LANDMARC is a Horizon 2020 funded project that TU Delft is coordinating along with JIN Climate and Sustainability, an international consortium of 19 partners. The PhD student will benefit from the project's network and have opportunities for leadership and project management training and will also collaborate closely with researchers within the consortium

Background of "LANDMARC" 
Land-use based mitigation technologies (LMTs) can play a crucial role in the global efforts to meet the Paris Agreement goals and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). LANDMARC aims to assess  the climate (i.e., GHG) impacts, co-benefits, and trade-offs associated with LMT scenarios as guided by stakeholder engagement.

A mixed-method approach will provide insights on the effectiveness and climate resilience of LMTs at different spatial scales (e.g. scaling up from local/national level to the regional/global level) for decision support in the private sector and by policy makers.

LANDMARC is an interdisciplinary consortium with expertise from ecology, engineering, climate sciences, global carbon cycle, soil sciences, satellite earth observation sciences, agronomy, economics, social sciences, and business. There is a balanced representation of partners from academia, SMEs, and NGOs from the EU, Africa, Asia and the Americas.

The PhD candidate will work on the project for 4 years mainly in research and will also be trained to support some co-ordination activities.

Additionally, the successful candidate will contribute to the initialization and application of the ALCES Online land-use simulation model to evaluate the benefits and costs of candidate land-based mitigation technologies (LMTs) for case study geographies.  Initialization of ALCES will require the review and integration of knowledge for a wide range of ecosystems on topics including: land cover; historical and potential future land use; biotic carbon; and the benefits and cost of LMTs. Application of ALCES to evaluate LMTs will require the preparation and simulation of LMT scenarios, in collaboration with stakeholders; and the communication of simulation outcomes in workshops and reports.

Department
The MAS department consists of three sections: Organisation & Governance (OG), Policy Analysis (PA), and Systems Engineering (SE). The sections represent different cores of expertise organized as distinct groups within the department. You will be joining the Organisation and Governance section.

The Organiation & Governance section analyses decision-making between real-world stakeholders in environments with high complexity surrounding a technological systems. Based on that analysis, we develop governance approaches to deal with those complexities between stakeholders. We look at societal challenges surrounding energy, mobility, water, cyber and other systems through the lens of the interactions between stakeholders and provide ways forward for the technological contingencies of these environments.

Master’s degree in social sciences, environmental sciences or equivalent in the area of land-use modelling, sustainability, innovation, climate change, and/or policy analysis.

Desirable traits and experience:

• An interest in understanding land-use based mitigation technologies
• Experience in interdisciplinary and/or transdisciplinary research
• Very good analytical skills;
• Fluent in written and spoken English
• Very good communication skills and interest in collaborating with stakeholders as well as conveying research outcomes to non-academic stakeholders
• The ability to work independently and as a team player (i.e. willingness to interact well with your colleagues and partners within the consortium).
• Experience and/or interest in working with an international group

Technical skill sets:

• Ability to review and integrate technical knowledge from a wide range of sources to derive model inputs
• Applying computer simulation models for scenario analysis. Coding is not needed but you must be able to think strategically to define scenarios that integrate the effect of multiple drivers
• Ability to work with diverse stakeholders who may not have a technical background to define scenarios of interest
• Ability to use GIS to prepare spatial data layers  

Research expectations:

• The PhD candidate is expected to attend relevant courses and activities for further personal development. A plan for this will be developed at the start of the project.
• You are expected to present your research at international conferences and publish your results in scientific journals and to finish your research with a PhD Thesis.  

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

TU Delft offers PhD-candidates a 4-year contract, with an official go/no go progress assessment after one year. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2395 per month in the first year to € 3061 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 sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation.

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 and aim to be as inclusive as possible (see our Code of Conduct). Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale.

Challenge. Change. Impact! 

Faculty Technology, Policy and Management

With its excellent education and research at the intersection of technology, society and policy, the Faculty of TPM makes an important contribution to solving complex technical-social issues, such as energy transition, mobility, digitalisation, water management and (cyber) security.
We combine insights from the engineering sciences, the social and the humanities. We develop robust models and designs, are internationally oriented and have an extensive network with knowledge institutions, companies, social organisations and governments.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management.