Postdoctoral researcher on Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR:MRV)

Marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) is becoming an internationally recognised strategy as a way to mitigate climate change by increasing the ocean’s capacity to store anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Several strategies such as (1) direct ocean carbon capture, and (2) ocean alkalinity enhancement, manipulate ocean carbonate chemistry via electrochemical methods or alkalinity addition (enhanced rock weathering or via alkaline fluids), respectively. Both methods are beginning early pilot trail stages throughout European coastal waters; however, scientific research is lacking with respect to assessing the biological and ecological impacts of these mCDR approaches.

This EU-funded project is in collaboration with an international consortium of researchers and industry partners that will assess mCDR via monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV). Specifically, as the new postdoctoral researcher you will integrate ecological MRV (eMRV) approaches, that are essential for the deployment of mCDR strategies, via the assessment of ecological functions, biodiversity impacts, and potential consequences for human health effects. You will help design, implement, and conduct in situ observation studies with partnered pilot sites (in the Baltic, Mediterranean, and Atlantic) complemented with laboratory experiments to build an eMRV framework supplementing traditional MRV. Observational approaches include deployment of passive chemical samplers, quantifying organic matter export, examining eDNA functional responses, and monitoring shifts in POC and biogenic silica. Laboratory studies will target the response of benthic fluxes associated with changes in overlying seawater based on pilot site mCDR strategy.

PhD position: Competition Law Enforcement in Mixed Markets

State ownership has been rediscovered across the EU for industrial policy purposes, proving effective in the pursuit of strategic autonomy and sustainability transitions. State-owned enterprises (SOEs) are historically prominent in critical markets such as energy, extraction, utilities, finance and transportation, while allowing for more government influence than in private firms.

The above developments have led to a resurgence of state ownership through nationalization, active shareholding and subsidization in the EU, creating new risks for so-called mixed markets, where SOEs and private firms compete. This, in turn, raises questions about competition law enforcement of such markets. SOEs may be inclined to behave anticompetitively and create obstacles for private enterprises. However, there is little understanding of how competition law is enforced against SOEs in practice. This PhD research seeks to establish the first empirical insights into the practice and constraints of competition law enforcement against SOEs.

• As PhD researcher, you will undertake a 4-year research project aimed at answering to what extent, and on what grounds, the enforcement of EU competition law differs between State-owned enterprises and private undertakings.
• This PhD project envisions a mixed methods approach, combining data-driven, experimental and qualitative methodologies.
• The envisioned output of this PhD is 4 academic articles suitable for publication in peer-reviewed academic journals in competition law or policy.
• Throughout this project you will work in close collaboration with two dedicated PhD supervisors, who will coach you towards becoming an independent academic researcher.
• The proposal for this PhD project is attached. There, you find more details about its provisional aims and structure. This proposal should not be considered as entirely prescriptive—you are encouraged to make this project your own in consultation with your supervisors.

PhD student: Neurotoxicity of herbal supplements

At the Toxicology Division we aim to improve the scientific basis of chemical risk assessment through fundamental and applied innovative research, teaching and training in mechanistic and predictive toxicology. We are looking for an enthusiastic and creative PhD student to achieve these goals and strengthen our Toxicology Division, which is made up of four research groups: Endocrine-, Immune- and Neuro-toxicology and Exposure Assessment. This project will be performed within the Neurotoxicology Research Group, which investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action of potentially toxic substances on the nervous system.

You will work on the PhD project “Towards a tiered risk assessment strategy to evaluate the safety of herbal supplements”, which is commissioned by The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). This project is part of a collaborative effort with Maastricht University to investigate and evaluate the potential toxicity of herbal supplements using a range of in vitro approaches.

While many people use herbal supplements, the safety of such supplements is often poorly evaluated. However, it is well-documented that some herbal extracts can have adverse health effects. For example, the use of aristolochia extract is associated with kidney damage, kava extract with liver toxicity, and ephedra extract with cardiovascular insults. These examples highlight the need for a robust and structured strategy to better evaluate the safety of herbal supplements to reduce human health risk. Within this collaborative project you will investigate the potential neurotoxicity of diverse herbal extracts using in vitro screening assays, such as microelectrode array recordings and (cellular) imaging. In addition, you will investigate if herbal extracts can affect the function and integrity of the protective blood-brain-barrier. Given the similarity in excitability with cardiomyocytes, you will also assess the cardiotoxic potential of herbal extracts. Other potential adverse health effects (including hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and genotoxicity) will be investigated in a collaborative PhD-project at Maastricht University.

