PhD position: Water-Mediated Cooling of European Cities and Citizens

Are you a highly motivated researcher passionate about urban hydrometeorology, climate modelling, heat-health interactions, and water-sensitive urban design? Do you want to work on a high-impact, international project that translates urban hydrometeorological science into real-world solutions protecting human health from extreme heat?

We are seeking a talented PhD candidate to join the Horizon Europe Innovation Action Project EUROASIS (EUROpean Adaptive, Systemic and Inclusive Solutions for heat resilience). This PhD position focuses on assessing whether innovative cooling interventions piloted in EUROASIS pilot cities will also perform in the project's replicator cities and regions across Europe's diverse hydroclimates.

As our PhD candidate, you will model the urban water-energy balance underlying (evapotranspirative) cooling—e.g., how greening and water features impact hydrometeorological conditions and translate into reduced heat-health risk based on temperature- and humidity-based heat indices. You will simulate these effects in the replicator cities against field measurements in a subset of them, and quantify the water demand of sustaining this cooling under extreme heat conditions. Your work will directly culminate in international peer-reviewed journal papers and foundational project deliverables.

You will work here
The Hydrology and Environment Hydraulics (HWM) chair group, led by chairholder Martine van der Ploeg, aims to contribute to the improved understanding of catchment-scale hydrological processes through advanced measurement, modeling and assimilation techniques. You will be co-supervised by Dr. D. (Dragan) Milosevic and Dr. AJ (Ryan) Teuling.

PhD on Modeling the Cool City: Microclimate Solutions for Urban Heat Resilience

Are you a highly motivated researcher passionate about urban climate and hydrometeorological modeling, urban biometeorology, and climate-sensitive urban design? Do you want to pursue a PhD study that translates advanced urban (bio)climate and hydrometeorology knowledge into real-world solutions protecting human health from extreme heat?

We are seeking a talented PhD candidate to join the Horizon Europe Innovation Action Project EUROASIS (EUROpean Adaptive, Systemic and Inclusive Solutions for heat resilience). This PhD position will focus specifically on evaluating and upscaling a portfolio of systemic heat-mitigation innovations across four major European pilot cities: Amsterdam, Athens, Zaragoza, and Reggio Emilia.

You will assess how physical, nature-based, and digital interventions—ranging from Amsterdam's network of shaded routes and heat shelters to Zaragoza's xerophytic "climate oases"—alter the outdoor thermal conditions and directly minimize ambient heat exposure for urban populations. Collaborating with international partners (such as Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine and Atelier Franck Boutté), you will couple advanced microclimatic and urban morphology simulations with epidemiological data to quantify heat-health benefits. As our PhD candidate, you will bridge the gap between high-resolution microscale climate/hydrometeorological simulation and empirical public health outcomes. Your work will directly culminate in international peer-reviewed journal papers and foundational project deliverables.

You will work here
The Meteorology and Air Quality Group (MAQ) aims to contribute to the further understanding of atmospheric processes and their relevance for weather, air quality and climate. We do research on a variety of topics and horizontal scales. As a university group we are responsible for the education in subjects of Meteorology and Air Quality at the BSc and MSc level and the training of PhD candidates. Students are guided in the basics of Weather and Climate, Forecasting, Turbulence and Dispersion, Boundary-Layer Meteorology and Chemistry, Atmospheric Dynamics, Desertification and Land use, and many other subjects. You will be co-supervised by Dr. D. (Dragan) Milosevic and Dr. G.J. (Gert-Jan) Steeneveld.

HR Contact Centre Officer

Make a difference as the first point of contact for HR questions

Are you strong in listening, asking questions and finding solutions? Do you get energy from contact with people and do you have a connection with HR? Then this position at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is for you.

As an HR Contact Centre Officer, you are the point of contact for employees and managers with a wide range of HR questions. You help them quickly, ensure correct handling and monitor processes when multiple departments are involved. In addition, you will work in a dedicated team on an inspiring campus and you will have plenty of opportunities to work hybrid.

Your role
Not a day is the same. You switch between different questions and quickly know how to get the right information on the table. Thanks to your service-oriented attitude, employees feel heard and helped.

What will you do?

• you answer HR-related questions from employees and managers by telephone, e-mail and the ticket system;
• you ensure correct and complete handling of questions in primary care;
• you monitor the progress of more complex issues that are taken up by HR specialists or other HR departments (tier 2/3);
• you keep the HR knowledge base in the WUR Support Portal up-to-date and user-friendly;
• you identify recurring questions and think along about improvements to processes and services.

Your team
You will be working in the HR Contact Centre, a small team consisting of two colleagues and a team leader. Together, you are responsible for a professional and accessible HR service for the entire organization.

You will be given a lot of room to share knowledge, develop yourself further and actively think about improvements within the team.

HR Contact Centre Officer

Maak een verschil als eerste aanspreekpunt voor HR-vragen

Ben je sterk in luisteren, vragen stellen en oplossingen vinden? Haal je energie uit contact met mensen en heb je een band met HR? Dan is deze functie bij Wageningen University & Research (WUR) iets voor jou.

