Do you have a genuine interest in landscape fires and resilience? And in developing a new integrated fire management model based on social, economic, cultural and ecological values? Are you up for an interdisciplinary challenge, looking and learning beyond your own field and assumptions? With an international team that is inclusive, collaborative, creative and open minded? Then we are looking for you!

15 PhD positions in PyroLife Innovative Training Network on integrated fire management

The 2018 wildfire season was a glimpse of what to expect in the future: deadly mega-fires in Mediterranean regions and high fire activity in temperate and boreal areas outside the typical Spring fire season. We cannot solve this challenge with the old mono-disciplinary approach of fire suppression: there is a critical need to change fire management from fire resistance to landscape resilience: Living with Fire. This requires a new type of diverse experts, who not only understand fire, but who are also able to communicate risks and engage with communities, deal with uncertainty, and link scientific disciplines as well as science and practice.

The new Innovative Training Network PyroLife will train the new generation of interdisciplinary experts in integrated fire management, acknowledging that 1) knowledge transfer from southern Europe (and worldwide) to temperate Europe can support the new generation of experts; and 2) fire risk planning, communication and management can learn from cross-risk lessons including temperate European expertise in water management. In doing so, this project combines how the North solves community problems with the fire knowledge of the European South.

We are hiring 15 PhD candidates across Southern and Northwest Europe and across a range of scientific disciplines, from social sciences and policy to environmental sciences and engineering. We are looking for a diverse group of creative and open minded Early Stage Researchers who are able to link innovative science to society, and communicate with media, stakeholders, and policy makers.

These 15 positions are open at 6 universities, 2 research institutes, a foundation and a company across Southern and Northwest Europe. For an overview of all positions, please visit https://pyrolife.lessonsonfire.eu/

PhD Topic description
Post-fire rainstorms can mobilize the products of combustion such as ash that contaminate rivers with heavy metals and high carbon contents. This can pose a critical risk to industry and public health. However the threat posed and the control of wildfire fire size, severity and location on this threat are not known. This PhD research will focus on the effects of spring and summer fires on ash production and carbon flows from temperate European fire events. It will determine the impact of this ash on water quality within the highly publicised 2018 Saddleworth wildfire, UK, and identify the spatio-temporal controls on post fire water quality across temperate and Mediterranean regions.

The candidate will be based at Wageningen University, Netherlands, with secondments within the University of Birmingham, UK, and with industry partners Águas de Portugal Serviços to analyse Portuguese water contamination. At Wageningen University, the candidate will work at the Soil Geography and Landscape Group

Specific skills

• Recent Master of Science degree in earth sciences: e.g. soil science, hydrology, wildfire science, environmental chemistry or another suitably related discipline;
• Affinity with fieldwork

General skills

• A genuine interest in landscape fire and resilience, and the social, economic, cultural and ecological dimensions involved. Experience with (the management of) fire, forests, water, storms or other risks is appreciated;
• Ambition to obtain a PhD degree, and become a scientific expert able to convert knowledge and ideas into products and services, for social and economic benefit;
• Good communication skills and good proficiency in English (both oral and written);
• Willingness to (learn how to) communicate risk, make inter- and transdisciplinary linkages;
• Willingness to travel including moving to another country for the PhD project, completing two 4-month secondments in Europe or abroad, and travel to international training courses and any fieldwork;
• Ability to function as a team member, work independently and take responsibility for own research goals;
• Meet the mobility and early stage researcher requirements defined for the MSCA-ITN projects.

Mobility and early career requirements
Applicants should comply to the EU rules regarding ITN projects:
(https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/other/guides_for_applicants/h2020-guide-appl-msca-itn_en.pdf). The most important rules are that you should not have a doctoral degree, have obtained your Master degree within the last four years (full-time equivalent research experience) and should not have spent more than 12 months of your time during the last 3 years in The Netherlands.

We offer a full-time position, initially for 18 months after which a go/no go decision will be taken on extension with another 30 months. Gross salary per month € 2.325,-- in the first year, rising to € 2.971,= per month in the fourth year, for a fulltime appointment

IN ADDITION WE OFFER

• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% fixed-year allowance;
• excellent training opportunities and secondary working conditions;
• flexible working hours and vacations can in consultation with colleagues be settled so that an optimal balance between work and private is possible;
• an excellent pension scheme via ABP;
• 232 holiday hours, the ability to purchase and good supplementary leave arrangements and an individualized model to compose part of your working conditions and a bicycle plan;
• sports facilities available on the campus;
• we stimulate internal growth opportunities and mobility with an active and internal recruitment policy. There are ample opportunities for own initiative in a creative learning environment.

Wageningen University & Research

The mission of our University is "To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life". Within Wageningen University & Research, nine specialised research institutes from the Wageningen Research Foundation and Wageningen University have joined forces to help answer the most important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With approximately 30 locations, 6,500 employees, and 10,000 students, it is one of the leading organisations in its domain worldwide. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of the unique approach of Wageningen.

The Soil, Geography and Landscape Group has a mission to improve and share understanding of soil patterns and landscape dynamics. The group takes an integrative approach that combines biophysical and human elements to gain insight in past, present and future system dynamics, and to support sustainable land management.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. Furthermore, given our active policy to be as inclusive as possible as employer, we explicitly invite women and minority candidates to apply.