Would you like to contribute to a successful water transition? Do you have an interest in aquatic ecology, hydrology, and risk assessment? Are you looking for a Postdoc position where stakeholder interaction dynamics and teamwork are keys to success?

The Freshwater and Marine Ecology (FAME) department of the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) has a vacancy for an ambitious postdoctoral researcher in the DESTRESS project, as part of Biodiversa+ which is a European partnership focused on biodiversity to support excellent and impactful research.

The overall objective of DESTRESS is to provide guidance and actionable knowledge needed to balance freshwater needs between riverine biodiversity and human society. This enables a faster and more informed transition towards biodiversity-positive management and policies in river catchments with multiple functions. Together with partners in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands, the project will analyze the ability to detect biodiversity change based on existing spatial (EU Water Framework Directive) data and analyze the responses of a time series of European riverine macroinvertebrate communities to changes in hydrological regimes and contaminant exposures. The overall goal is to define Safe Operating Spaces for biodiversity protection in the context of changing hydrological regimes and contaminant exposure to support evidence-based implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.

What are you going to do?
You will compile existing European scale simulated data on contaminant concentrations and link these to ecological and biological trait compositions, abundance, and common biodiversity metrics for the macroinvertebrate time series. Contaminant concentrations will be converted into spatially explicit estimated toxicity towards stream biodiversity considering the summed effect of chemical mixtures based on relevant acute and chronic ecotoxicity databases. These data and correlations will be applied to pinpoint potential biodiversity tipping points in the high-resolution macroinvertebrate time series. This will be investigated using eco-epidemiological approaches, e.g., structural equation modeling, multi-variate statistics, and Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis. Consistency in identified tipping points and affiliated uncertainties using the different statistical approaches and biodiversity endpoints will be evaluated. In this correlation, we will also consider related factors such as land use and WFD river typologies.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• You will conduct independent research, resulting in academic publications in peer-reviewed international journals, in cooperation with other researchers in the DESTRESS project.
• Furthermore, we expect you to be an active member of our research group and to take part in teaching efforts, including assisting in practical courses and supervising bachelor and master students.

• A successfully completed PhD degree in environmental sciences with a focus on aquatic ecology, ecotoxicology and/or risk assessment;
• You are a committed researcher, demonstrated by publications in international refereed academic journals;
• You are experienced in supervising BSc and MSc research;
• You can demonstrate relevant scientific and technical skills and preferably have experience with model development;
• Good analytical and statistical skills, including the use of programming languages (eg R, Python);
• You have excellent English language and communication skills;
• You are a team player and can easily link to other scientific disciplines. Working together across disciplines is essential for the success of this position.

A postdoc position with a temporary contract for 38 hours per week for 18 months. The preferred starting date is as soon as possible.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 3.226,- tot € 5.090,- (scale 10). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile Researcher 4 is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• a complete educational program for postdocs via the PERC Graduate school;
• multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• partly paid parental leave;
• the possibility to set up a workplace at home (max 40% of time);
• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• help with your registration at UvA Staff Housing (application for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad).

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.

Faculty of Science

The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 30,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Together, we create a vibrant, challenging and well-equipped research environment at Amsterdam Science Park. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the systems underlying biological processes.

The Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics is one of eight research institutes of the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam. The research at IBED aims to unravel how ecosystems function in all their complexity, and how they change due to natural processes and human activities. At its core lies an integrated systems approach to study biodiversity, ecosystems and the environment. IBED adopts this systems approach to ecosystems, addressing abiotic and biotic factors, and the interplay between those. The IBED vision includes research encompassing experimental and theoretical approaches at a wide variety of temporal and spatial scales, i.e. from molecules and microorganisms to patterns and processes occurring at the global scale. The University of Amsterdam has excellent high performance computing facilities. Furthermore, IBED has a dedicated computational support team with specialized knowledge of bioinformatics, (geo)database management and scientific programming. IBED also works with non-academic partners to deliver transdisciplinary science for society.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.