Postdoc in land use and climate change mitigation and adaptation

The Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) of the VU offers one fully funded postdoc position of 24 months in the field of climate change mitigation and adaptation through land use modeling. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop a land use model to study mitigation and adaptation in the agriculture, forestry and other land use sectors in two case studies in Germany. In particular, the postdoc will study how the two regions can mitigate climate change and adapt to more frequent droughts, heat stress and flooding by modifying their cropland and forest systems. Additionally, the postdoc will contribute to developing a framework for backcasting and transferrability of different measures outside the studied areas.

The postdoc will work in the international KNOWING project (https://knowing-climate.eu/), funded by the European Commission's Horizon Europe framework with 16 other institutes. The KNOWING project aims to develop a system-dynamics based modelling framework to help understand and quantify the interactions between impacts and risks of climate change, mitigation pathways and adaptation strategies. The framework will focus on three main climate impact contexts: 1) Heat waves & health, (2) Soil fertility & agriculture (which this postdoc will focus on) and (3) Flooding & infrastructure (including river and coastal flooding). The Postdoc candidate will also work closely with another postdoc and with two staff members from the Environmental Geography and Water and Climate Risk sections of the Institute. Different models will be developed for different climate impact contexts, and the postdoc is expected to collaborate with other project partners to embed the land use model within the system dynamics framework.

Your duties

• Contribute to and collaborate within the KNOWING project consortium
• Develop novel ways of integrating spatial modelling within a larger climate change mitigation and adaptation modeling framework
• Integrate stakeholder co-design in spatially explicit land use modeling
• Publish scientific papers
• Contribute to teaching

We are seeking for an outstanding researcher with a PhD in geography, environmental sciences or similar that:

• Is able to collaborate with scientists from other disciplines (climatology, energy, hydrology, soil) and able to link environmental models from different domains (climate and land use)
• has proven experience in land use modeling and spatial analysis, or system dynamics or environmental modeling in general
• good writing and communication skills
• can start the position by April 1st 2023

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €2,960 (scale 10) and a maximum €4,670 (scale 10), 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 initial employment contract will affect a period of 24 months.
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),
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor - from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 30,000 students. We employ over 5,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

The Faculty of Science
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 more than 11,000 students.

About the institute
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 research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Policy Analysis; Environmental Geography; and Water and Climate Risk. IVM is part of the Faculty of Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (www.ivm.vu.nl). This position is based within the Environmental Geography department. The Environmental Geography department conducts interdisciplinary research on the spatial aspects of environmental and social challenges and the solutions sustainable land use can provide to these.