Researcher in Management

Are you interested in multi-hazard and multi-risk assessment and management? Do you want to contribute to methodological advances in this field and bringing together knowledge and researchers on this topic? Please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Location: AMSTERDAM
FTE: 0.8 - 1

Job description

The last few years have seen a rise in the interest for multi-hazard and multi-risk assessment and management within academic and policy-making communities. It is important to understand how different hazards and their impacts can interact across space, time, and different sectors, in order to design effective disaster risk reduction strategies. The Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) of VU Amsterdam has built a dynamic team of researchers around this topic, and has a growing portfolio of research projects and teaching in this field. For this postdoc position, you will join this team, and carry out research, networking, and project support activities on multi-hazard and multi-risk assessment.

The position entails: (1) applying mixed-method approaches (both qualitative and quantitative) in the assessment of multi-hazard and multi-risk science; (2) maintaining and expanding an international network of multi-hazard and multi-risk researchers; (3) analysing results from stakeholder interviews of local to regional multi-risk assessment and management in Europe; and (4) contributing to project management.

This position is funded through 2 European projects, namely: (1) the Horizon 2020 funded project MYRIAD-EU; and the European Space Agency (ESA) funded project High Impacts Multi-Hazards Science (EO4MULTIHA). The former examines ways to assess and reduce multi-risk in Europe, and the latter examines the use of Earth Observation data in multi-hazard assessments. The work will be carried out at IVM. You will work in close collaboration with the consortium members of MYRIAD-EU and EO4MULTIHA. Our institute values diversity, we therefore especially encourage applications from women and other groups traditionally under-represented in the discipline.

Your duties

• apply state-of-the-art mixed-methods approaches for multi-hazard and multi-risk assessment
• contribute to managing the MYRIAD-EU and EO4MULTIHA projects
• network activities, in particularly through co-organising research workshops and stakeholder events on the topic of multi-risk assessment and Earth observations together with colleagues from ESA
• contribute to our teaching programmes is not a requirement, but teaching opportunities can be facilitated for candidates interested in gaining teaching experience

Requirements

• have a PhD degree in geography (human and/or physical), geospatial sciences, environmental sciences, risk science, climate sciences, or similar (preferably with demonstrable affinity with (multi-) hazard and (multi-)-risk assessment and/or management)
• experience with mixed methods approaches (quantitative and qualitative)
• a strong network within the multi-hazard/multi-risk/earth observation communities is a preference
• strong networking skills and experience/interest for workshop development
• the position involves collaboration and communication in a larger team of researchers and stakeholders from other disciplines involved in international research projects
• Note: we encourage you to apply even if you do not feel that you have all of the requirements listed above

What are we offering?

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €3,226 (scale 10)
and a maximum €5,090 (scale 10), depending on your education and experience. The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.8 FTE.

The initial employment contract will affect a period of 2 years.
Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment,
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus,
• solid pension scheme (ABP),
• child daycare facilities available on campus,
• contribution to commuting expenses

About Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 31,000 students. We employ over 5,000 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

The Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means working together with students, PhD candidates and scientists who are focused on their discipline, yet also have a broad view of the world. We are proud of the collegial working environment within the faculty, which is characterised by an ambitious and pragmatic attitude with commitment to the bigger picture. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex social issues for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from genetics to pharmaceuticals and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research cover the full breadth of the natural sciences. Scientific teaching and research is highly experimental, technical, computational and interdisciplinary in nature. This is why we collaborate extensively with leading research institutes and industry. The faculty has over 11,000 students studying across 40 educational programmes and employs over 1,600 staff spread over 10 scientific departments, making us the largest science faculty in the Netherlands.

About the department
The department of Water and Climate Risk is a dynamic group of 45 international researchers, faculty members and PhD students within the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM). Explicit attention is given to the interaction between the hydrological and climate systems, and how these interactions lead to risk to society, the economy, and the environment. The focus is on water and climate extremes such as floods and droughts, to estimate impacts from these extremes on various economic sectors, and to examine which strategies can be developed to reduce impacts and risk. This requires the mapping of climate and water-related hazards, as well as the exposure of people and assets and their vulnerability, and estimating associated costs to reduce risk. Risk management and risk transfer strategies are evaluated in the context of both developed and developing countries. Model simulations, data processing, data assimilation and the integration of economic instruments, such as insurance, are key scientific strengths of the department.
 

Application

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button and upload your curriculum vitae and cover letter until 01/09/2023. 

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.

Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.

Vacancy questions
If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, you may contact:

Name: Philip Ward
Position: Professor of Global Water Risk Dynamics
E-mail: philip.ward@vu.nl
Telephone: +31 20 59 86149

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