Landscape fires inject (biomass burning) aerosol into the air where it affects human health and climate. Global aerosol models, combined with best estimates of fire emissions, underestimate aerosol optical thickness by a factor 2-5. Several explanations have been offered without a consensus on the solution. You will join one of the leading teams on this topic and use a diverse and complimentary set of remote sensing and in-situ observations as well as a combination of global and regional models to advance our understanding of biomass burning aerosols.
 Your duties

• Prepare a suite of remote sensing and in-situ datasets for model evaluation
• Run a global and regional aerosol model and conduct sensitivity studies
• Perform extensive model evaluation to understand remaining uncertainties
• Present results at conferences and in peer-reviewed publications

• PhD in Earth sciences, physics, chemistry or related discipline
• Experience with programming in FORTRAN, Python or a similar language
• Experience with aerosol models and/or remote sensing data 

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €2,709 (scale 10) and a maximum €4,274 (scale 10), depending on your education and experience. The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.9 FTE.

The initial employment contract will affect a period of 1 year, with the possibility of extension.

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. And to be a university where personal education and societal involvement play a leading role. Where people from different disciplines and backgrounds work together on innovations and on generating new knowledge. Our teaching and research embrace the whole spectrum of science – from the humanities, the social sciences and the pure sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 24,500 students. We employ more than 4,600 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible, located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
Diversity is one of our university’s core values. We are an inclusive community, and we believe that diversity and international activities enhance the quality of education and research. We are always looking for people who can enhance diversity on our campus thanks to their background and experience.

The Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science inspires researchers and students to find sustainable solutions for complex societal issues. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to medicines and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research programmes cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. We share knowledge and experience with leading research institutes and industries, both here in the Netherlands and abroad.

Working at the Faculty of Science means working with students, PhD candidates and researchers, all with a clear focus on their field and a broad view of the world. We employ more than 1,250 staff members, and we are home to around 6,000 students.
 
About the project
This project aims to better understand biomass burning aerosol by evaluating models with large complimentary set of observations that include measurements of aerosol abundance, size and composition as well as certain trace gases. To work with such a diverse set of data, a new tool will be used (www.cistools.net).