Postdoctoral Researchers: Environmental Science, Hydrology, Socioeconomics, Toxicology or Ecology of Pollutants - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

1. Introduction

Are you eager to learn how emission, fate and effects of pollutants (and the water, material and biomass flows that carry them) are related to the size of cities, catchments, organisms and communities? Then join the ERC Advanced Grant project ’The Power of Size’ to find out, make a difference and boost your academic career.

2. Job description

The aim of ’The Power of Size’ is to obtain relationships for the emission, fate and effects of pollutants as a function of size. We intend to derive overarching scaling principles applicable to multiple disciplines, including hydrology, socioeconomics, toxicology and ecology. To this end, you will collect data from databases, reviews, articles, and reports. Subsequently, you will derive and compare statistical and mechanistic relationships. As a lead author, you will publish the outcome in scientific journals and present the main findings at conferences in international settings.

We have six positions available for a total of six Tasks subdivided into three Work Packages. We aim to appoint three postdoctoral researchers (PD, 3 years) and three PhD candidates (PhD, 4 years). At first instance, Tasks 1.1, 2.1 and 3.1 have been assigned to PD positions and Tasks 1.2, 2.2 and 3.2 to PhD positions. However, we are flexible. If you have expertise in 1.1, 2.1 or 3.1, you can apply for a PhD position on that task as well, and likewise if you have expertise in 1.2, 2.2 or 3.2 for a PD position.

Work package 1: Emission and fate in basins and cities

Task 1.1 Transport of water in catchments and materials in cities (including buildings, vehicles, etc.).

Task 1.2 Transport of pollutants from cities to air and water/wastewater (including case studies).

Supervisors: Prof. Jan Hendriks, Prof. Birka Wicke, Dr Steef Hanssen.

Work package 2: Accumulation in vertebrates

Task 2.1 Transport of blood and oxygen between organs (covering different tissues, organs, etc.).

Task 2.2 Transformation of pollutants by enzymes and individuals (including in vitro/in vivo extrapolation and case studies).

Supervisors: Prof. Jan Hendriks, Prof. Ad Ragas, Dr Fiona Wang.

Work package 3: Effects on communities

Task 3.1 Transport and transformation of biomass in communities (including size spectra, diversity, productivity, etc.).

Task 3.2 Transport and effects of pollutants across trophic levels (including size spectra, diversity, productivity, and case studies).

Supervisors: Prof. Jan Hendriks, Dr Wilco Verberk, Dr Aafke Schipper.

All PDs and PhDs also contribute to work package 4, aimed at cross-disciplinary integration of the scaling relationships obtained.

Your efforts will benefit both fundamental research and regulatory applications. On the one hand, you will contribute to a better understanding of the, intriguingly, dominant role played by size in the functioning of systems. On the other, the relationships you obtain will facilitate urgent assessment of risks of 1000+ substances for 1000+ species (incl. humans) at 1000+ sites.

A summary of the project is available here, and pilot studies illustrating the approach in monodisciplinary settings can be found here.

As a Postdoctoral Researcher you will attend courses offered by the Graduate School of the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, improving your research and assessment skills. You will also supervise students and assist in courses at the BSc/MSc level, which will take up to (but usually less than) 10% of your working time.

For the PhD position on this project please see this website.

3. Profile

• You hold a PhD degree in environmental science, hydrology, socioeconomics, physiology, toxicology, ecology or another field related to the topic of the Task of your interest.
• You have experience in systematic data collection and quantitative analysis and enjoy describing complex systems by simple models (e.g. Y = a·Xb).
• You have a good command of spoken and written English at C1 level.
• You like collaborating with other people in a cross-disciplinary setting.  

4. We are

You will be based at the Department of Environmental Science of the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES) within the Faculty of Science. The mission of the Department of Environmental Science is to provide high-quality scientific knowledge that can help the world move towards greater sustainability. To achieve this, we aim to understand and predict the impact of anthropogenic pressures on ecosystems and humans and use the knowledge obtained to identify solutions for a more sustainable society. Our group currently consists of around 50 people, including around 25 PhDs and 10 PDs, offering a very open, inclusive and supportive work environment with regular social activities.

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of 1 year with the prospect of an extension for 2 years (1,0 FTE) or 2.75 years/33 months (0,8 FTE).
• Your salary within salary scale 10 depends on your previous education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Support Service. The Dual Career Programme assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. Our Family Support Service helps you and your partner feel welcome and at home by providing customised assistance in navigating local facilities, schools, and amenities. Also take a look at our support for international staff page to discover all our services for international employees.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to  Jan Hendriks.  In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place in week 38 and 39. You will preferably start your employment as soon as possible.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. If you wish to apply for a non-scientific position with a non-EU nationality, please take notice of the following information.