The Department of Earth Sciences at Utrecht University has an opening for a very motivated and high-potential colleague with both research and teaching interests and expertise in (Environmental) Hydrogeology. You should have an appreciation for, and in-depth knowledge of, hydrogeological transport phenomena, and for offering education in this field. On average, the department aims for equal contributions in educational and research activities for its entire tenured academic staff.

You are expected to supervise and train PhD students and to contribute to both BSc and MSc courses in the Utrecht Earth Sciences curriculum. Note that an important teaching responsibility for you as the potential candidate is related to the (existing) MSc course Hydrogeological Transport Phenomena, which is one of the key courses offered by the Environmental Hydrogeology Group (EHG) at Utrecht University.

The department combines research and teaching in Earth Sciences with related science and engineering disciplines. You will ideally conduct research in collaboration with a wide range of groups within and outside the department where a multi-disciplinary approach is encouraged. The current research spectrum of the EHG ranges from rather fundamental research (related to the pore-scale processes concerning dynamic multi-phase fluid flow and reactive solute transport) to applied research questions (including clogging of water supply wells and fast high-volume injection in the subsurface), typically meeting the needs of society. The wide fundamental knowledge of transport in porous media, together with the established integrated experimental and computational laboratory, has enabled EHG to perform cutting-edge research in diverse fields of engineering, geosciences, and biomechanics.

Your research interests may range from fundamental Earth Science research (e.g., modelling and experimental techniques for quantitative analysis of hydrogeological processes at the local and/or (regional) field scale), to applied topics such as geothermal energy, seasonal storage of thermal energy, flow and transport of contaminants, seawater intrusion, drinking water production and artificial recharge.

You are a strong team player with excellent communication and networking skills. You are focused on achieving multidisciplinary research targets and participating in the acquisition of research funding and advanced new equipment. A minimum experience of two years as a Postdoctoral Researcher is highly recommended.

As a successful candidate you should:

• have a PhD degree in Earth Sciences, Hydrogeology or a relevant (natural) science;
• be skilled in conducting laboratory-, field- and regional-scale experiments or analysis, preferably with a link towards issues relevant for society;
• be skilled in numerical and/or mathematical modelling of hydrogeological flow and transport processes;
• be willing to actively acquire competitive research grants and actively develop new research lines;
• be committed to conducting multi- and interdisciplinary research;
• have strong communication, networking and organisational skills;
• have an outstanding record of academic research reflected in high-quality publications;
• have obtained a basic teaching qualification (at Utrecht University BKO or equivalent), or be willing to obtain this qualification in the near future (in principal within two years);
• be an inspiring mentor to BSc, MSc and PhD students;
• have a keen eye for, and be willing to actively participate in public outreach.

You are expected to have an excellent level of English. Within two years of the appointment, Dutch language skills should be at the level of practical communication.

A full-time position will be offered at the Assistant Professor level at Utrecht University, initially for a period of two years. Halfway through the second year an evaluation for extension will be made for two more years. At the latest halfway through the fourth year an assessment will be made to evaluate whether the position should be converted into a tenured position or should end after four years.

Employment conditions are based on the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. Based on your experience and qualifications, the gross monthly salary starts in the first year at a minimum of €3,475 and a maximum of €5,405 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, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). You’ll find more information about working at Utrecht University here.

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

The Faculty of Geosciences at Utrecht University offers a wide spectrum of education and research applied to the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and anthroposphere. The Faculty is committed to interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration, and plays a key role in the Dutch national research structure. It embodies four departments: Earth Sciences; Physical Geography; Innovation, Environmental & Energy Sciences; and Human Geography & Spatial Planning.

The Department of Earth Sciences is the largest academic Earth Sciences institute in the Netherlands, and among the larger ones in Europe. We conduct teaching and research across the full range of the Solid Earth and Environmental Earth Sciences, with activities covering most areas of geology, geochemistry, geophysics, biogeosciences and hydrogeology. The department is an international organisation hosting over 45 tenured scientists and more than 100 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. The research programmes in Earth Sciences are structured around four overarching focus themes: Climate and Life, Earth interior, Earth materials, and Environmental Earth Sciences. The department has advanced laboratory facilities on campus, including the joint Utrecht University, Deltares, and TNO environmental laboratory 'Utrecht Castel', the Electron Microscopy centre ‘EM Square’, the Paleomagnetic Laboratory ‘Fort Hoofddijk’, and the new solid Earth cluster ‘Earth Simulation Laboratory’. In addition, the department offers an extensive high-end computing infrastructure.