PhD position on Complex system modelling of systemic climate impacts

Are you enthusiastic about climate research and keen to unravel how human actions determine the impacts of extreme weather events? Then this PhD project may be for you.

PhD position on Complex system modelling of systemic climate impacts

Climate science allows us to quantify the role of climate change in concrete events of extreme weather: this is called extreme event attribution. In this project, we aim to develop an expanded and integrated science of event attribution, forecast and impact, to enable effective policymaking towards preventing imminent harm and reducing risk in the next decades. The new research paradigm aims to capture not only climatic factors, but also drivers such as land-use change, groundwater depletion, changes in exposure and social vulnerability.

As a PhD candidate, your goal is to develop new modelling tools for assessing the systemic impacts emerging from the dynamics between hazards, socio-economic sectors, vulnerability and adaptation. You will also combine models with counterfactuals and scenarios of climate and of non-climate drivers, developed in stakeholder consultation. This will enhance our understanding of the link between climate, extreme weather and human actions and decisions. The work will be carried out in strong interaction with international project partners.

Your duties

• You develop new modelling tools to represent the complex systemic interactions between climate, environment, society, and human adapting behaviour
• You execute simulations under different climate and non-climate counterfactuals
• You analyse the impact of compound events
• You provide the tools and knowledge for systemic impact assessment to case study stakeholders
• You present your research at scientific conferences and publish your results in scientific journals
• You contribute to teaching and supervising in bachelor and master programs

Your profile

We are looking for a motivated candidate to develop and apply complex system models with the following profile:

• You hold a MSc degree in climatology, meteorology, earth science, hydrology, computer science, environmental science, or equivalent
• You have solid scientific coding skills in Python. You are strongly motivated to acquire advanced skills in Python and in the use of high-performance computer systems
• You have affinity and preferably experience with system dynamics, earth system modelling, and statistics
• You are able to work independently, and to collaborate with other researchers in the interdisciplinary project and research group
• You have excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not (fully) meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organization. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 3.059,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.881,00 (PhD) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile PhD candidate. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• a position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 1 year. Afterwards, the intention is to extent the position for another 3-years enveloping the full PhD. 4 years of funding is secured.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• hybrid working enables a good work-life balance
• a PhD education program including training for teaching assistants and courses that are part of the SENSE graduate school

About the department

Established in 1971, the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) is a leading environmental research institute, internationally recognised for its research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. IVM’s research community works within four sections: Environmental Economics, Environmental Geography, Environmental Policy Analysis, and Water and Climate Risk.

The section of Water and Climate Risk (WCR) studies hydrological and climate processes, and how these processes lead to risks for society, the economy and the environment. A multi-disciplinary approach defines the section, combining 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 projects, and the department is a global leading institute in flood and drought risk assessment, and risk management research.

Faculty of Science

Working at the Faculty of Science means collaborating with students, lecturers and researchers who are focused on their field, yet have a broad view of the world. We are proud of a positive and inclusive workplace culture within the faculty, where we work together with great energy and a pragmatic attitude to tackle social challenges. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex societal issues for a sustainable, healthy and just future.