The Ecology and Biodiversity group within the Department of Biology is seeking a creative and forward-thinking Ecologist to complement and strengthen its team. You will be challenged to develop strong research links with the other members of the research group in addition to developing your own research line within the group. Specifically, we are looking for a Researcher who can bridge the gap between above and below ground ecological processes that regulate biodiversity and functioning in our rapidly changing world. In addition, you are excited about contributing to the application of research results to the daily practice of ecological resource management and/or nature conservation. Taking an evolutionary perspective in your research is seen as an advantage. You will be encouraged to actively seek funding for new research projects through personal, national, European and other international grant opportunities and supervise the research of Postdoctoral Researchers, PhD candidates, Master’s students, and Bachelor's students. Furthermore, you have the ambition to actively participate in teaching activities of the group at Bachelor's and Master's levels, especially with respect to strengthening teaching within the ecology and evolution study paths.  

You will start as an Assistant Professor and enter a five-year tenure track. At the beginning of the track, you will be asked to formulate a career development plan that outlines the goals of the track for research, teaching and personal development. Upon a positive evaluation, you will be awarded a permanent position.

To excel in this role, you are

• a terrestrial Ecologist with affinity for evolutionary perspectives;
• someone with the ability to link above and below ground processes and interactions that regulate biodiversity;
• willing to collaborate with stakeholders to apply research results in ecological resource management and/or nature conservation;
• the type of Researcher who is open to intense collaboration with fellow staff members, especially within the Utrecht University Biodiversity and Climate Variability Experiment (UU BioCliVE);
• an enthusiastic and creative educator who is able to strengthen the UU’s curriculum in ecology and evolution.

• a full-time tenure track position for 5 years which will be subject to a mid-term evaluation after approximately 2.5 years and an end-term evaluation. If evaluations are positive after 5 years, the position becomes permanent;
• a full-time gross salary - depending on previous qualifications and experience - ranging between €3,746 and €5,127 (scale 11 at the level of Assistant Professor (universitair docent; UD) according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities (cao)) per month;
• benefits including 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions based on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities.
• the research group is dedicated to provide you with necessary support on all aspects during the tenure track period, including appropriate training and mentorship.

In addition to the employment conditions laid down in the cao for Dutch Universities, Utrecht University has a number of its own arrangements. For example, there are agreements on professional development, leave arrangements and sports. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment yourself via the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This way we like to encourage you to continue to grow.

More information about working at the Faculty of Science can be found here.

The Ecology and Biodiversity research group has the mission to understand and predict biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in a changing world. We investigate the mechanisms that regulate biodiversity and allow for the maintenance of ecosystem functioning in our changing world. We seek to obtain a process-based, mechanistic understanding of community assembly, species interactions and functional responses in order to predict the future impact of climate and land-use changes on biodiversity and ecosystem functions such as carbon sequestration, water safety and disease suppression. We pay special attention to the movement of organisms and above and below ground species interactions, from 'micro' to landscape scale.

At the Faculty of Science there are 6 departments to make a fundamental connection with: Biology, Chemistry, Information and Computing Sciences, Mathematics, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Physics. Each of these is made up of distinct institutes which work together to focus on answering some of humanity’s most pressing problems. More fundamental still are the individual research groups – the building blocks of our ambitious scientific projects.

Utrecht University is a friendly and ambitious university at the heart of an ancient city. We love to welcome new scientists to our city – a thriving cultural hub that is consistently rated as one of the world’s happiest cities. We are renowned for our innovative interdisciplinary research and our emphasis on inspirational research and excellent education. We are equally well-known for our familiar atmosphere and the can-do attitude of our people. This fundamental connection attracts Researchers, Professors and PhD candidates from all over the globe, making both the university and the Faculty of Science a vibrant international and wonderfully diverse community.