Postdoc The value of citizen science for Ecology

The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) is seeking a postdoc to explore the value of citizen science for ecology.

What you will be doing

The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) has a long-standing tradition of citizen science projects across departments, including bird ringing at ‘Vogeltrekstation’, volunteer-led research on smaller waters, and yearly soil biodiversity monitoring. You will contribute to developing a long-term vision on embedding citizen science across departments to create a citizen science hub within NIOO-KNAW. This includes investigating reliability, trustworthiness and validation of citizen science data in ecological research. The project enhances our understanding of how volunteer-generated biodiversity and environmental monitoring data can be reliably incorporated into scientific research and environmental policy and decision-making.

What you will be contributing

We are looking for an enthusiastic ecologist with shown expertise in working in citizen science projects. You have a PhD background in Ecology, Environmental Science or Biology-related fields. You bring experience in working with environmental databases, environmental monitoring and community-based research. You have excellent communication skills and are capable of building bridges across sectoral and research domains. Proficiency in Dutch is considered an advantage.

What do we offer?

The candidate will work across NIOO departments and will have an advisory team consisting of both scientists and science communication specialists. The NIOO offers a vibrant research community with about 30 nationalities. Formally, you will be based at the Department of Aquatic Ecology of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) located in Wageningen.

About NIOO

The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO) is a national research institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). At NIOO we perform ecological research on biodiversity, climate change and sustainable use of land and water. We stimulate ecological research in the Netherlands and share our ecological knowledge with society.

Terms of employment

Depending on education and experience the minimum salary is € 3.546 and the maximum salary is € 5.538 gross per month for a full-time appointment (scale 10 cao Nederlandse Universiteiten/KNAW). This is exclusive of 8% vacation allowance, 8.3% year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance and pension accrual with ABP.

The KNAW offers its staff an excellent package of secondary benefits. For example, by working an extra two hours a week, it is possible to increase the number of days off from 29 to 41 days a year (with full-time employment).

Applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct can be part of the employment procedure.