In addition to your research, you will:

• present your findings at national and international conferences;
• publish your results in peer-reviewed scientific journals, which will form the foundation of your PhD thesis;
• supervise MSc students during their internships;
• participate in relevant training courses that are relevant for your research.

Controller

Als controller werk je aan uitdagende projecten op het gebied van bouw, renovatie, onderhoud en verduurzaming van onze universitaire gebouwen. Je adviseert over investeringen en financiële risico’s en helpt projecten financieel beheersbaar en verantwoord uit te voeren. Denk bijvoorbeeld aan de renovatie van het monumentale Academiegebouw in de binnenstad, waar je bijdraagt aan het toekomstbestendig maken van historisch erfgoed.

Jouw werkzaamheden:

• je bent financieel sparringpartner voor projectteams en management
• je beoordeelt investeringsvoorstellen en analyseert de (financiële) consequenties van project-, personeels- en onderhoudsbeslissingen je adviseert over (financiële) risico’s en bewaakt projectbudgetten en uitgaven je denkt mee over de inzet van subsidies, zoals DUMAVA
• je helpt mee bij het opstellen van de begroting en kwartaalrapportages.
• je helpt mee bij de jaarafsluiting en het vormen van het dossier voor de accountant

Samen met je collega’s werk je aan gebouwen die het verschil maken voor studenten, onderzoekers en docenten of het nu gaat om monumentale panden in de binnenstad of moderne gebouwen op het Utrecht Science Park. Binnen jouw team werk je samen met zeven collega-controllers in een collegiale en betrokken sfeer.

Traineeship AI en Automatisering

Je werkt aan drie verschillende projecten op het gebied van AI en automatisering binnen onderwijs, onderzoek en bedrijfsvoering van de faculteit Bètawetenschappen. Denk hierbij aan projecten waarin je processen ontwikkelt, implementeert of optimaliseert en onderzoekt hoe AI en automatisering van toegevoegde waarde kunnen zijn. Zo kun je bijvoorbeeld bijdragen aan het vereenvoudigen van de registratie van tentamenuitslagen of het verbeteren van processen rondom personele en financiële administratie.

Je start als projectmedewerker binnen een bestaand project. Elk project duurt ongeveer 8 maanden. Naarmate het traineeship vordert krijg je steeds meer ruimte om een project zelf vorm te geven. Door te werken aan verschillende projecten krijg je inzicht in hoe processen en besluitvorming binnen een universiteit verlopen. Je leert werken in een complexe organisatie, waarin verschillende belangen en perspectieven samenkomen en waarin voortdurend wordt ingespeeld op nieuwe ontwikkelingen.

Net als jij vinden wij jouw ontwikkeling erg belangrijk. Daarom is er wekelijks tijd voor activiteiten speciaal gericht op jouw professionele groei en ontwikkeling. Je hebt op regelmatige basis een gesprek met je vaste mentor, voert netwerkgesprekken, volgt trainingen en cursussen en neemt deel aan intervisie. Het programma is erop gericht om jou de gelegenheid te geven te ontdekken waar je écht blij van wordt, waar je goed in bent én waaraan je een concrete bijdrage kunt leveren. Dit zetten we kracht bij door samen met jou een Persoonlijk Ontwikkelplan (POP) op te stellen.

Je start het traineeprogramma samen met 3 andere trainees. Jullie delen ervaringen en krijgen de ruimte om van elkaar te leren en samen te werken.

Na het traineeship heb je ervaring opgedaan met verschillende projecten en complexe vraagstukken en nieuwe vaardigheden en inzichten ontwikkeld. Je kunt je eigen successen benoemen en weet ook waar je behoeftes en uitdagingen liggen. Je weet wat je kunt en je hebt een beter beeld van je carrièrewensen.