Job description

The drylands of the Horn of Africa are extremely vulnerable to droughts, which often lead to food insecurity and associated economic losses. Climate change may increase the frequency and intensity of these extreme events, and makes politically unstable regions in East Africa more vulnerable to conflict, terrorism, and mass migration, with far-reaching impacts on society and the environment. Despite the proliferation of improved climate information for the region, and resulting improvements in early warnings, major uncertainties remain about the links between key seasonal climate variables, droughts and the consequential impacts to livelihoods and wellbeing. The European-funded DOWN2EARTH project will assess critical research gaps within dryland regions including i) how climate change affects the characteristics of rainfall and groundwater storage, ii) how the evolution of hydrological processes will impact the people who depend on them, and (iii) how communities can best adapt to drought risk.

This PhD project will address these challenges by a data-driven analysis of historic and future drought risk and adaption. Using machine learning and complex system analyses, the project will quantify the interactions between climate, hydrology, agriculture, and water management and will improve understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of drought risk to rural communities. The project will develop a database on drought impacts on different sectors, drought management, and adaptation responses (for example access to groundwater). Using artificial intelligence data-processing techniques, the project will use the impact database to investigate the link between drought impacts and a range of potential drivers (drought hazard, vulnerability) at different scales (from local to regional to continental). Also temporal aspects, such as changes in (ground)water use and vulnerability during drought, adaptation measures influencing hazard, and effects of climate change and climate variability, will be investigated using machine learning and other data processing techniques. The analysis of feedbacks will clarify how climate stressors like drought influence not only the environmental conditions but also the actions by people, which in turn might reduce or amplify the stressor. With the results of this project, communities and organisations in the region will be supported in designing future scenarios / storylines of drought risk and management under climate change to develop the most successful strategies and policies for climate adaptation and resilience.

To address the complexity in this project, the PhD will work with other PhDs in a multi-disciplinary team composed of experts and specialists in social science, media communication, climate science, meteorology, environment, hydro(geo)logy, remote sensing, computer science. The database developed by this PhD will be used by other researchers in the DOWN2EARTH project.

Your duties

• collecting hydro-climatological data, information on land & water use and water management, and drought impact data in Eastern Africa
• developing quantitative relationships between climatic stressors, hydrology, drought, and human behaviours on water use, based on the collated data using Machine Learning and complex system analysis
• exploring emerging spatiotemporal patterns of these relationships within the complex system
• assessing the sensitivity of the climate adaptation behaviours and the effects of different scenarios / storylines of drought under climate change

Requirements

• a Master’s degree in Hydrology, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Earth Sciences, Physical Geography Applied Mathematics, Climate Science, Computational Science, or a related field
• strong willingness to learn quantitative data-assessment, programming (preferably in R or Python, or willing to learn R / Python), machine learning or complex systems analyses
• strong collaboration and communication skills to work in a larger team of researchers from other disciplines involved in international research projects

What are we offering?

A challenging position in a socially involved organisation. The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel and amounts €2,325 (PhD) per month during the first year and increases to €2,972 (PhD) per month during the fourth year, based on a full-time employment. The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.8 FTE.

The appointment will initially be for 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a duration of 3 years.

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

About Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavour – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 26,000 students. We employ over 4,600 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

The Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science inspires researchers and students to find sustainable solutions for complex societal issues. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to medicines and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research programmes cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. We share knowledge and experience with leading research institutes and industries, both here in the Netherlands and abroad.

Working at the Faculty of Science means working with students, PhD candidates and researchers, all with a clear focus on their field and a broad view of the world. We employ more than 1,250 staff members, and we are home to around 6,000 students.

About the institute
Established in 1971, IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognized 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 Policy Analysis; Environmental Geography; and Water and Climate Risk. Since 2001 IVM is part of the Faculty of Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (www.ivm.vu.nl).

The department of Water and Climate Risk 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.

Application

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button and upload your curriculum vitae, motivation letter and the names and contact details of two references (we will only contact these for candidates selected for an interview) before 25 June 2020.

Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.

Vacancy questions
If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, you may contact:

Name: Dr Anne van Loon
Position: Associate professor, dept Water and Climate Risk
E-mail: anne.van.loon@vu.nl
Skype: anne.v.loon