Job description

Are you excited to work on physics processes that have so far proven difficult to understand, while at the same time contributing to societal challenges? Then join our research team in advancing our understanding of radiative exchanges within and above open-water, agricultural, natural, and urban environments through state-of-the-art in-situ measurements and remote sensing technologies.

This position is part of the ITEM (Infrastructure Twente for Ecosystem Monitoring) initiative, responding to the Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) Sectorplan-Beta II, which is aiming at strengthening the scientific foundation by continuous and incidental measurements of (sub)processes on earth while addressing societal missions in the fields of “Security living environment/habitat”, “Agriculture, water and food”, “Energie(transition), circularity and sustainability” and “Health”. This initiative is a faculty-wide effort that connects all four scientific departments of the Faculty ITC of the University of Twente through their four key focus areas: Resource Security, GeoAI, Disaster Resilience, and Urban Futures.

You will be working on remote sensing-based observational modelling by combining spatially distributed optical-thermal ground observations with airborne and satellite-based imagery to unravel radiative exchanges. You will also be working on coupling and upscaling of radiative in-situ observations from our spatially distributed sensor network (ITEM) to airborne and satellite image observations through near-surface and atmospheric radiative transport process modelling. You will examine bidirectional reflectance characteristics and hotspot effects across the typical land-cover types and ecosystems mentioned above: open water, agricultural, natural, and urban environments. You will present (both preliminary and mature) research results at appropriate meetings and conferences, publish results in scientific workshops, conference proceedings, and journals, contribute to teaching on topics related to your work, supervise and mentor involved MSc students as needed.

Your profile

An MSc in physics, meteorology, hydrology, physical geography, or a related field.
A creative mindset, strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
Able to do independent research and field data collection.
Interested in cross-disciplinary research.
Experience with at least one of the fields of quantitative (satellite) earth observation analysis tools (e.g., optics and radiative transfer, time-series analysis, data assimilation, big data handling), and willingness to delve deeper into these topics.
Good programming skills; experience with C, C++, Fortran or a matching. programming language.
Good communication skills and proficiency in written and spoken English.
A good team spirit.
Some limited teaching in ITC courses may be required.

Our offer

An inspiring multidisciplinary, international and academic environment. The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in which internationalization is an important part of the strategic agenda.
Full-time position for four years with a qualifier after 6 – 9 months.
A professional and personal development programme within Twente Graduate School.
Gross monthly salary of € 3,059.00 in the first year, which increases to € 3,881.00 in the fourth year.
A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%
Excellent support for research and facilities for professional and personal development.
A solid pension scheme.
A total of 41 holiday days per year in the case of full-time employment.
Excellent working conditions, an exciting scientific environment, and a green and lively campus.

Information and application

For more information, you can contact Dr Wim Timmermans (e-mail: w.j.timmermans@utwente.nl). You are also invited to visit our homepage.

Please submit your application before 1 September 2026, including:

A motivation letter (maximum 2 A4 pages) clearly emphasizing your specific interest, qualifications and motivation to apply for this position.
A detailed CV with the contact details of at least one reference person.
An academic transcript of BSc and MSc education, including grades and a short description of your MSc thesis.
An online link to an example copy of technical writing produced by you (a journal publication or thesis), if applicable.
A link to the codes/programs that you have written, if applicable.

Applications that do not include the above-mentioned information will not be considered.

The interviews will take place in the week of 14 - 18 September.

Screening is part of the selection procedure.

For questions about working and living in the Netherlands, please consult the official website of the Dutch government or the Expat Center East Netherlands website.

About the department

This research topic concerns temporal/spatial integration of different types of data and is multi-disciplinary and thus cross-departmental. The promotor for the current position is in our LIFE department, reason for which the position is administratively positioned there as well.

About the organisation

The Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) provides international postgraduate education, research and project services in the field of geo-information science and earth observation. Our mission is capacity development, where we apply, share and facilitate the effective use of geo-information and earth observation knowledge and tools for tackling global wicked problems. Our purpose is to enable our many partners around the world to track and trace the impact – and the shifting causes and frontiers – of today’s global challenges. Our vision is of a world in which researchers, educators, and students collaborate across disciplinary and geographic divides with governmental and non-governmental organisations, institutes, businesses, and local populations to surmount today’s complex global challenges and to contribute to sustainable, fair, and digital societies.

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