Do you want to understand the urban energy and water balance at street and neighborhood scale through high-resolution numerical modelling? And blend professional and private surface based hydrometeorological observations, citizen science observations and remote sensing observations? Then read on and apply for this exciting PhD position!

HERITAGE (HEat Robustness In relation To AGEing cities) is a research programme aiming at detection, reduction and prevention of heat-stress occurring due to ageing of built environmental settings and buildings in Dutch cities, through socio-technical solutions. This programme is a 4TU initiative, connecting the four universities of technology in The Netherlands: Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Twente and Wageningen University and Research.
Cities are growing! And the climate is changing! Both result in challenging conditions for urban dwellers concerning urban heat, poor human thermal comfort, and water availability. This PhD study within the HERITAGE project focuses on the understanding of the urban energy and water balance at street and neighborhood scale through high-resolution numerical modelling that can blend professional and private surface based hydrometeorological observations, citizen science observations and remote sensing observations. This advanced understanding of the urban metabolism assists in advancing the urban climate adaptation opportunities. The project will be executed in collaboration with the Hydrology and Environmental Hydraulics group, and will benefit from existing cooperation with the AMS-Institute and particularly with the Amsterdam Atmospheric Monitoring Supersite. Research results will act as input to the HERITAGE projects at the other universities.

You will work here
The Meteorology and Air Quality Group (MAQ) aims to contribute to the further understanding of atmospheric processes and their relevance for weather, air quality and climate. We do research on a variety of topics and horizontal scales.
As a university group we are responsible for the education in subjects of Meteorology and Air Quality at the BSc and MSc level and the training of PhD candidates. Students are guided in the basics of Weather and Climate, Forecasting, Turbulence and Dispersion, Boundary-Layer Meteorology and Chemistry, Atmospheric Dynamics, Desertification and Land use, and many other subjects.

• an MSc in Meteorology, Hydrology, Environmental Sciences, Civil or Environmental Engineering, Geosciences or equivalent;
• affinity with urban micro-climate and hydrometeorology.
• have skills in data analysis and programming (e.g. Python, FORTRAN) in a Linux environment
• preferably you have experience with numerical modeling of the urban atmospheric environment using numerical weather prediction models (e.g. WRF) or large-eddy simulation techniques;
• good communication and collaborative skills are required, including English writing and speaking (C1 level), and a strong drive to publish in the academic literature.

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;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• 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 December 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 € 2.770 - per month rising to € 3.539,- 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.

There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “ Best University ” in the Netherlands for the 18th consecutive time.

Coming from abroad
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.

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. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling. For instance under the "30% rule", certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University & Research
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, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 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.. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of Wageningen’s unique approach. WUR has been named Best Employer in the Education category for 2019-2020.

These are the points our employees list as good reasons to come work at WUR: read the 5 reasons to come work at WUR



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