Team hire (2 PhD students & 1 postdoc) within Vici project Fire from the Sky ⚡

Are you passionate about the Earth and its climate? Do you want to make a difference in science and the world? Do you get excited about satellite images and venturing out to remote places?

This vacancy is part of a larger Vici project funded by the Dutch Research Council. FireSky is an interdisciplinary project combining field, remote sensing and modeling approaches to study feedbacks between climate warming, lightning and fires and permafrost thaw in the northern high latitudes. There is also a focus on climate-informed fire management strategies. The project includes funding for several field campaigns in Alaska (USA) and Canada. Project partners of FireSky include among others University of East Anglia, Woodwell Climate Research Center and the Alaska Fire Science Consortium, and research visits to these institutes are budgeted in the project.

Team hire
A team of 2 PhD students and 1 postdoc will be hired. The team will tackle several challenging topics focused on climate-fire feedbacks in the northern high latitudes, including:

1. Remote sensing of boreal fires
2. Fire-induced permafrost thaw and associated greenhouse gas emissions
3. Lightning fire occurrences

Topic 1 will largely be based on satellite data (including from the new FireSat constellation) and geospatial analysis. Topic 2 requires a combination of field and remote sensing approaches. For topic 3, experience with processing large geospatial datasets is required, as well as experience or profound interest in explainable AI techniques.

Tasks for PhD positions
The PhD students will work on one of the topics defined above using a combination of field and/or remote sensing and/or modeling approaches. Satellite and climate data processing will be carried out over large areas, and the applicant should therefore be able to efficiently handle big datasets. Applicants focused on topic 2 should be able to deal with logistical issues and challenging conditions for field campaigns in Alaska and Canada. Selected candidates will closely collaborate with other team members and colleagues. The research will lead to peer-reviewed publications that will be used to write a PhD thesis. The applicant will present the results at national and international conferences, and contribute to the department’s teaching programs.

Tasks for the postdoc position
The postdoc will investigate feedbacks between climate, lightning, fire, and permafrost in high latitude ecosystems based on field, remote sensing and modeling approaches. For the satellite and climate analyses, the geographic scope will encompass the entire circumpolar Arctic-boreal biomes, and the applicant should therefore be able to efficiently handle big datasets. The applicant will closely collaborate with other team members and colleagues. Research will be published in peer-reviewed journals. The applicant will present the results at national and international conferences, and contribute to the department’s teaching programs.

Moleculair Biologisch Analist voor onderzoek en onderwijs

We zoeken een nieuwe collega voor het analistenteam binnen de sectie Moleculaire Microbiologie van de afdeling A-Life van de Vrije Universiteit die meewerkt aan het onderzoek en onderwijs van de sectie. Onze internationaal georiënteerde onderzoeksgroep is gehuisvest in het moderne OI2-onderzoeksgebouw en deelt de laboratoria met de sectie Medische Microbiologie en Infectiepreventie van het Amsterdam UMC. De Moleculaire Microbiologie-groep onderzoekt onder andere moleculaire mechanismen in bacterien met toepassingen in de ontwikkeling van nieuwe antibiotica en andere therapeutica. Je werkzaamheden zullen zich richten of faag biologie en het ontwikkelen en toepassen van high-throughput methodes. Je speelt een centrale rol in het introduceren van dit type werk aan nieuwe werknemers en stagaires. Daarnaast ben je nauw betrokken bij het opzetten, voorbereiden en begeleiden van laboratorium practica die gegeven worden door A-Life, het Amsterdam Institute for Life.

Jouw taken:
Je hebt een spilfunctie in het dagelijks functioneren van de labs en draagt bij aan de veiligheid en organisatie binnen de sectie. Daarnaast is het organiseren en begeleiden van het praktisch onderwijs een belangrijk onderdeel van het takenpakket.

• Je ondersteunt het onderzoek van de sectie
• Je draagt bij aan het dagelijks reilen en zeilen van de laboratorium werkzaamheden
• Je begeleidt en geeft supervisie tijdens practica en stages en geeft voorcolleges en nabesprekingen
• Je draagt bij aan de voorbereiding van het praktisch onderwijs van A-life
• Je bent een teamspeler die taken op je neemt en inspringt waar hulp nodig is.

PhD Position Spatial determinants of nature restoration

Restoration of nature through targeted actions such as re-wetting and re-wilding are crucial to halt the decline of biodiversity and enhance resilience of landscapes to climate change. Restoration of nature takes place both in natural areas and working landscapes. However, little is known about where and what conditions enable nature restoration projects to be successfully implemented. In areas with high land use pressures obtaining land for nature restoration may be difficult and may involve resistance. In other locations the added value of restoration may be smaller. Having insight in the spatial factors influencing locations of nature restoration will help effective targeting of investments.

