PhD candidate: ML-based prediction of flood types

PhD candidate: ML-based prediction of flood types based on atmospheric and catchment attributes
Are you interested in how floods are generated and which processes can lead to floods? Do you want to understand how extreme events manifest and how they differ in space and time? Do you want combine statistical and physical knowledge to understand patterns and coherences of these events? Then we may have the perfect opportunity for you!

We are looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate to join our team (18 months with the intention for extension to up to four years, full time, fully funded) at the Hydrology and Environmental Hydraulics Group at Wageningen University. The position is based within the NWO-funded VIDI project “FutureFlood - Future-proof flood prediction” to develop novel classification methods for understanding the generating processes of flood events in both the atmosphere and catchment and to be able to predict the upcoming flood type, e.g. heavy-rainfall flood or rain-on-snow flood.

As PhD candidate you will compare several machine-learning based algorithms regarding their ability to predict the flood type based on atmospheric and catchment conditions and regarding their accuracy and sensitivity to the input data. A variety of algorithms will be tested, including ANNs, WNNs, SVM and CART, with the possible extension to fuzzy-based algorithms. You will base your work on two different flood classification approaches, namely a hydrology-based one and a hydrograph-based one and compare these regarding their ability to capture flood types and be used for prediction. Test cases will be selected around the globe to cover different climate zones and hydrologically diverse catchments, including the Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany and Brazil. You will analyse how the relevant flood-generating processes differ in space and time. In a second step, you will expand the developed classification framework to investigate how flood types will change under different climate change scenarios based climate projections.

This framework will be ultimately included in a flood prediction model, which will be developed within the VIDI project. For this purpose, you will exchange with the project team on regular basis. You will exchange with stakeholders in the case study regions to receive feedback on the applicability of the framework.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Development of a flood classification framework for flood type prediction
• Comparison of different ML algorithms in a sensitivity study
• Communication with stakeholders
• Development of open source programme code (preferably as a software package)
• Exchange within the VIDI project to embed the results in flood prediction

You will work here
We are the Hydrology and Environmental Hydraulics Group (HWM), a dynamic and committed team of 15 academics, 5 support staff, 4 postdocs and 24 PhD researchers. Our focus is on hydrology and environmental hydraulics, which we combine to understand and quantify hydrological processes in catchments, aquifers, rivers and deltas. We develop novel sensing techniques, create models and perform field and lab experiments to advance process understanding.

You will be supervised by Svenja Fischer, Ryan Teuling and Claudia Brauer.

For this project, we are looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate. You have a collaborative, curious, and creative mindset and are able to evaluate critically. You have experience in programming (preferably R or Python) and in the processing and analysis of data sets, preferably with the focus on hydrological processes. You have obtained knowledge in statistics, especially in clustering and pattern analysis. Experience with machine-learning algorithms is a plus. You are open to work in a team and to communicate with different partners from university, water boards and research institutes.

You also possess:

• A successfully completed MSc degree in: hydrology, earth systems, statistics or a similar research area
• Advanced programming skills (preferably R or Python)
• Analytical skills with advanced statistical knowledge

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• Partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 3.059,- per month rising to € 3.881,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. We can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.