Utrecht University 2022 PhD International Scholarships in High-resolution Water Resource Modeling, Netherlands

As part of the European project SOS-WATER, we are looking for an enthusiastic PhD candidate who is interested in applying hydrological models to make novel high resolution water simulations over the European continent. 

Water scarcity, water quality degradation and the loss of freshwater biodiversity are critical environmental challenges worldwide, which have primarily been driven by a significant increase in water withdrawals during the last century. In the coming decades, climate and societal changes are projected to further exacerbate these challenges in many regions around the world. As such, defining a safe operating space (SOS) for water resources in a changing climate and society is urgently needed to ensure a sufficient and reliable supply of water of a quality acceptable for human activity and natural ecosystems. The large SOS-Water project is a multi-disciplinary project executed by a consortium of ten organisations in eight countries that aims to create the foundation for a holistic and participatory assessment framework of the SOS for the entire water resources system, accounting concurrently for all relevant water dimensions across multiple sectors and spatial scales under the influence of socio-economic, policy, technological, and climatic changes. This framework will help to operationalise and downscale the global freshwater SOS to the continental and river basin levels and to ultimately streamline water planning and management at local to regional levels and beyond such that the allocation of water among societies, economies, and ecosystems will be economically efficient, socially fair, and resilient to shocks.

• Table of Content
• About Utrecht University
• Utrecht University PhD Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of Utrecht University PhD Scholarship
• Requirements for Utrecht University PhD Scholarship Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Utrecht University

Founded in 1636 and located in the heart of the Netherlands, Utrecht University is one of Europe's leading research universities. We are recognised internationally for our high-quality, innovative approach to research and teaching. As an international student, you’ll be in good company at Utrecht University. Every year, approximately 1,500 international students come to the university to take English-taught degree programmes and other courses. Students work and study closely together, learning to operate in an international environment from the outset. This is essential for s...... continue reading

Utrecht University PhD Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of Utrecht University PhD Scholarship

The Utrecht University will provide the selected candidates a monthly gross salary for four years, starting at €2,443 in the first year and €3,122 in the fourth year of employment. In addition, the students will also be awarded an 8% holiday bonus, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a pension scheme partially paid parental leave.

Requirements for Utrecht University PhD Scholarship Qualification

• To be eligible, the applicants must meet all the following/given criteria:
• affinity with numerical modeling.
• Prior knowledge/experience in handling large-scale (hydrological) datasets.
• The ability to work in a team.
• You have an interest in global water and sustainability challenges and are enthusiastic about working with global datasets and models. You are a team player and will be part of a multidisciplinary team with the larger SOS-WATER project and supported locally by scientific and technical support staff. Together with the team, you will work on making large-scale hydrological models available at fine resolutions to be implemented in local assessments while still benefiting from the global applicability. Your focus will be on improving the existing PCR-GLOBWB model that is developed in Utrecht and together with our partners in Europe provide high-resolution water simulations that include dynamic human water interactions (e.g., abstraction for irrigation, industry, households).

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. To apply, please send your curriculum vitae, including a letter of motivation and the names of at least two referees (with e-mail contact addresses and phone numbers) via the ‘apply’ button below.

Interviews will be held on July 15th, either in person or via video call. A follow-up interview may be scheduled for July 21st. The expected starting date will be 1 October 2022.

The application deadline is 30 June 2022.

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