In this PhD, you will make an assessment of the spatial location factors of nature restoration at European scale through: 1) reviewing the locations and location characteristics of successful and failed nature restoration and rewilding initiatives; 2) assessing the potential for restoration and rewilding through European scale mapping of the spatial locations of restoration and rewilding; 3) simulating scenarios of potential nature restoration locations under alternative priorities and changing land use pressures and 4) investigating the potential contributions of high potential locations to biodiversity and ecosystem services. The research includes review of existing restoration projects, spatial analysis and spatial modelling.

This research is part of two Horizon Europe projects: WildCard and NatuRISE. The work will be carried out at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) in collaboration with consortium partners and colleagues within the institute coming from different disciplines.

Your duties

• You conduct innovative research on the locations of nature restoration and rewilding
• You develop and apply modelling approaches that enable the analysis of future nature restoration actions in a dynamic land use context
• You write a PhD thesis based on a series of scientific papers that document your research
• You collaborate with colleagues to perform project tasks and work together with other PhD students in developing spatial modelling approaches

Assistant Professor (UD) in International Political Economy

The Department of Political Science and Public Administration is searching for an Assistant Professor in Political Science with a strong profile in International Political Economy who can contribute to both teaching and research.

Within IPE, we are open to a broad range of themes and welcome expertise and (critical) perspectives relating to the changing nature of global capitalism and power shifts within the global political economy, and the interplay between global economic and geopolitical dynamics within a changing global order. Relevant areas of expertise may include, for example:

• global production, trade, and financial systems in a context of geopolitical rivalry
• economic statecraft, geoeconomics, and techno-industrial competition
• the political economy of technological change and digitalisation
• industrial policy, development, and state–market relations
• the role of both public and private actors such as states, corporations, and elites in shaping (the governance of) the global political economy
• European economic governance within a changing world order
• global inequalities and North–South relations

We are especially interested in candidates who adopt analytically rigorous and theoretically informed approaches, and who can contribute to ongoing debates on power, governance, and transformation in the global political economy.

Do you have a compelling research agenda that can contribute to our research programme on ‘Multi-Layered Governance in Europe and beyond’? Then this may be an interesting position for you. You need to hold a PhD in political science or a closely related field, have a strong research profile in international political economy, and preferably have teaching experience with positive evaluations. You have an international research network, a record of high-quality publications, and the potential to acquire research funding.

As an Assistant Professor, you are expected to be able to teach a variety of courses in political science, and especially in International Political Economy, at Bachelor and Master level, both in our Political Science programmes and in the inter-disciplinary BSc Programme: Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). You conduct research, publish this in international, refereed journals and, where feasible, disseminate the findings to a wider public. Besides, you are active in acquiring external research funding, alone or with colleagues, and you may co-supervise PhD candidates.

Your duties

• teach and coordinate courses in political science at Bachelor and Master level with a focus on international political economy
• undertake independent research and publish in international peer-reviewed journals
• apply for external research funding
• take on (minor) managerial duties
• where appropriate, co-supervise PhD students and mentor students and junior colleagues
• actively contribute to the scholarly community of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration

Aurora Project Manager

Job description

The Aurora Project Manager is a key coordinating role within the Aurora Central Office. Working closely with the Secretary-General and alongside another Project Manager with a complementary focus on educational development, the Project Manager supports the financial management, reporting, and overall implementation of the European University alliance programme.

The role combines financial coordination, EU-level reporting, project monitoring, and stakeholder interaction in a complex international environment involving multiple universities, task teams, and external bodies, including the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).

Your duties
Aurora 2030 Programme coordination and support to the Secretary-General

• Provide operational and tactical support to the Secretary-General (SG) in the implementation of the Aurora alliance programme
• Contribute to the realisation of the project plan and cross-alliance coordination
• Support the SG with the preparation, attendance, planning, and follow-up of:
• FOREU4ALL and EACEA meetings
• Executive Committee meetings
• Other governance and coordination meetings

Aurora 2030 Reporting and compliance

• ·Coordinate continuous and periodic reporting, including progress and final reports
• ·Organise and support data gathering from Task Teams (TTs) and Work Packages (WPs)
• ·Structure, analyse, and consolidate qualitative and quantitative (including financial) data
• ·Ensure timely and compliant delivery of project deliverables, including:
• Alignment with required formats and reporting guidelines
• Monitoring milestones and deliverables and its deadlines
• Supporting TT and WP leads throughout reporting cycles
• Uploading and managing submissions via the EACEA portal
• Act as a central contact point for project management communication with EACEA, including reviews and follow-up actions

Financial management and coordination

• Support the lead university (University of Iceland) in the financial management of the Aurora 2030 alliance programme
• Contribute to financial planning, monitoring, and internal coordination across partners
• Develop and maintain clear financial overviews and timelines
• Support financial reporting in line with EU funding rules and requirements

Strategic development and external engagement

• Support the preparation of future funding applications, including new or parallel projects under EU and other international calls
• Monitor and coordinate initiatives related to new funding opportunities
• Maintain and develop working relationships with other European University alliances
• Support engagement with relevant external stakeholders and partners
• Promote Aurora tools, results, and opportunities across the alliance
• Potentially contribute to the integration of new member universities