PhD Spatial modelling to reduce land degradation in Ethiopia, Utrecht, Netherlands

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PhD Spatial modelling to reduce land degradation in Ethiopia

At the department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University

Job description

The Dutch Climate-KIC programme has awarded funding to the following project: “Food security and water availability in data-poor regions. Towards optimising land use and ecosystem services”. This PhD research project will be conducted at the Department of Physical Geography of Utrecht University, in collaboration with Ethiopian partner institutes. The intended starting date is 1 July 2013 and the project will last for four years. Short periods of fieldwork in Ethiopia will be part of the project.

Project description

Population increases during the last decades have resulted in major land use and land cover changes in Ethiopia. Land for crop production has expanded at the expense of forest cover and grazing land. These changes have affected the hydrology of watersheds and possibly have resulted in increases in soil erosion. Besides, precipitation patterns are expected to change, which will further affect the hydrology. The aim of this project is to study the influence of land use changes on hydrology and land degradation in the Upper Blue Nile basin in Ethiopia under changing precipitation regimes.

You will use the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to model the hydrology and soil erosion in the Blue Nile basin in relation to land use changes. You will combine multi-temporal remote sensing data on land use and land cover, existing data sets of meteorology, hydrology and soils, and field data on land degradation. This modelling will enhance our understanding of the interactions between land use changes and hydrology and soil erosion. The SWAT model will be used to optimize land use and land management to improve water resources and reduce soil erosion. The final product will be a map that shows local land and water managers the optimal spatial arrangement of different land use categories.

PhD Climate-KIC EIT Label

You will work on a Climate-KIC innovation project. This project is supplemented with the following activities and funding to achieve the PhD Climate-KIC EIT label:
• theJourney (including 1 month’s additional pay)
• SPARK! seminars and discussions (a total of 5 per year)
• transferable skills courses (a total of 2 Climate-KIC residential courses)
In addition the students will have access to:
• Business coaching
• Greenhouse funding
• Climate-KIC Festival
• Climate-KIC community and its activities

Qualifications

We seek a highly motivated candidate with:
• MSc degree in Physical Geography, Hydrology or a closely related discipline;
• strong motivation for research;
• keen interest in translating scientific findings to practical applications;
• profound knowledge of land degradation;
• preferably experience with SWAT, GIS and Remote Sensing.

You should be proficient in English, have excellent scientific writing and planning skills, and be an enthusiastic team player. An open and communicative attitude and a cooperative spirit are requirements for success in this multidisciplinary and applied project. The ability to communicate the main research results to non-specialized end users is an essential aspect of these skills.

Offer
You are offered a 12-month fulltime position at the Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University with - at good performance - the prospect of a phased extension with a maximum of 37 months (in total 4 years fulltime + 1 month). The salary starts with € 2,062.- gross per month in the first year and increases to € 2,638.- gross per month in the fourth year of employment at fulltime appointment. The extent of these positions officially is 38 hours per week (1.0 fte). The salary is supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% per year. In addition we offer a pension scheme, a contribution to commuting expenses and collective insurance schemes. There are several options to adjust your employment conditions to your personal situation. Facilities for child care and sports are available on our campus, which is only 15 minutes away from the historical city centre of Utrecht. Conditions are based on the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities.

Intended starting date: July 1, 2013
 

Additional information

Additional information can be obtained from Dr. E.A. Addink (e.a.addink@uu.nl) or Dr. G. Sterk (g.sterk@uu.nl).

Apply

Applications, including a letter of motivation, a curriculum vitae and contact information of three referees, should be submitted via the university website http://www.uu.nl/EN/informationfor/jobseekers/Pages/vacancies.aspx

Deadline for submission is April, 24, 2013. Interviews will be scheduled on Monday May 13, 2013.

Invited candidates will be asked to prepare a 10-minute presentation on their approach of the project.