Methane emissions are a key driver of global temperature rise, contributing 0.3–0.8°C since pre-industrial times. Reducing these emissions is essential for mitigating climate change. Join the EU-funded Investigating Methane for Climate Action (IM4CA) project to pioneer field-based methane measurements using mobile platforms, driving innovation in emission quantification to support global climate action.

Your job
Robust quantification of emissions is needed to get reliable estimates on the emission reductions and to evaluate emission mitigation strategies. Mobile measurements close to the sources can be used for reliable emission quantification. As part of the IM4CA project, you will use mobile measurements on vehicle and drone platforms to quantify emissions in target regions in North-Western and South-Eastern Europe. A special focus of the IM4CA project is to make such measurements more standardised and reliable.

You as postdoctoral researcher will carry out regular field trips to quantify emissions from important source sectors of methane. In IM4CA we focus on the agriculture, waste and fossil fuel sectors and you will carry out a variety of activities to improved emission quantification.

• You will operate vehicle- and drone-borne instruments close to selected sources estimate emissions.
• You will characterise the temporal variation (months) and intermittency of emissions.
• You contribute to the standardisation and quality control of emission measurement approaches.

You have completed a PhD degree in physics, chemistry or another area related to environmental sciences with a strong quantitative mathematical background and practical technical skills. You already have good background knowledge on atmospheric composition and greenhouse gas cycles and experience with greenhouse gas emission measurements. In addition, you recognise yourself in one or multiple of the following characteristics:

• You enjoy hands-on work with scientific instruments.
• You are highly motivated for measurement campaigns with diverse teams.
• You are skilled in data processing and analysis, ideally with Python.
• You are passionate about environmental processes, climate change, and reducing greenhouse gases.
• You are a team player, self-motivated for greater responsibility in consortiums.

We offer:

• a position for three years;
• a fulltime working week and a gross monthly salary between €3,345 and €5,278 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale 10 under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

Universiteit Utrecht

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

Working at the Faculty of Science means bringing together inspiring people across disciplines and with a variety of perspectives and backgrounds. The Faculty has six departments: Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Information & Computing Sciences, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Together, we work on excellent research and inspiring education. We do so, driven by curiosity and supported by outstanding infrastructure. Visit us on LinkedIn and discover how you can become part of our community.

The Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht (IMAU) offers a unique research and teaching environment, in which the fundamentals of the climate system are studied. Research is organised in five themes: Atmospheric Dynamics, Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry, Coastal and Shelf Sea Dynamics, Ice and Climate and Oceans and Climate. In 2017, IMAU research quality and impact were qualified as 'world leading' by an international visitation committee. Currently, IMAU employs 15 faculty members and 10 support staff and some 20 postdocs and 20 PhD candidates.

If you have any questions that you’d like us to answer, please contact Thomas Röckmann at t.roeckmann@uu.nl.

Do you have a question about the application procedure? Please send an email to science.recruitment@uu.nl.