The tenure track candidate is expected to work as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Water and Climate Risk of the Institute for Environment Studies (IVM). Over time, the tenure track candidate will write innovative proposals to acquire external funds, thereby establishing a personal research domain within the field of climate risk and water management. The candidate is expected to develop unique expertise in risk and adaptation dynamics using Agent Based Modelling. Besides research, the candidate will be responsible for teaching at Bachelor and Master levels within the field of water management and climate adaptation. In principle, teaching and research are strongly linked, allowing for mutual cross-fertilization. While collaborating closely with colleagues within the field of water and climate risk, the candidate is also expected to engage in interdisciplinary research working together with other scientific disciplines, such as economics, geography, ecology, hydrology and climatology. The candidate should have excellent programming skills, have experience with data processing, and experience working at various geographical scales, including local/city level. The candidate should show academic leadership, maintain a high publication output, and raise competitive research funding. On the longer term, the candidate is expected to build up a successful group around his/her field of expertise.

Your duties

• develop your own research domain
• write research proposals for external funding
• teach and supervise BSc and MSc student projects
• recruit and co-supervise PhD researchers
• conduct innovative research
• fulfil limited managerial duties

• have a PhD degree in Water and Climate Risk or related field and key expertise in risk assessment and Agent Based Modelling, programming, data processing, and evaluation techniques
• have experience in leading projects in water risk assessment in cities, and strong ties with water research institutes in The Netherlands and Amsterdam
• have experience in academic teaching and strong quantitative methodological skills

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €3,637 (scale 11) and a maximum €4,978 (scale 11), depending on your education and experience. The job profile is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.8 FTE.

The desired starting date is 1 September 2019. We offer a tenure-track position at the level of Assistant Professor, initially for the duration of 6 years. Within an agreed period, tenure could be achieved if the faculty criteria for Assistant Professor are fulfilled. During the tenure, the performance will be evaluated in terms of teaching, publication record, and acquisition of prestigious personal grants or equivalent project funding. After a successful evaluation, permanent employment will be granted.

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• contribution to commuting expenses

https://workingat.vu.nl/vacancies

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. And to be a university where personal education and societal involvement play a leading role. Where people from different disciplines and backgrounds work together on innovations and on generating new knowledge. Our teaching and research embrace the whole spectrum of science – from the humanities, the social sciences and the pure sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.
 
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 23,000 students. We employ more than 4,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible, located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity is one of our university’s core values. We are an inclusive community, and we believe that diversity and international activities enhance the quality of education and research. We are always looking for people who can enhance diversity on our campus thanks to their background and experience.

The Faculty of Science inspires researchers and students to find sustainable solutions for complex societal issues. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to medicines and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research programmes cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. We share knowledge and experience with leading research institutes and industries, both here in the Netherlands and abroad.

Working at the Faculty of Science means working with students, PhD candidates and researchers, all with a clear focus on their field and a broad view of the world. We employ more than 1,250 staff members, and we are home to around 6,000 students.

About the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
Established in 1971, IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognized for its high quality research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. The mission of the institute is to contribute to sustainable development and care for the environment through scientific research and teaching. IVM aims to do excellent problem-oriented research that is useful to a wide range of stakeholders in the Netherlands and internationally. A unique strength of our research is to understand sustainability problems in their social and economic context. IVM’s research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Policy Analysis; Environmental Geography; and Water and Climate Risk. Since 2001 IVM has been part of the Faculty of Sciences at VU Amsterdam (legal name Stichting VU-VUmc).

About the department
The department of Water and Climate Risk is a dynamic group of 45 international researchers, faculty members and PhD students within the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM). Explicit attention is given to the interaction between the hydrological and climate systems, and how these interactions lead to risk to society, the economy, and the environment. The focus is on water and climate extremes such as floods and droughts, to estimate impacts from these extremes on various economic sectors, and to examine which strategies can be developed to reduce impacts and risk. This requires the mapping of climate and water-related hazards, as well as the exposure of people and assets and their vulnerability, and estimating associated costs to reduce risk. Risk management and risk transfer strategies are evaluated in the context of both developed and developing countries. Model simulations, data processing, data assimilation and the integration of economic instruments, such as insurance, are key scientific strengths of the department.