Challenge: Dike stability failure due to animal burrowing Field Test.
Change: Inclusion of animal burrowing in dike design practice.
Impact: Increasing flood safety in dike protected riverine areas.
Job description
Several rodent species — beavers, muskrats, nutrias, and brown rats — are widespread across the Dutch landscape and pose a significant threat to the national flood defence system. Beaver populations in particular have left significant evidence of their mating and nesting patterns in dikes located near riverine areas. While ecologically beneficial, their burrowing behaviour creates serious flood safety risks for soil-based flood defences stability: burrows can extend beyond 20 metres in length with diameters of approximately 35 centimetres. During high-water periods beavers can dig deeper and higher into embankments to keep their chambers dry. Despite these documented hazards, the extent to which burrowing reduces dike strength — and its implications for failure and breaching — remains poorly understood and not explicitly considred in the requirements for reliability analysis inside the legislative safety assessment.
The BEAVER project (Burrowing Experimental Analysis of Vulnerability of Embankments due to Rodents) aims to address this knowledge gap by combining numerical modelling with a full-scale dike failure experiment so that the effects of burrowing can be quantified and better understood in terms of time and space and possible breach closing measures. The real scale experiments are to be executed at the Flood Proof Holland testing facility while monitoring the failure process in real-time with a multi-sensor installation set-up. The work is carried out in joint collaboration between TU Delft, HZ university of applied sciences (HZ) and several Dutch water authorities and stakeholders.
The postdoctoral researcher will lead the core project activities, jointly supervised and supported by TU Delft and HZ senior staff, and expected to engage and disseminate results with relevant water authorities. The position is embedded in the Department of Hydraulic Engineering at the environmental fluid mechanics section, in collaboration with the Department of Geosciences for a period of 18 months. The position offers a unique opportunity to work on a combination of fundamental research and real-world application in a collaborative, internationally recognised environment comprising 68 permanent staff and over 100 PhD students and postdocs at the hydraulic engineering department.
Job requirements
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with the following qualifications:
- A PhD in Civil Engineering, Hydraulic Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
- Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following Numerical or Experimental topics: Slope Stability, Granular Erosion Processes and Groundwater Systems.
- Demonstrated skills on at least two or more tools of the following: Finite element modeling (e.g. Plaxxis, Comsol, Abaqus, Kratos…), Image processing, Fiber-optics DTS,DSS or DAS, Python programming or signal processing.
- Ability to work well independently as well as in a multi-disciplinary team.
- Fluent in English (oral and written). Knowledge of Dutch is a plus.
- Availability to start preferably in August 2026.
TU Delft (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 as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.
Challenge. Change. Impact!
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences
The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced of the importance of open science and supports its scientists in integrating open science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.
Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences.
Conditions of employment
- Duration of contract is 18 months. Temporary external finance.
- A job of 32-40 hours per week.
- Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
- An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
- The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
- Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
- Flexible working week.
- Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
- Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
- Partially paid parental leave
- Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.
Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.
Additional information
For more information about this vacancy, please contact Juan Aguilar-López (Assistant Professor in Structural Flood Resilience) at j.p.aguilarlopez@tudelft.nl
Please apply via the website of TU Delft, unsolicited emails will not be considered.
Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 7 June 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:
- A detailed Curriculum Vitae, including your publications.
- A cover letter (1 page) describing your motivation and qualifications for the position.
You can address your application to Juan Aguilar Lopez.
Please note:
- You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
- As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology. The assessment is based on information provided by the candidates themselves, such as their motivation letter and CV, and takes place at the final stages of the selection process. When the outcome of the assessment is negative, the candidate will be informed. The processing of personal data in the context of the risk assessment is carried out on the legal basis of the GDPR: performing a public task in the public interest. You can find more information about this assessment on our website about knowledge security.
- Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.
