The Geoscience and Engineering department of TU Delft is looking for a PhD to work in the interdisciplinary project UrbanAIR.

With advanced weather models we can forecast atmospheric circulation at smaller and smaller scales. High-resolution simulations of the urban air flows form the basis of so-called digital twins that support decision making. Digital twins simulate different atmospheric scenarios in a changing climate and urban landscape. By quantifying the uncertainties in these projections, digital twins support the planning of climate adaptation and mitigation in cities. Where should we plant trees? Should we opt for high-rise buildings or keep the buildings low? What can we do to mitigate urban heat islands and keep the city cool?

To answer such questions, data assimilation systematically combines numerical models with data to explore different possibilities of what the true system could be like. Designing a data-assimilation method that can deal with the nonlinearity of the small-scale atmospheric circulation using a limited number of observations is not straightforward. Methods that can deal with the nonlinear dynamics of the urban atmosphere can be computationally demanding, and recent innovations suggest that efficiency can be improved.

To tackle this challenge, you will team up with UrbanAIR partners NORCE and TU Ilmenau to co-develop an improved data assimilation strategy for application in the urban atmosphere that can also be applied in other complex systems. You will explore recently developed methods and develop an enhanced data-assimilation approach that allows decision-makers to evaluate different scenarios against their decision criteria. The resulting approach will then be embedded into a digital twin of urban atmospheric circulation that will be co-designed with stakeholders in the cities of Barcelona, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Paris, and Bristol. In this multi- and transdisciplinary project, you will join the UrbanAIR project funded by the EU Horizon Europe funding programme. It involves five departments of TU Delft and 18 international partners across industry, academia and government.

As a PhD student at TU Delft, you will:

• Familiarize yourself with nonlinear data-assimilation methods such as the particle flow filter, the ensemble transform filter, and the ensemble transport filter
• Co-develop a scalable, adaptive, nonlinear data assimilation method based on recently developed methods
• Explore innovative strategies to adapt the method to application for urban air circulation
• Implement the resulting algorithm into a digital twin for application in selected cities in Europe.

This four-year project is part of a collaboration between TU Delft, TU Ilmenau, Germany, and NORCE in Bergen, Norway within the framework of the EU-funded project UrbainAIR. You will join TU Delft’s Department of Geoscience & Engineering, where you will find a vibrant and collaborative environment in which you will have the opportunity to interact with experts and fellow PhD candidates in data assimilation, atmospheric modelling, and numerical simulation. You will be encouraged to learn new skills and develop your own ideas, and you will share your findings at conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. These experiences will pave the way for diverse career paths in research institutes, governmental agencies, industry, (environmental) consultancy or academia.

Our new colleague

• holds a master’s degree in meteorology, oceanography, (geo)physics, applied mathematics/statistics, or a similar field.
• wants to make a societal impact, and at the same time uses their skills for abstract or mathematical thinking.
• has a keen interest in data assimilation and digital twinning, and is excited to explore their applications in complex environmental systems.
• has experience with Python or a similar programming language. Experience with computationally intensive numerical methods is a plus.
• is a highly motivated and self-driven researcher, capable of working both independently and as part of a team.
• has an excellent command of written and spoken English.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2872 per month in the first year to € 3670 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. 

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

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 as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

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 availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced of the importance of open science 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.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Femke Vossepoel (ft.nl" target="_blank">;F.C.Vossepoel@tudelft.nl)