Junior Researcher: Multi-hazard risk & resilience of critical infrastructure

Are you keen to better understand how critical infrastructure systems can be made more resilient to climate extremes? Please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Your Role

Critical infrastructure (CI), such as electricity and transportation systems, are the backbone of our society. When natural hazards strike, the importance of these systems becomes apparent: a disruption of a single CI service can quickly result in a knock-on effect on households, companies, and other CI systems, thereby causing wide-spread impacts on society.

The position entails: (i) understanding the interdependencies across infrastructure networks and society, (ii) identifying interventions (from asset to system-level) that can best improve the resilience of these interdependent systems to climate extremes, and (iii) developing this within a multi-hazard setting.

This research is part of the Horizon Europe Multi-hazard Infrastructure Risk Assessment for Climate Adaptation (MIRACA) project. The work will be carried out at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM). The candidate will work in close collaboration with the MIRACA consortium partners.

Your duties

• Support in developing state-of-the-art knowledge on climate adaptation strategies for critical infrastructure systems
• Collaborate with colleagues of the MIRACA project consortium to contribute to various deliverables on climate adaptation of critical infrastructure

Your Profile

• MSc degree in environmental sciences, civil engineering, transport engineering, climate sciences, or a similar field
• Proven affinity with research in critical infrastructure systems (e.g., energy, transport, telecom, or healthcare) and/or research in climate adaptation strategies
• Experience with programming in Python (e.g., geopandas, rasterio, networkx/igraph)

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 We Offer

• An exciting junior researcher position in a socially-engaged organisation with a supportive project team and an active early-career scientist community. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. In return for your efforts, we offer you:

• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• Solid pension scheme (ABP)
• Contribution to commuting expenses
• Optional model for designing a personalised benefits package

About Us

Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
Established in 1971, IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognised for its high-quality research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. The mission of the institute is to contribute to sustainable development and care for the environment through scientific research and teaching. IVM aims to do excellent problem-oriented research that is useful to a wide range of stakeholders in the Netherlands and internationally. A unique strength of our research is to understand sustainability problems in their social and economic context. IVM’s research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Geography; Environmental Policy Analysis; and Water and Climate Risk. Since 2001, IVM has been part of the Faculty of Science at VU Amsterdam (legal name Stichting VU).

The department of Water and Climate Risk (WCR) studies hydrological and climate processes, and how these processes lead to risks and opportunities for society, the economy, and the environment. A defining characteristic of the department is a multi-disciplinary approach that combines 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 water and climate risk 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.

From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from helium to the universe and from genetics to medicine: our education and research cover the full breadth of science, from molecules to mankind. Our academic education and research are highly experimental, technical and interdisciplinary in nature. That is why we collaborate extensively with leading scientific institutes and industry. The faculty has more than 8,000 students studying in one of the 39 programs and employs more than 1,400 staff across 10 scientific departments, making us one of the largest science faculties in the Netherlands.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely – a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research.

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.