PhD student in Earth Science; INFLAMES-Project

PhD student in Earth Science (INFLAMES-Project)
Are you our new colleague?

Are you an ambitious and highly motivated student with a strong interest in fire-aerosol–climate interactions and experience in the interpretation of atmospheric (satellite) data and climate modeling? Then you are the person we are looking for.

Your work at SRON will enable a better quantification of the effect of fire on climate. You will make use of satellite observations and climate models. The NASA PACE mission (launched February 2024) with onboard the SPEXone instrument will play an important role. SPEXone is being developed by a Dutch consortium consisting of SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON) and Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands (Airbus DS NL).

The scientific lead is in the hands of SRON.

You will be part of the aerosol–cloud research line in the Earth Science Group (ESG) of SRON. The ESG consists of approximately 40 scientists (permanent, postdocs, PhD students) that work on the data processing and interpretation of satellite measurements as well as the definition of new instrumentation and guiding the development. About 12 scientists work in the aerosol-cloud research line on retrieval algorithm development, aerosol modeling, data assimilation, and quantification of aerosol radiative forcing from satellites.

You will also be a guest researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where you will work together with experts in aerosol modeling and where you will obtain your PhD degree.

Wildfires impact ecosystems, air quality, and the climate, with human activities and climate change making them more intense. The INFLAMES-project ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). ), a collaboration between Dutch universities and knowledge institutes funded by NWO, takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining Dutch atmospheric satellite data, computer models, and field research to understand how wildfires evolve and affect the environment around the world. Your research will focus on the effect of fires on climate through the emission of smoke aerosols.

These aerosols can either cause warming (through absorption of radiation) or cooling (scattering of radiation and affecting cloud properties) of climate, depending on their specific properties and altitude in the atmosphere. You will work on improving climate model simulations by combining them with data from novel satellite observations from PACE and Earthcare. The goal is to perform long term climate projection of fires using the improved climate model together with a model that predicts future fires, also developed within in the INFLAMES consortium.

The candidate will collaborate within a team of experts specializing in aerosol-cloud-climate modeling, vegetation modeling, and satellite observations, which offers a unique opportunity to gain broad experience in climate research.

The qualified applicant should have aMSc degreein (atmospheric) physics or similar with strong foundation in programming (preferably Python and Fortran). Experience in aerosol-cloud-climate modeling, machine learning and knowledge on aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions would be an asset. Good English language skills (speaking and writing) and the ability to both work in a team and independently are a no-brainer for us.

The position we offer at SRON is a full-time position in which you will be employed by NWO-I (The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research Institutes) and will initially be for a period of 18 months. This will be extended to 4 years when your performance evaluation after 9 months is satisfactory. The salary will be in accordance with the salary scales of NWO-I, starting at €3.115,- in the first year and rising to €3.989,- in the fourth year of employment.

Compensation for commuting expenses will be provided.

NWO has good secondary employment conditions such as:

• An end of year bonus of 8,33% of the gross yearly salary;
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross yearly salary;
• 42 days of vacation leave a year on full-time basis;
• Options for…