An ambitious field trial in the Netherlands employs the situ-stabilization techniques of aeration and leachate recirculation to reduce long-term emissions from landfills and bring them out of aftercare within the next decade. This large-scale pilot project started in 2017, is world-leading and potentially transformative for the landfill industry in developing and demonstrating a new approach to post-closure management.

Within the context of these field trials we are running the NWO project CURE: “Coupled multi-process research for reducing landfill emissions”. This project is a collaboration between the TU Delft, Wageningen University Research, University of Southampton and the University of Delaware. Currently, four PhD researchers and two Postdocs are working in the project.

One of the key challenges to successful in-situ stabilization is the preferential flow of gas and water through the waste body. We are seeking a researcher to develop and apply liquid and gas tracer testing on full field scale to elucidate flow pathways within the waste body, using numerical techniques to interpret results. This will enable us to establish the efficiency of recirculation and aeration in reaching different regions of the heterogeneous, anisotropic waste body and how this impacts on contaminant release.

In this project you collaborate with the research team of the TU Delft, the University of Southampton and the University of Delaware as well as with the industry partners Afvalzorg Holding , Attero and the Dutch Sustainable Landfill Foundation.

• MSc degree and/or PhD in Earth Sciences, Biogeosciences, Civil Engineering, or Hydrology;
• Knowledge and field experience in the fields of vadose zone transport processes, fluid mechanics, geotechnical engineering;
• Strong affinity to field-scale technical instrumentation and field work;
• Ability to plan and work independently within a team environment;
• Good communication skills;
• Driving license (mandatory).

Fixed-term contract: 3 years.

• A salary according to the Collective Labor Agreement of the Dutch Universities, plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers.
• Flexible working week.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.

Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context. At TU Delft we embrace diversity and aim to be as inclusive as possible (see our Code of Conduct). Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale.

Challenge. Change. Impact! 

Faculty Civil Engineering & Geosciences

The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource depletion, urbanisation and the availability of clean water, conducted  in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced that Open Science helps to achieve our goals and supports its scientists in integrating Open Science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences.