Your function
We offer an exciting postdoc position in an interdisciplinary research project on the health impacts of extreme weather events. Extreme weather events effect several aspects of human life. One critical area of concern is human health. As climate change increases the frequency of many extreme events, understanding the mechanisms behind these effects becomes crucial. However, most studies about climate related health impacts focus on specific morbidities or mortality, overlooking the fact that health is multidimensional. Such focus overlooks joint and cumulative effects that are important to overall functionality and well-being of people.
In this project, you will first study different measures of health, beyond mortality, and how they can be used to reflect the diverse effects of climate on health. You will use these measures, weather/climate data and machine learning methodologies to understand how much these different multidimensional aspects of health can be affected by extreme weather events, and how these effects can vary among individuals. Finally, you will create future scenarios of health in line with narratives from the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), and CMIP6 climate scenarios, to identify vulnerable population hotspots that can be targeted by adequate mitigation policies.
Your duties
- you conduct innovative research on the effects of extreme weather events on multidimensional health
- you use individual-level data and weather/climate data, as well as state of the art machine learning methodologies to estimate the causal link between extreme weather and health
- you publish research results in international peer-reviewed journals and impact-oriented journals
- you contribute to our teaching at BSc and MSc levels
Your profile
- you have a PhD degree in statistics, economics, climate science, AI, computational social sciences or a related discipline
- you have strong quantitative and programming skills
- you have interest in interdisciplinary work
- you are experienced in statistical modelling, causal analysis and/or AI is highly desirable
- you have experience with weather/climate data and spatial analysis and processing is an advantage
We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.
What do we offer?
An exciting postdoc position in a socially-engaged organisation with a supportive project team and an active early-career scientist community. 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 € 3.546,00 (Scale 10.0) and maximum € 5.538,00 (Scale 10.12) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
- a position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially start with a 1 year contract with the possibility to extend for another year.
We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. 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
- solid pension scheme (ABP)
- contribution to commuting expenses
- optional model for designing a personalised benefits package
About us
Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
Established in 1971, IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognised 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’s research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Geography, Environmental Policy Analysis; and Water and Climate Risk. Since 2001 IVM has been part of the Faculty of Science at VU Amsterdam (legal name Stichting VU).
The department of Water and Climate Risk (WCR) studies hydrological and climate processes, and how these processes lead to risks and opportunities for society, the economy, and the environment. A defining characteristic of the department is a multi-disciplinary approach that combines expertise from natural sciences with knowledge from the fields of economics, e-Science and geography. This approach has led to a unique research portfolio of water and climate risk projects, and the department is a global leading institute in flood and drought risk assessment, and risk management research.
The department of Environmental Economics (EE) leads the institute’s efforts in improving insights into the interaction between the environment and the economy. The department is one of the main groups of environmental economists in Europe, consisting of around 35 scientific staff and PhD researchers. The department strategy is to consolidate and further strengthen its position as a major player in the European field of environmental economics. Important fields of application include climate change, energy, circular economy, water, ecosystem services, and environmental and natural resource management. The philosophy of the EE department is to closely integrate its research projects with its teaching programme and to initiate and conduct research jointly with stakeholders and collaborating institutes. In the coming years, the EE department will further explore new research fields related to climate economics, economics of sustainable energy, and economics of natural capital.
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.
Interested
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.
Reference letters can either be uploaded with your application, or you can list the contact information of two references in your CV or cover letter.
Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.
Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.
