PhD Position: Feedbacks and Agency in Future Water Use

Join the department of Physical Geography as a PhD candidate! You will work on a sub project of the EMBRACER project: “Feedbacks and agency in future water use”.

Your job
Rising population numbers and economic growth are the cause of increased water withdrawal from rivers, lakes and groundwater. Combined with climate change, this can cause water scarcity, groundwater depletion and ecosystem deterioration. In order to assesspast and future trends in water scarcity and explore possible solution pathways, hydrologists and environmental scientists have developed global hydrology and water resources models. In these models, future water use is typically based on the projections of integrated assessment models. However, it is likely that societies will formulate response strategies to imminent water scarcity. For instance:

• farmers may change water source, irrigation technology, crop type, cultivars and sowing dates;
• thermoelectric or thermonuclear power plants may adapt their cooling technologies;
• the domestic sector will search for alternative water sources such desalinisation or treated wastewater;
• the manufacturing sector to less water-intensive production processes or even products.

In this PhD project, we aim to include this type of adaptation agency into a new generation of water use models. Adaptation strategies will be based on both economic principles, risk profiles and regulatory conditions (water policy and governance). The resulting water use model will be generic so that it can be used in any hydrological model. In the work, we explore these strategies as part of the hydrology model PCR-GLOBWB and the integrated assessment model IMAGE3.

A personalised training programme will be set up, reflecting your training needs and career objectives. About 20% of your time will be dedicated to this training component, which includes training on the job in assisting in the Bachelor's and Master's programmes of the department.

• You have an MSc degree in hydrology, water resources management, environmental sciences, agronomy, hydroeconomics, or a related discipline by the time the position starts.
• You are interested in interdisciplinary research at the interface of hydrology, environmental sciences and hydroeconomics.
• You have strong quantitative and methodological skills, such as (spatial) data analysis, hydrological modelling, AI-based or agent-based modelling.
• You have experience with programming languages such as Python or R.
• You are able to collaborate effectively in a diverse, multidisciplinary research team.
• You have strong communication and social skills.

Given the international character of our research, you have an excellent command of spoken and written English. We warmly welcome candidates from all backgrounds who wish to contribute to an inclusive academic community.

• A position for one year, with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
• a working week of 38 hours and a gross monthly salary between €3,059 and €3,881 (salary scale P 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.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth’s core to its surface, including man’s spatial and material utilisation of the Earth – always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.

The Department of Physical Geography excels in research and education on BSc, MSc and PhD level. We research processes, patterns and dynamics of Earth’s systems from the mountains to the sea, and the interaction in between. This knowledge is essential for the sustainable management of our planet and to guarantee the availability of resources for the next generations. We are a lively department that hosts an active early career community (PhD candidates, researchers and lecturers). We house or have access to a wide variety of world-class laboratories, among which are UU’s Geolab, and the Earth Simulation Lab. We also have excellent High-Performance Computing facilities.

At EMBRACER we work at the very frontiers of knowledge on climate change, Earth’s climate system and climate feedbacks. Within its 10-year research programme, funded by NWO, EMBRACER brings together a wide range of world-leading climate experts with the aim to address existing uncertainties about climate feedbacks at the boundaries between oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere. Our interdisciplinary approach and state-of-the-art infrastructure will bring us forward in our understanding of the impact of climate feedbacks emerging over the next decades to centuries.

For informal information (not for application) about this position, please contact Professor Marc Bierkens at m.f.p.bierkens@uu.nl.

Note that international candidates that need a visa/work permit for the Netherlands require at least four months processing time after selection and acceptance. This will be arranged with help of the International Service Desk (ISD) of our university. Finding appropriate housing in or near Utrecht is your own responsibility, but the ISD may be able to advise you therewith. In case of general questions about working and living in The Netherlands, please consult the Dutch Mobility Portal.

Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.