Although based in Utrecht, both PhD candidates are expected and encouraged to participate in the Marie Curie Innovative Training Network. Three months of collaborative visits to European project partners are already planned, as well as co-operation with both PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and KWR Watercycle Research Institute.

For the first topic, the central research directions are: 

• assessment and downscaling of emission sources from the different water sectors by using the Socio-Economic Pathways as implemented in the IMAGE model and use backcasting scenarios based on maximum permissible risk levels in water bodies for 2050; 
• assessment of current and future chemical emissions, fate and effects in urban and agricultural systems for three selected regions (covering main European climates) depending on technological and governing regulations;
• a planned longer term visit to BOKU (Austria).

For the second topic, the central research directions are:

• to gain insight in a robust implementation of possible mitigation options to improve future surface water and groundwater quality and achieve a non-toxic aqueous environment in 2050. The research will focus on supply and demand to the water-system by households, energy, agriculture and industry sector. In this project we will make projections of future water use, and sector-specific demands for good water quality;
• to evaluate both technical and non-technical mitigation options to improve water quality and meet the goal of a non-toxic environment in 2050 at both river basin and local scale, also expressed in terms of adverse health effects;
• a planned longer term visit to NIVA (Norway).

We are looking for two candidates with a strong interest in multidisciplinary research.

Qualifications for the PhD candidate on topic 1:

• a MSc in Environmental Sciences, Hydrology, Risk Assessment, (Environmental) Chemistry or a related discipline; 
• affinity with dynamic modelling, as well as numeric literacy using for example C, python or Matlab;
• experience in working in multidisciplinary projects with multiple organizations is considered an asset, just as proven writing and communication skills.

Qualifications for the PhD candidate on topic 2: 

• a MSc in Environmental Sciences, Risk Assessment, Toxicology, (Environmental) Chemistry or a related discipline;
• affinity with data mining, statistics and/or dynamic modelling, and the ability to translate scenarios to mitigation options;
• experience in working in multidisciplinary projects with multiple organizations is considered an asset, just as proven writing and communication skills.

We offer two temporary positions (1.0 FTE) for four years. The gross salary ranges between €2,266 and €2,897 (scale P according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) gross 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. We offer a pension scheme, (partly paid) parental leave, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information is available at: working at Utrecht University.

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 has been ranked in the 2017 Academic Ranking of World Universities as the best university in the Netherlands, and as one of the leading research universities in Europe. Utrecht University’s sustainability research has the greatest citation impact worldwide according to a study conducted by Times Higher Education (2016).


The city of Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, with a charming old centre and an internationally oriented culture that is strongly influenced by its century-old university. Utrecht has been consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the Netherlands.

Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences offers education and research concerning the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and anthroposphere. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organized in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Urban & Regional Planning, Physical Geography, and the Department of Sustainable Development. The research of this Department is organized in the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development.  

The Copernicus Institute has been evaluated in a 2014 international review as the highest ranked Research Institute in Environmental Sciences in the Netherlands. Since then, the Institute has intensified its efforts in maintaining its leading position, among others by investing in several new international Faculty appointments and by developing new, internationally oriented teaching programmes.

The Marie Curie Innovative Training Network project EcoRisk2050 will start in fall 2018. This project brings together a world leading and interdisciplinary consortium of European universities, research institutes, industry and regulatory and governmental authorities in order to deliver a cohort of Early Stage Researchers (PhD candidates) who are able to apply novel approaches and innovative thinking to tackle the challenge of assessing environmental risks of emerging chemicals in a changing world. This will be achieved through an integrated programme of research exploring the implications of a range of global changes (including climate change, population increase, land use change, urbanisation, biological diversity changes, and of course changes in production and use of chemicals) on chemical risks.