PD-position: Can peat salinization or acidification combat climate change?

Dutch peat soils emit large quantities of greenhouse gasses because of peat degradation. Current emission reduction measures include raising the water table, passive and active water infiltration and paludiculture. These measures require large amounts of fresh water which, especially in the current climate, can cause problems in dry summers. You will study alternative soil-based mitigation measures and the effects of brackish water use on net GHG emissions.

We offer an exciting 3-year postdoc position at the Vrije Universiteit in an interdisciplinary peatland research team (4 Postdocs, 4 PhD students and 4 senior researchers). This VU-team is closely linked to the National Research Program on Greenhouse Gases in Peatlands (NOBV). The NOBV program already established a national monitoring network to quantify emissions from Dutch peat soils and evaluate mitigation measures. This monitoring network and its datasets form an unique starting point and research infrastructure for the whole research team.

Your duties

• quantify impacts of salinization and acidification on peat oxidation and related emissions of methane and CO2 under field and lab conditions
• study the short term and long-term impacts of these measures
• determine effect off peat characteristics, conditions during peat formation and land use history
• design and test new emission mitigation measures.
• translate research output to useful model parameters for national emission registration models such as SOMERS
• publish results in scientific journals and present on scientific conferences.
• contribute to maintaining and setting up field-sites
• closely collaborate and co-supervise the field-team
• participate in education of Earth-science and Alife departments
• participate in outreach activities

Requirements:

• you have a PhD in Biogeochemistry, hydrology or soil ecology, preferably towards GHG emissions of organic soils
• you have experience with (chamber) GHG measurements and data processing
• you have experience with field observation setups
• you have experience with large data sets
• proficiency with programming approaches and use of R/Python.
• you are a (interdisciplinary)team player with good communicative abilities
• you have experience or affinity to teach and supervise student projects
• English language proficiency both in speech and in writing
• you have a driving license

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

Salary Benefits:

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 3.378,00 (Scale 10) and maximum € 6.209,00 (Scale 11) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• a position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a duration of 2 years.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• discounts on collective insurances (healthcare- and car insurance);

De Boelelaan 1108