The department of Coastal Systems (COS) of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (Royal NIOZ) is looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to take part in our research on impacts of climate change on the Wadden Sea ecosystem by co-developing and using a digital twin. We are searching for a candidate with a background in integration of data and models on coastal ecosystem processes and experience with developing training courses.

JOB DESCRIPTION

NWO-NIOZ is looking for a highly motivated post-doctoral researcher to join the team of the recently funded LTER-LIFE program, intended to develop a large-scale research infrastructure providing a state-of-the-art e-infrastructure to study and forecast how changes in climate and other human-induced pressures affect ecosystems and biodiversity. This 4-year post-doc position, embedded at the Coastal Systems department, will integrate available field data, models, and satellite information to explore the impacts of climate change on the Wadden Sea ecosystem. Furthermore, the post-doctoral researcher will be organising capacity building and training for various scientific target groups. The work builds on previous projects and expertise of the partners of the LTER-LIFE consortium.

THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of COS, located on the island of Texel, is one of four research departments of NIOZ. COS integrates state-of-the art laboratory, field, and numerical modelling studies in frontier explorations of the drivers of the dynamics of marine habitats and food webs. COS examines how physical, chemical, and biological processes interact to determine the distribution, composition, and productivity of marine species – from primary producers to top predators – and marine habitats – from the coast to inter/sub-tidal and pelagic environments. Research is applied at both the regional and global scales. Special emphasis is given to maintaining long-term ecological time series (on phytoplankton, macrozoobenthos, fish and birds) in the Wadden Sea.

THE PROJECT

One of the grand challenges in ecology is to understand and forecast how ecosystems are impacted by changes in environmental conditions, and external pressures. Predicting how complex ecosystems will behave under different scenarios requires combining empirical and observational data. To truly predict how ecosystems and landscapes will respond to current and future global change, we need to increase the availability of existing environmental long-term datasets, integrate disparate types of ecological data, and create a user-friendly and secure cloud-based digital modelling and simulation platforms (so-called ‘digital twins’) that can be used to link data to models and scenarios. The funding from NWO for setting up this large research infrastructure is 10 years; we will start by developing digital twins for the Wadden Sea (this position) and the Veluwe. The project is coordinated by the Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), with partners from NIOZ (Texel and Yerseke), the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), the University of Amsterdam (UvA), and Wageningen University and Research (WUR).

THE VACANCY

You will be involved in two tasks within the LTER-LIFE program. One of those tasks focuses on managing use cases on the impacts of climate change on the Wadden Sea ecosystem, including the effects of droughts on primary productivity, those of extreme weather conditions on recruitment and mortality of shellfish, and those of warming on phenology and food-web interactions. The other task focuses on capacity building and training of ecologists and environmental scientists in making data and models FAIR and working with the LTER-LIFE infrastructure. These training courses are being developed in collaboration with the PE&RC research school and the data institute DANS-KNAW. Activities include:

  • Working within a multidisciplinary team (software engineers, data scientists, modellers, domain scientists) to develop the digital twin of the Wadden Sea.
  • Setting up and maintaining working groups (scientists and stakeholders) to jointly build scenarios on the impacts of climate change on the Wadden Sea ecosystem.
  • Developing training courses for data handling and the use of a digital twin to answer generic and specific societal and scientific questions.

Job requirements

Here are some features that make you the ideal candidate for this post-doctoral research position:

  • You have a PhD in ecology, biology, or a closely related discipline.
  • You have knowledge of and/or some demonstrated experience in integration of data from in situ field studies, models, and/or satellite information.
  • You have knowledge on marine or estuarine ecology.
  • Your scientific performance is demonstrated in peer-reviewed publications.
  • Your organisation skills have been demonstrated by stimulating collaborative research.
  • You have experience with teaching and outreach.
  • You are a team player, are well organized, are ambitious, and have excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • You are speaking Dutch or are willing to learn this language within 6 months.
  • You can work in an environment with various stakeholders.

We strive to ensure that our staff reflect the diversity of society, including age, gender and cultural background. We therefore very much appreciate candidates who are able to increase the diversity of NIOZ.

CONDITIONS

Employment of this position at Royal NIOZ is by NWO (The Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research). We offer a position for a period of 4 years (fulltime). The salary is compliant with the CAO-OI (Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Research Institutes) scale 10 or 11 depending on relevant experience, and includes a pension scheme, a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, a year-end bonus, and flexible work arrangements.

You may expect attractive secondary employment conditions. We offer generous relocation expenses for employees coming from abroad and support with finding accommodation.

Royal NIOZ COS is located on the beautiful island of Texel in the World Heritage Wadden Sea. Texel offers sun, wind and beach, and a diverse but moderate level of facilities, including a thriving tourist industry, shops, sports facilities, primary schools and a high school. It is connected to the mainland by an hourly to half-hourly ferry service, with crossings taking 20 minutes. The Royal NIOZ is situated next to the ferry terminal.

MORE INFORMATION

Please apply online at www.workingat.nioz.nl. For additional information about this vacancy, please contact prof. dr. ir. Katja Philippart. For additional information about the procedure, please contact Sandra Liefhebber (sr. HRM advisor).

Please visit the Department of Coastal Systems here and the LTER LIFE site here. Closing date for applications: May 31st., 2023. Interviews are foreseen for June 2023 and will be conducted (if possible) at NIOZ on Texel, otherwise online. We aim to start the position by September 1, 2023.

For further information about the position, click here.