Postdoc position in the simulation of coastal plastic pollution

In this postdoctoral position, you will contribute to a major research project to improve our understanding of macroplastic pollution in coastal seas. Working at the intersection of numerical modelling and observations, you will develop simulations that support both scientific insight and practical applications.

Your job
Plastic items larger than a few centimeters (macroplastics) are a very visible testament of the pollution in the ocean and have an impact on marine organisms, and even more so when they fragment into microplastics. However, the amount of macroplastic can vary by orders of magnitude on scales of kilometers and days. In this large project funded by an NWO Vici grant, our team will develop a new numerical tool to understand this variation and predict the amount of macroplastic on Northwest European seas and coasts. Such a tool could be used to optimise beach clean-ups and thereby prevent these macroplastics from fragmenting into large numbers of microplastics.

As a postdoctoral researcher, you will use the Parcels-code.org Lagrangian framework to simulate how buoyant virtual macroplastic particles get transported by sub-kilometer-scale coastal flows, and how they eventually end up on beaches. During the project, you will be involved in:

• setting up hydrodynamic coastal flow fields using SWAN, SWASH, SCHISM or a comparable model;
• writing python code to advect virtual macroplastic items in these flow fields using the Parcels-code.org framework;
• exploring the dispersion of these macroplastic items in these flow fields;
• comparing the results of the simulations to results from an experimental campaign of floating trackers;
• collaborating with a postdoc and two PhD candidates who simulate dispersion of macroplastic in an ocean general circulation model of the Northwest European shelf;
• further developing and improving the Parcels-code.org code;
• working within a large, interdisciplinary project.

At the end of the project, you will have:

• a deep understanding of the hydrodynamic processes that control the dispersion of buoyant macroplastic items in the coastal zone;
• expertise in developing for open-source software projects such as Parcels-code.org;
• had the opportunity to set your own research questions and goals;
• participated in fieldwork to deploy and recover the floating trackers;
• further advanced your skills in numerical modelling and data analysis in python;
• enhanced your skills to communicate your scientific results to a wide audience including peers, media, and the general public.

You are a driven and collaborative researcher with several or all of the following qualifications:

• a PhD in fluid dynamics, oceanography, physics, applied mathematics or similar field;
• affinity with coastal simulations;
• strong skills in Python programming;
• motivation to cooperate within a dynamic, diverse, multidisciplinary research team;
• excellent level of written and spoken English.

Preferably you also have a proven affinity with physical oceanography.

• Being part of and learning from a great team of multi-disciplinary oceanographers;
• a position for two years;
• a working week of 38 hours and a gross monthly salary between €3,546 and €5,538 (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 also offers a range of its own schemes for employees. This includes arrangements for professional development, various types of leave, and options for sports and cultural activities. You can also tailor your employment conditions through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage you to keep investing in your personal and professional development. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

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You will work at the Institute of Marine and Atmospheric research at the Department of Physics of Utrecht University, and then specifically within the Lagrangian Ocean Analysis group. This group, led by Prof dr Erik van Sebille, develops the OceanParcels.org framework and creates and analyses simulations of the transport of material (plastics, plankton, fish) by ocean currents and its impact on climate and marine ecosystems. Within the group, we adhere to Open Science principles and aim to create a collaborative and inclusive atmosphere.

For more information about the position, please contact Professor Erik van Sebille via E.vanSebille@uu.nl.

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