Job description:

The Utrecht Department of Earth Sciences currently seeks a highly-motivated, high-potential applicant for a position as a postdoctoral researcher to develop a model for methane hydrate dynamics.

The research will be executed in the context of the Netherlands Earth System Science Centre (www.nessc.nl/here). Methane hydrate dynamics is governed by the balance between methane production and consumption, gas and solute transport, and phase changes. Methane release from hydrates has been suggested to have caused the recurrently occurring hyperthermals, but the mechanisms and time-scales involved are poorly known. The aim of this project is to develop new modelling strategies to further our understanding.

Qualifications:

We seek a highly motivated candidate with the following requirements:

• a PhD degree in a relevant field and a very good publication record;
• skills to independently develop numerical models;

Applicants must have excellent written and spoken English skills and be highly motivated to work in an international team.

Terms of employment:

We offer a temporary position as postdoc for 30 months. Employment conditions are based on the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities. The gross monthly salary is dependent on qualifications and experience and starts between € 2,984,- and € 3,605,- with a full-time appointment (salary scale 10/3 – 10/8, 2017).

The salary is supplemented by a holiday allowance of 8% per year and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%. In addition, we offer a pension scheme, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions. Facilities for sports and child care are available on our main campus (where the Department of Earth Sciences is situated), which is located only 15 minutes away from the historical city centre of Utrecht.

About the organisation:

The Utrecht Faculty of Geosciences offers education and research concerning the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere. With a population of 2600 students (BSc and MSc) and 600 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty is organised in four Departments: Innovation, Environmental & Energy Sciences, Earth Sciences, Physical Geography, and Human Geography & Spatial Planning.

The Department of Earth Sciences conducts teaching and research across the full range of the solid Earth and environmental Earth sciences, with activities in almost all areas of geology, geochemistry, geophysics, biogeology and hydrogeology. The department hosts a highly international group of more than 100 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers and houses a wide variety of world-class laboratories.

Additional information:

For additional information please contact the project leader Prof. Dr Jack Middelburg, j.b.m.middelburg@uu.nl.

How to apply:

To apply, please follow this link and the guidelines mentioned there. Applications will be accepted until January 31^st, 2018. Evaluations and interviews are planned soon thereafter. We aim to start the project late Spring / early Summer, but ultimately on the 1^st of August, 2018. Online screening may be part of the selection. Commercial response to this ad is not appreciated.