This position is one of two new positions (at the VUA) within the European project “NUNATARYUK”. Nunataryuk stands for "land-to-sea" in Inuvialuktun, the traditional language spoken by the Inuvialuit in the western Canadian Arctic. The project consists of 28 participants throughout Europe and its main goal is to determine the impacts of thawing land, coastal, and subsea permafrost on the global climate and on humans in the Arctic and to develop targeted and co-designed adaptation and mitigation strategies. VUA is workpackage leader on coastal permafrost and will aim to quantify arctic coastal erosion retreat rates as well as to quantify lateral fluxes from coastal erosion and high-arctic coastal watersheds in order to establish a pan-arctic budget for the nearshore zone.
 
The goal of the PhD student research is to establish lateral flux budgets for near-coastal, high-arctic watersheds. He/she will have to perform literature data mining in combination with field campaigns in remote Arctic locations in order to generate baseline data. These data will be combined with satellite imagery analysis (high-resolution) and mapping classification analysis to characterize the spatial controls on fluxes. Geochemical analysis on collected samples, as well as leaching and incubation experiments will provide further information on quality of exported material. The research goals will be a collaborative effort between VUA and colleagues at Stockholm University, Alfred Wegener Institute, and University of Oslo.
The applicant should be able to deal with complex logistical issues, challenging field conditions (primitive living conditions, mosquitos, difficult terrain, cold temperatures) and will spend a substantial amount of time abroad. He/she will collaborate closely with the current VUA group members, as well as other European Nunataryuk participants. He/she will have to contribute in teaching (field) courses. He/she is expected to write scientific papers for international peer-reviewed journals, present his/her results on national and international conferences, and finalize the work in a PhD thesis.

• MSc. in environmental or earth sciences or related field but with proven interest in earth sciences;
• strong scientific motivation;
• hands-on, creative attitude, and ability to work independently in challenging conditions;
• affinity with working with geochemical laboratory techniques;
• affinity with remote sensing/high-resolution satellite imagery;
• excellent ability to communicate in both written and spoken English;
• good social skills and previous field experience;
• holder of driver’s license;
• willingness to spend substantial time abroad.

The appointment will initially be for 1 year. After satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years. Planned project start is December 1st, 2017.
 
You can find information about our excellent fringe benefits of employment at www.workingatvu.nl like:
• remuneration of 8,3% end-of-year bonus and 8% holiday allowance;
• a minimum of 29 holidays in case of full-time employment;
• generous contribution (65%) commuting allowance based on public transport.

The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel, and ranges from a minimum of € 2222,00 gross per month up to a maximum of € 2840,00 gross per month based on fulltime employment (salary scale 85) for a PhD position.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) is a leading, innovative and growing university that is at the heart of society and actively contributes to new developments in teaching and research. Our university has ten faculties, and provides work for over 4,500 staff and scientific education for more than 23,000 students.

http://www.vu.nl/en/index.asp

At the department of Earth Sciences, we study our dynamic planet from nano- to planetary scale. We quantify the key cycles and interactions in system Earth over timescales from seconds to millions of years by combining fieldwork, lab work and computer simulations. By bringing to bear our fundamental understanding of system Earth and our fresh curiosity we conduct research that is relevant for today’s societal challenges including sustainability, climate change and natural hazards. The department’s research facilities are regarded as outstanding, while the department’s international focus fosters national and international collaboration, both contributing to high-quality and high-impact research outcomes.