Researcher (Postdoc) in Satellite Hydrology

Job description

Are you an emerging scholar driven by scientific curiosity to discover and learn? Are you interested in unraveling the intricate nexus between water-related risk and climate change? Are you passionate about analyzing uncertainty and investigating the accuracy of Earth Observation (EO) products, hydrological model predictions, and their integration?

Then you might be interested in joining us.

PCP-WISE, a Horizon Europe-funded project, aims to pre-operate Water management Innovations from Space for European Climate Resilience. PCP-WISE will investigate the utilities of EO-based hydrological services addressing a wide range of water-related crises in three thematic areas: floods, fires, and infrastructure impacts. Under the PCP-WISE you will be working with a team of experts on defining the verification and validation strategy of the proposed EO-based hydrological services. With verified EO and hydrological products, innovative model simulations, and field data, you will be testing and validating these services. A set of key performance indicators will be generated and communicated to partners using a standardized approach that is appreciated by various partners (scientists, water managers, service providers, and service buyers) and covers diverse hydrological services. Your verification/validation activities will be in three phases covering the three years of the project: 1) verifying the solution designs; 2) testing the prototypes using outputs from hydrological models, and 3) performing field validation by end-users testing services in different operational environments.

Requirements

• A PhD in one or more of the following fields: Earth Observation (EO), Hydrology, Water Management, Hydrometeorology
• Affinity with utilising hydrological models specifically those that address the Soil-Water Atmosphere continuum
• Expertise in handling EO data and their hydrological products
• Expertise in validation and accuracy assessment with attention to ensuring data quality through validation procedures
• A strong motivation for working on interdisciplinary subjects
• Excellent communication and writing skills in English

Conditions of employment

• 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
• A full-time position for 3 years
• Gross monthly salary between € 3.858,- and € 5.278,- per month depending on experience and qualifications (UFO profile Researcher 4)
• 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 case of full-time employment
• Excellent working conditions, an exciting scientific environment, and a lively green campus

Department

The Department of Water Resources (WRS) of the University of Twente studies water systems and their relationship with land use and climate through remote sensing, field instrumentation and modeling.

Our mission is to build communities of water professionals, scientists, and engineers with skills to contribute to a sustainable and resilient living environment using Earth Observations and Modelling of Water and Climate.

The world desperately needs people with these skills. Water-related challenges are everywhere. Some are caused by climate change, others by urbanization, infrastructure, land cover change, mining, discharge of polluted effluents, and sea level rise. They affect food security, biodiversity and health. Good water management starts with insight into the problem and access to accurate, (near-)real-time information. This requires a scientific data infrastructure and research capacity. We engage with social actors including policymakers, entrepreneurs and citizens to co-create sustainable and innovative solutions for the monitoring and management of freshwater and marine resources using Earth Observation. We focus on physical, chemical and biological processes on land and in aquatic systems, river basins, soils and plants. To study these, we develop, use and teach quantitative use of Earth observation and physically based models, and unravel linkages between water and food, energy, health and ecosystem security and sustainability.

Additional information

For more information about the position, please contact Dr Suhyb Salama (email: s.salama@utwente.nl). We encourage you to visit [our homepage] (https://www.itc.nl) as well.

For questions about working and living in the Netherlands please consult [the official website of the Netherlands Government] (https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/theme/work-in-the-netherlands) or [the website of the Expat Center East Netherlands] (https://expatcentereastnetherlands.nl).

Please submit your application before the 4th of November 2024. Your application should include:

• A motivation letter (maximum 2 pages of A4), emphasizing your specific interest, qualifications, and motivation to apply for this position
• Curriculum Vitae with a full list of publications, and two references with their contact details
• A short description (150 – 250 words) of your PhD research and a copy of your PhD diploma.

If you are in the final stage, then a letter from your PhD supervisor, stating the date of PhD defense, is also sufficient

Interviews will be held in the first half of December 2024. The position will start on the 1st of January 2025.