Als HR Contact Centre Officer ben je het aanspreekpunt voor medewerkers en managers met een breed scala aan HR-vragen. Je helpt ze snel, zorgt voor correcte afhandeling en monitort processen wanneer meerdere afdelingen betrokken zijn. Daarnaast werk je in een toegewijd team op een inspirerende campus en krijg je volop mogelijkheden om hybride te werken.

Jouw rol
Geen dag is hetzelfde. Je schakelt tussen verschillende vragen en weet snel de juiste informatie boven tafel te krijgen. Dankzij jouw servicegerichte instelling voelen medewerkers zich gehoord en geholpen.

Wat ga je doen?

• je beantwoordt HR-gerelateerde vragen van medewerkers en leidinggevenden via telefoon, e-mail en het ticketsysteem;
• je zorgt voor een juiste en volledige afhandeling van vragen in de eerste lijn;
• je bewaakt de voortgang van complexere vraagstukken die worden opgepakt door HR-specialisten of andere HR-afdelingen (tier 2/3);
• je houdt de HR-kennisbank in het WUR Support Portaal actueel en gebruiksvriendelijk;
• je signaleert terugkerende vragen en denkt mee over verbeteringen van processen en dienstverlening.

Jouw team
Je komt terecht in het HR Contact Centre, een klein team bestaande uit twee collega's en een teamleider. Samen zijn jullie verantwoordelijk voor een professionele en toegankelijke HR-dienstverlening voor de hele organisatie.

Je krijgt veel ruimte om kennis te delen, jezelf verder te ontplooien en actief mee te denken over verbeteringen binnen het team.

Head of Communications

Are you a strategically strong communications manager who wants to make an impact, together with your team, in an organisation that contributes to global challenges in the areas of food, climate and biodiversity? Someone who moves effortlessly between vision and execution, with experience in leading communications around complex societal themes? Then this role might be just right for you.

As Head of Communications, you are responsible for the communications strategy of the Animal Sciences Group (ASG) and you lead a team of communications and marketing professionals. You set a clear course, encourage professional development within the team, and translate complex societal issues into effective communication. You move easily between strategic advice, organisational development and day-to-day practice. You are a sparring partner for the General Director when it comes to positioning ASG both within and outside the WUR organisation.

Through its research and education, the Animal Sciences Group (ASG) aims to provide answers to urgent societal questions around Animal-Worthy Livestock Farming, Biodiversity and Health for all life. Knowledge of, or affinity with, the themes ASG works on is an important plus.

Your tasks and responsibilities:

• you will develop and implement effective internal and external communication strategies aimed at increasing the organisation’s reach and visibility;
• you will act as an advisor and sparring partner to the management team, carefully weighing internal and external interests;
• you will work with your team to strengthen the communicative power of employees and management, among other things by encouraging and organising dialogue;
• you keep track of relevant developments in the field and translate these to the organisation;
• you give direction to communications around urgent societal themes, such as animal-worthy livestock farming, (marine) biodiversity, or nitrogen and climate issues, and health for all life;
• you maintain and develop a relevant internal and external network;
• you hold ultimate responsibility for a well-functioning communications department, and for leading and (further) developing the communications team of three staff members;
• you are a connecting link between the ASG knowledge unit and WUR's central communications department, sharing responsibility for WUR's communications and marketing strategy.

You report to the ASG management and have a functional reporting line to the business unit managers of three research institutes and to the operations manager of the Department of Animal Sciences. You are part of ASG's team of staff heads.

In addition, you have a functional reporting line to WUR's Director of Corporate Communications. You contribute to WUR's communications and marketing strategy as a member of the WUR-wide Strategic Marketing & Communications Team, where you collaborate with other communications and marketing leaders.

You will work here
The Animal Sciences Group (ASG) is part of Wageningen University & Research and works on animal welfare in sustainable production systems, on the health of humans and animals in interaction with one another, and on the role and function of animals in biodiversity and ecosystems. As a nationally and internationally leading research institute in the field of animal sciences, ASG takes a proactive role in tackling problems where insights from animal sciences are crucial. ASG comprises the following units: the Department of Animal Sciences (DDW) at Wageningen University, with twelve chair groups, and three Wageningen Research institutes: Bioveterinary Research (WBVR); Livestock Research (WLR) and Marine Research (WMR). ASG’s organisational units are spread across the Netherlands.

At ASG, both fundamental and applied research is carried out, and innovative solutions are developed. That we do this well is reflected not only in international rankings, in which ASG and WUR consistently rank among the world's best, but also in the fact that you continually see and hear Wageningen experts in the media on topics of great societal importance.

Your team
The Communications & Marketing team of ASG consists of communications and marketing advisors at various locations. The team works closely with, among others, an online director, a central editorial team, press officers and content creators who are part of the corporate C&M department. Together, they are responsible for formulating the (marketing) communications strategy and for developing, coordinating and delivering all internal and external (marketing) communications activities for ASG — all in line with WUR's communications and marketing strategy.