, and geospatial analysis to explicitly couple physical natural hazard events to infrastructure networks and economic activity. The candidate is expected to make scientific advancements in understanding the spatial and temporal dimensions of critical infrastructure failures and its cascading effects towards people and businesses.
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 Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM). The candidate will work in close collaboration with the MIRACA consortium partners. Our institute and the MIRACA consortium value diversity, we therefore especially encourage applications from women and other groups traditionally under-represented in the discipline.
Your duties

• writing a PhD thesis consisting of 4 scientific papers
• working with colleagues of the project consortium and contributing to project reporting
• contributing to the teaching activities of IVM

Specifications

• 30.4—38 hours per week
• €2541—€3247 per month
• Amsterdam View on Google Maps

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)

Requirements

• have an MSc degree in transport economics, spatial economics, international economics, econometrics or similar (preferably with demonstrable affinity with climate, earth and/or environmental sciences)
• good skills in programming in Python (or proven experience with programming in a different language)
• strong quantitative methodological skills
• experience with High Performance Computing (or interest in learning) is desirable
• the position involves collaboration and communication in a larger team of researchers and stakeholders from other disciplines involved in international research projects.

Conditions of employment

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A challenging position in a socially involved organisation. The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel and amounts €2,541 (PhD) per month during the first year and increases to €3,247 (PhD) per month during the fourth year, based on a full-time employment. The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.8 FTE.
The appointment will initially be for 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a duration of 3 years.
Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• contribution to commuting expenses

Employer
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor - from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 30,000 students. We employ over 5,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.
Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.
The Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science inspires researchers and students to find sustainable solutions for complex societal issues. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to medicines and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research programmes cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. We share knowledge and experience with leading research institutes and industries, both here in the Netherlands and abroad.
Working at the Faculty of Science means working with students, PhD candidates and researchers, all with a clear focus on their field and a broad view of the world. We employ more than 1,250 staff members, and we are home to more than 11,000 students.
About the institute and department
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 Policy Analysis; Environmental Geography; and Water and Climate Risk. Since 2001 IVM has been part of the Faculty of Sciences at VU Amsterdam (legal name Stichting VU).
The department of Water and Climate Risk is a dynamic group of 45 international researchers, faculty members and PhD students within the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM). Explicit attention is given to the interaction between the hydrological and climate systems, and how these interactions lead to risk to society, the economy, and the environment. The focus is on water and climate extremes such as floods and droughts, to estimate impacts from these extremes on various economic sectors, and to examine which strategies can be developed to reduce impacts and risk. This requires the mapping of climate and water-related hazards, as well as the exposure of people and assets and their vulnerability, and estimating associated costs to reduce risk. Risk management and risk transfer strategies are evaluated in the context of both developed and developing countries. Model simulations, data processing, data assimilation and the integration of economic instruments, such as insurance, are key scientific strengths of the department.
Additional information
Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button and upload your curriculum vitae and cover letter by 20 October 2022.
Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.
Vacancy questions
If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, you may contact:
Name: Dr Elco Koks
Position: Assistant Professor
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.vu.nl/ivm
No agencies
Working at VU Amsterdam

Working at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam means contributing to a better world. Working beyond the confidence of your own field, working with an open mind and working for the benefit of society.

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