PhD Position: Environmental Assessment of Green Hydrogen

Do you want to contribute to greening our energy system? Do you enjoy environmental assessment and thinking in systems? If yes, then join our environmental science group for a 4-year PhD position focused on quantifying the climate impacts and benefits of green hydrogen. You will become part of a dynamic interdisciplinary team of researchers and a broader academic-industrial consortium to help develop a responsible and sustainable green hydrogen economy.

This PhD position is part of the Hy-SUCCES (Social, User aCCeptable, Economically Sustainable Systems for hydrogen) project within the NWO Groenvermogen NL programme. The project involves a broad consortium of universities, research institutes and industrial partners. It aims to analyse the socioeconomic and environmental factors that influence the role of hydrogen in a sustainable energy system, and to remove barriers and put enabling factors in place to deploy hydrogen at the desired scale.

Your research at Radboud University will contribute to these aims by looking at the environmental impacts of green hydrogen production and use, both in the Netherlands and globally. You will use prospective life-cycle assessment to determine climate footprints, accounting for all emissions of the production, transport, and various end-uses. The prospective element allows assessment of technologies that are still in development (e.g. electrolysers, transport modes). You will consider different hydrogen end-uses and look at climate-optimal ways of using hydrogen. Furthermore, using scenarios, model-outcomes and learning curves of consortium partners you will evaluate the climate benefits and wider environmental impacts of green hydrogen when scaled up by 2030 and 2050.

Aside from generic skills such as writing, presenting and solid scientific teamwork, this position will enable you to (further) develop your skills in environmental assessment, life-cycle assessment, systems thinking, modelling and coding. You will work on a set of technologies that is expected to play a key role in transitioning away from fossil fuels and mitigating climate change. And since it is currently insufficiently clear what the environmental impacts of hydrogen technologies are, you will help answer a crucial question: how to assess and ensure that green hydrogen is truly green.

You will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of experts at the academic forefront of environmental assessment of new technologies and their system-level consequences. You will generate results with direct sustainability impacts on society through cooperation with consortium partners. You will have opportunities to take various courses, and you will contribute about 10% of your working time to our teaching activities on environmental sustainability.

Profile

• You hold an MSc degree in environmental science, energy science, environmental engineering, industrial ecology, or one of the natural sciences.
• You have experience with life-cycle assessment.
• You have experience with integrated environmental assessment and/or systems thinking.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English.
• You enjoy collaborative research with societal impact.

We are

The mission of the Environmental Science Department is to provide high-quality scientific knowledge that can help the world move towards greater sustainability. To achieve this, we aim to understand, project and address the impact of anthropogenic pressures on ecosystems and humans from the landscape to the global scale. This enables us to explore and develop wide-ranging sustainable solutions for the environmental challenges the world faces today.

The Environmental Science group is embedded in the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES), which aims to perform world leading research to understand the response of the natural environment to human impact. This curiosity-driven, fundamental research is cross-linked with innovative applications in both industry and society with a focus on mitigating ecosystem degradation and finding solutions to restore the natural environment. In addition to developing world-class research, the institute is dedicated to first-rate education in its Biology BSc, MSc and international PhD programmes.

Radboud University

At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Will you also contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to play.

Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science (FNWI), part of Radboud University, engages in groundbreaking research and excellent education. In doing so, we push the boundaries of scientific knowledge and pass that knowledge on to the next generation.
We seek solutions to major societal challenges, such as cybercrime and climate change and work on major scientific challenges, such as those in the quantum world. At the same time, we prepare our students for careers both within and outside the scientific field. Currently, more than 1,300 colleagues contribute to research and education, some as researchers and lecturers, others as technical and administrative support officers. The faculty has a strong international character with staff from more than 70 countries. Together, we work in an informal, accessible and welcoming environment, with attention and space for personal and professional development for all.

We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €2,901 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,707 in the fourth year.
• 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.

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. In addition, you receive a 34% discount on the sports and cultural activities at Radboud University as an employee. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.