PhD Research on Air Quality due to fires

Are you interested in Air Quality? Are you looking to work with both models and observations of aerosol? Do you want your work to have societal relevance? Come join an exciting new collaboration between the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and TNO.

PhD Research on Air Quality due to Fires – Join the INFLAMES Consortium: Assessing Fire Smoke Impact on Air Quality

In the INFLAMES consortium, we are studying the impact of landscape fires on climate and society from a multi-disciplinary viewpoint. Your job will be to assess the contribution from fire smoke to local air pollution in mega-cities in Asia and Africa, and suggest (if possible) solutions to ameliorate bad air quality during the fire season.

You will combine the Dutch air-quality model LOTOS-EUROS with satellite observations, in a process called data assimilation, to arrive at the best possible description of the evolution of smoke plumes. The data assimilation will, in particular, give us better estimates of the strength of the smoke plumes. This leads to a better understanding of the smoke contribution to local air quality. This data assimilation system, which has been used before, will first be tested on local air pollution around Rotterdam (where we have many local measurements) but will later be applied to, for example, New Delhi or Harare where only satellite data can be used.

You will be hired by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam but have a placement for one day in the week at TNO (Utrecht), who have developed LOTOS-EUROS and will provide technical guidance. In addition, you will be a guest researcher at SRON (Leiden), who will provide the satellite data that you will use extensively.

Your duties

• Run the LOTOS-EUROS model with data assimilation of satellite observations
• Evaluate results against independent observations and analyse consequences for air quality
• Participate in meetings of the INFLAMES consortium
• Write and publish research papers
• Present your results at (international) conferences

Your profile

• MSc degree, specializing in physics, astrophysics, chemistry, earth sciences or a similar field
• Experience in computer programming
• Experience in data analysis

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. 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 € 3.059,00 and maximum € 3.881,00 gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
• An employment contract of initially 1 year. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. Your dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of your employment contract.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• Contribution to commuting expenses
• A wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge
• Hybrid working enables a good work-life balance

About us

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 diversity, 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.