As part of a joint project, the Department of Physical Geography at Utrecht University and TNO - Geological Survey of the Netherlands seek a highly motivated, high-potential applicant for a PhD position to work within a research project funded by the Geological Survey: "Climate, sea-level and landscape changes during Marine Isotope Stage 5 in the southern North Sea basin".

The project will focus on the Eemian - Weichselian Early Glacial period, correlating to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5, which is an important geological analogue for current environmental change. Onset and termination of this interval are of particular interest as landscape and sea level, driven by climate, have changed rapidly. MIS 5 has been studied intensively in onshore setting of the North Sea basin, but offshore conditions are much less known. This project aims to make a spatially coherent analysis of climate, landscape and sea level changes during the onset and termination of MIS 5 offshore the Netherlands. The candidate, part of a multidisciplinary team, will use micropalaeontology (palynology, diatoms), dating and 3D mapping techniques to produce an integrated reconstruction.

The advisory team is highly interdisciplinary and includes project leaders Dr Timme Donders (Supervisor, UU) and Dr Freek Busschers (Supervisor, TNO), Dr Sytze van Heteren (Supervisor, TNO) and Prof Friederike Wagner-Cremer (promotor, UU). The research will be performed at the Department of Physical Geography (UU) and the Geological Survey of the Netherlands (TNO).

Up to 10% of the candidate's time will be dedicated to assisting in the BSc and MSc teaching programmes of the Graduate School of Geosciences. A personalized training programme will be set up, mutually agreed on recruitment, to strengthen the candidate's research profile, adding skills and filling knowledge gaps. It will supplement and support the project related research and help achieve long-term career objectives.

We seek a highly motivated PhD candidate with affinity for palaeoecology and sedimentary systems. Your drive is to study past environmental dynamics by means of palaeo-environmental and sedimentary reconstructions to understand long-term processes in climate, sea level and landscape development.

• a MSc degree in Quaternary Geology, Physical Geography, Palaeoecology, Paleobiology, or a closely related discipline;
• a strong motivation to do independent PhD research;
• significant experience in one or more of the following research fields: sedimentary systems, subsurface mapping, palynology, palaeoecology, palaeoclimatology, (bio)chemistry, biology;
• preferably experience in the use of (geo)statistical analyses and programming language;
• a keen interest in 3D mapping;
• proficiency in Dutch - needed to understand and work with the Survey’s subsurface database - and English;
• demonstrable scientific writing, project planning and oral communication potential;
• an enthusiastic mindset as a team player.

We offer a position (1.0 FTE) for the duration of four years. The gross salary ranges between €2,325 in the first year and €2,972 in year 4 (scale P according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year. In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). Facilities for sports and child care are available on our main campus which is located only 15 minutes away from the historical city centre of Utrecht. More information about working at Utrecht University can be found here.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth's core to its surface, including man's spatial and material utilisation of the Earth - always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,480 students (BSc and MSc) and 726 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development. The Faculty of Geosciences offers education and research concerning the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and anthroposphere. 

The Department of Physical Geography conducts research and teaching and is responsible for the BSc and MSc Earth Sciences programme. Within the department of Physical Geography, the research groups carry out top quality fundamental research that focuses on natural hazards, natural and human-induced morphodynamics and sedimentary processes, patterns and products in coastal, fluvial and terrestrial environments, and their response to global change. Besides, the department has expertise in the spatio-dynamic, integrated modelling of soil water-vegetation dynamics, earth observation, geostatistics, data-assimilation methods and global scale hydrological modelling in the context of global change. TNO - Geological survey of the Netherlands - operates the national geoscientific databases DINO and BRO, creates 3-D models of the Dutch subsurface in order to identify resource and geohazard potential, and advises the government on a variety of geological matters. Our 3-D models predict the architecture and characteristics of the Dutch subsurface down to depths of about 5 km. Mapping, including supporting research activities, is carried out by the Geomodelling Department. It consists of approximately 60 highly enthusiastic professionals, most of whom have a background in the Earth Sciences. Currently, 3D mapping is being extended into the offshore domain. New scientific insights from the North Sea area form an essential basis for this. Equally important, they help us explain changes in the past and predict possible future changes in climate and sea level, and understand their impact on society.