Your Job:
Drained organic soils are an important source of greenhouse gases worldwide. Also in the low lying areas of the Netherlands drainage of its organic soils, with the aim to enable more intensive usage of the land, leads to oxidation of organic material, significant carbon dioxide release and subsequent land subsidence. As part of climate mitigation policies the Dutch government seeks to reduce these emissions by at least 1 Mton in 2030. In support of these policies, several research projects funded at (sub-, inter-) national level (such as the Netherlands Research Programme on Greenhouse Gas Dynamics from Peatlands and Organic soils, and PeatPals) aim to investigate the effects of various mitigation measures on total greenhouse gas balance of the targeted areas.
The Earth Systems and Global Change group (ESC) of Wageningen University & Research has built up a considerable track record in studying interactions between greenhouse gas exchange, hydrology, land use, and climate (change). ESC contributes to this peatland research with (mobile) tower based eddy covariance measurements of carbon dioxide and methane exchange at field scale and with airborne measurements using the same technique at regional scale. Over the past 5 years we have built a strong measurement programme that include 20+ operational sites with the longest records already spanning 5 years, and over 700 flying hours. These complement measurements at plot scale by other consortium members using a variety of techniques, enabling quantitative description and understanding of processes responsible for the production of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. One of the challenges for ESC is to link te various measurement scales to come up with distributed, wall-to-wall landscape budgets of these greenhouse gases. We are a team of ten, closely interacting people, including (field)technicians, PhD, PostDoc and senior staff.
As a PostDoc, you will work on the following research topics (relative weight to be determined based on your interest and qualifications):
• contribute to (mobile) greenhouse gas monitoring strategies, their operations at (sub-) ecosystem to regional scales and to related data processing, aggregation and consolidation work flows;
• analyse and scale carbon dioxide and methane flux data from multiple locations and transects in relation to explanatory variables from vegetation and soil characteristics, land and water management and meteorology;
• develop data driven models of regional greenhouse gas balances for the fen meadow areas of the Netherlands under (emission reduction) management; use the model to simulate distributed emissions at regional to national scale;
• develop data-assimilation strategies, i.e. feeding models with near real time observations to continuously constrain model parameters, creating a digital twin of Dutch fen meadow areas;
• analyse the impacts of climate anomalies and climate change on regional greenhouse gas emissions;
• analyse trade-offs and synergies between nature management and climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in wetlands
Your work will consist of literature studies, analysis of in-situ greenhouse gas exchange data, as well as spatially distributed (satellite) data on vegetation, soil land and water qualities. You will be member of a larger team of scientists based at the partner universities, and technical support staff, within and outside Wageningen UR working on this topic, and have interaction with various partners (water boards, land managers, policy makers, etc.) associated with land based greenhouse gas emissions. Your project results will be disseminated through papers in peer reviewed journals and conference proceedings, but using popular media is also encouraged.
Your Qualities:
The ideal candidate has:
• a completed PhD in a field commensurate with the research objectives listed above
• experience/affinity with monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions/uptake in the field and from small aircraft, and possibly leaf scale
• experience/affinity with remote sensing of terrestrial and/or aquatic processes,
• experience with programming, statistics, machine learning and big data approaches in the context of soil-vegetation-atmosphere interactions
• excellent writing and oral communication skills in English and strong ambition to publish future work, proficiency in Dutch is considered a pro.
• standout colleague, who can work independently and who also communicates well with colleagues, and has the potential to (co-)supervise (under)graduate students in their research
• affinity with stakeholder interaction and cooperation with other scientific subject areas.
You will work here :
ESC is one of the chair groups in the Environmental Science Group of WUR. The Earth Systems and Global Change research aims at a better understanding of the impacts of global change on earth systems to contribute to sustainable futures. The group is divided in seven different subgroups, each focusses on a specific topic related to (Sustainable) Earth Systems and Global Change. The sought PhD will work in the Land based Mitigation and Adaptation team under the chair of Water Systems and Global Change.
Furthermore we aim to improve the understanding of anthropogenically driven changes in water cycles in relation to interactions between climate-, water-, energy- and agricultural systems. WSG performs coordinated assessments of water systems, in which we integrate knowledge on water systems and global change. To this end, we use a variety of models and observations. We combine modelling analyses with participatory approaches. Our water assessments focus on (1) the effect of changing global drivers on water systems, (2) adaptation and (3) mitigation strategies, comprising of novel approaches such as adaptive water management and ecosystem-based adaptation and (4) climate-water services. We thus take an integrated approach across the water, food and energy systems, at multiple spatial and temporal scales.
We offer you:
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:
• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.
In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 3.378,- and € 5.331,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). Additionally, a contract for 0.8 FTE can be discussed. As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended for 2 more years on good performance. Of course, we are happy to have a conversation with you if you have any questions about this.
Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.
You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the “best university” in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.
Coming from abroad:
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.
Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research’s International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account, dual career programs or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.
Do you want more information?
To learn more about this position, please contact Dr Ronald W.A. Hutjes [email protected], +31 (0)317-48 64 62 or Dr Bart Kruijt, [email protected], +31 (0)317-48 64 40
Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Edgar Tijhuis , Corporate Recruiter, via [email protected]
Ready to apply?
Only applications submitted through our website will be considered:
https://www.wur.nl/en/vacancy/postdoc-greenhouse-gas-balance-of-fen-meadow-landscapes.htm
You can apply until Monday 28 July 2025. The first interviews are scheduled for Monday 11 August 2025.