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PhD position: “Reconstructing regional sea-level change in the 20th century using observations"
Job description
New job opportunity at the Royal NIOZ: the department
of Estuarine and Delta Systems (EDS) is looking for an enthusiastic and
motivated PhD candidate to address the challenge of reconstructing 20th century regional sea-level changes.
Do you want to use state-of-the-art observations and model simulations to unravel the 20th century sea-level puzzle? Do you want to use climate models to simulate past regional sea-level changes, and close the 20th century regional sea-level budget?
We offer this 4-year position in the NWO-funded Vidi project ‘DARSea: Detection and Attribution of 20th century Regional Sea-level change’. The position is in the research group of Dr. Aimée Slangen, in close collaboration with Utrecht University (Department of Physical Geography).
THE DEPARTMENT
The department of
Estuarine and Delta Systems focuses on understanding the complex
interactions between organisms and their physical and chemical
environment in estuaries and deltas. We investigate coastal areas at
risk due to global climate change and sea-level rise, with our sea-level
research group aiming to better understand and simulate regional
sea-level changes in the recent past and future. We are based in
Yerseke, on the Eastern Scheldt. We work on an integrated understanding
of the functioning of estuary and delta systems, in the context of
natural and human-induced environmental changes such as sea-level
change.
THE PROJECT
Global mean sea level has been rising at a rate of 1.7 (1.3-2.1) mm/yr since 1900, increasing to 3.3 (2.9-3.6) mm/yr for the period 1993-2018. However, from satellite altimetry observations we know that regional changes can be up to three times faster than the global mean. It is precisely this regional sea-level change which matters to coastal societies when they are deciding on defensive and adaptive measures. Unfortunately, the drivers of regional sea-level changes in the 20th century are not accurately known yet. Therefore, there is an urgent need to reconstruct 20th century regional sea-level changes, such that we can unravel its causes and determine the part of the observed changes that is driven by man-made greenhouse gas emissions. This is the aim of the NWO-funded Vidi project ‘DARSea: Detecting and Attribution of 20th century Regional Sea-level change’. The outcomes of the project will help coastal societies to understand why the sea level has changed along their coast and which part is caused by man-made climate change. This knowledge will allow policymakers to make well-informed decisions on coastal protection against future sea-level rise.
This position is the first of 2 PhD positions in the DARSea
project. The project is led by NIOZ, with partners from Utrecht
University, the UK Met Office, NORSC Bergen and the University of
Bremen.
THE POSITION
Your role in the DARSea project will be to reconstruct the 20thcentury regional observed sea-level changes. You will analyse the observed contributions to sea-level change and reconstruct the 20th century regional sea-level change using machine-learning techniques. You will also work with state-of-the-art climate model data and help to set up a framework for simulated 20thcentury sea-level changes. The observed and climate model data sets will serve as your main research tools, to investigate regional sea-level budget closure, perform observation-model comparisons, and quantify the fraction of observed regional sea-level change caused by man-made greenhouse gas emissions and other climate drivers. You will lead and contribute to peer-reviewed publications, share your results online with the research community, as well as present the project results at international conferences. You will work together closely with a second PhD candidate in the project, to set up the modelling framework.
Job requirements
THE CANDIDATE
We are looking for a candidate who has completed an MSc degree in Climate Physics, Oceanography, Marine Sciences, Physical Geography, Earth Sciences or a related relevant discipline. Preferably, you will also have strong analytical and computational skills, as the position involves analysis of large and complex datasets, numerical modelling and scientific programming. You will have excellent written and oral communication skills in English and publish your findings in scientific journals, present at international conferences and communicate your results to a variety of stakeholders. You will have a keen interest in climate change related topics and are interested to share your knowledge outside academia. Personal skills should include: well-organized and methodical, good communicator, and an aptitude for team-working.
Preferably, you will start this PhD position between November 2023 and 1 January 2024. The work will be conducted at NIOZ Yerseke (Netherlands). You will be enrolled in the graduate school of Utrecht University Earth Sciences and will be co-supervised by Prof. Roderik van de Wal (Utrecht University, Department of Physical Geography) and Dr. Matt Palmer (Met Office and University of Bristol, UK).
We seek to attract candidates from the widest possible pool and strive to build an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. Therefore, we welcome applications of candidates representing the broadest possible range of age, gender, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
THE CONDITIONS
Employment of this position at Royal NIOZ is by NWO-I (The Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research). The PhD position we are offering, will be based at the NIOZ-Yerseke. After a 12-month probationary period and successful evaluation, the position is extended for 36 months for a maximum employment of 4 years. The salary is compliant to the CAO-OI. Furthermore, NIOZ offers a pension scheme, a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, a year-end bonus of 8,3% of the gross annual salary, flexible work arrangements and 42 days of holiday leave (fulltime position). Advanced training opportunities are available. You may expect attractive secondary employment conditions. We offer generous relocation expenses for employees coming from abroad and support with finding accommodation.
MORE INFORMATION
Application available via www.workingat.nioz.nl. Please enclose: a CV, a cover letter, names and contact information of 2 references, and if possible a recent writing sample (such as a written report of research during your master’s degree). The cover letter should discuss your motivation for this PhD position including how you meet some or all of the preferred criteria.
For additional information about this vacancy, please contact the project leader Dr. Aimée Slangen (senior scientist). For additional information about the procedure, please contact Mylene Lormans (EDS HRM advisor). Click here for more information about the EDS department.
You can apply until 1 September 2023. We plan to interview top candidates on 18 september. Interviews will be conducted at NIOZ in Yerseke or online.