PhD developing reconstructions for storms in a warmer climate

We invite applications for a PhD position in the 4-year research project PAST, funded by the Dutch Research Council ().

Project PAST, “A proxy-model alliance to decode storms in warmer climates”, aims to quantify the occurrence of storms over western Europe during warmer climates. Climate change is known to increase the risk to societies and ecosystems from extreme weather events. But these short-lived events are notoriously hard to reconstruct and model, so our understanding of their behaviour during warmer climates is limited. To learn from past warmer climates and better understand the link between climate and extremes, we can use proxy-based climate reconstructions and climate models for past warmer climates. However, the temporal and spatial resolutions of these have so far been inadequate to capture climate extremes.

PAST overcomes this obstacle, both from the side of proxy reconstructions and of climate modelling. It develops the first reconstructions of storms in the geological past using fossil shells. Plus, it produces new, high-resolution computer models of the warm Last Interglacial period. Finally, PAST creates new knowledge by synthesising these two approaches through advanced statistics.

This exciting PhD project is one of two PhD projects within PAST. As a PhD candidate, your goal is to develop the first-ever reconstructions of storms in the geological past. You will do so in three steps: Firstly, you lead biological growth experiments with live molluscs (cockles, mussels and clams) at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). This helps you understand how these animals build their shells on hourly timescales and record storm events. Secondly, you analyse the shells of live-collected molluscs in the North Sea and Wadden Sea in the state-of-the-art NIGEL geochemistry lab, to test how they recorded natural storms. Thirdly, you apply your knowledge to reconstruct storm distributions during the Last Interglacial period. Using fossil shells from the Netherlands, Canary Islands and the Azores islands, you compare how storminess changed in a warmer climate at different latitudes. Throughout the project, you work closely with the other PhD candidate of PAST, who will work on the high-resolution climate models. You contrast and combine data across reconstructions and models, and enhance our understanding of the link between climate and extreme weather in Europe.

You will work in close collaboration with colleagues from the NIOZ and TNO-Geological Survey of the Netherlands along with other partners from Naturalis Biodiversity Center and the universities of the Azores and Tenerife (La Laguna). As part of the PhD project, you will visit collections and core repositories of the partner institutes and join field trips to collect molluscs in the research area.

Your duties

• Design and carry out your own biological experiments
• Carry out high-resolution chemical measurements in the VU lab
• Place your results in the context of existing reconstructions and the new PAST-model outcomes
• Present your research at scientific conferences and publish your results in scientific journals
• Contributing to teaching and supervising in bachelor and master programs

We are looking for a motivated candidate to develop and apply high-resolution climate reconstructions with the following profile:

• A MSc degree in paleoclimatology, marine biology, oceanography, geochemistry, earth science, environmental science or equivalent
• Affinity and preferably experience with geological and/or biological fieldwork
• Experience working in (geo)chemical or biology labs
• Affinity with statistics and data analysis, preferably using R or Python, and motivation to acquire advanced skills
• Ability to work independently in the lab and field, but also in the interdisciplinary project team
• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills in English

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognizing that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realize that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognizes themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

A challenging position in a socially engaged organization. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 3.059,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.881,00 (PhD) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile PhD candidate. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• a position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 1 year. Afterwards, the intention is to extent the position for another 3-years enveloping the full PhD. 4 years of funding is secured.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses

hybrid working enables a good work-life balance

About the department, institute, project
Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, offers a stimulating international research environment with world-class academic reputation, and excellent state-of-the-art facilities. Research in the department covers a wide range of fundamental and applied research topics, including climate and environmental dynamics, geochemistry, earth and planetary dynamics, and sustainability, resources, and society. Our strength lies in the ability to deliver fundamental knowledge on the functioning of our planet and are key to finding sustainable solutions to many problems related to natural resources, natural hazards, energy, and the environment that societies are facing. After recent budget constraints, the department will be reorganized to become more financially healthy. However, these reorganizations will not affect the people and labs involved in the PAST project, which is guaranteed to remain supported by the VU for the full 4-year duration of the project.

Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means collaborating with students, lecturers and researchers who are focused on their field, yet have a broad view of the world. We are proud of a positive and inclusive workplace culture within the faculty, where we work together with great energy and a pragmatic attitude to tackle social challenges. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex societal issues for a sustainable, healthy and just future.

From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from helium to the universe and from genetics to medicine: our education and research cover the full breadth of science, from molecules to mankind. Our academic education and research are highly experimental, technical and interdisciplinary in nature. That is why we collaborate extensively with leading scientific institutes and industry. The faculty has more than 8,000 students studying in one of the 39 programms and employs more than 1,400 staff across 10 scientific departments, making us one of the largest science faculties in the Netherlands.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application.

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

For more information about the vacancy you can contact Niels de Winter (n.j.de.winter@vu.nl) and/or Paolo Scussolini (p.scussolini@vu.nl)