PhD Position Urban Water Balance Under Drought Conditions

Sustainable urban water management: research how drought-resilient cities can be realized in the Netherlands.

Job description
As droughts become more frequent, many Dutch municipalities struggle to adapt their urban water management strategies. This leads to financial, ecological, and social consequences. A lack of understanding of the urban water balance before and during drought, the impact of evaporation, and unclear responsibilities hinder the transition to a climate-resilient urban environment.

We are looking for a PhD candidate to contribute to expanding this knowledge base. Your research will focus on:

• Setting up and maintaining monitoring networks to quantify urban water fluxes, with a focus on urban green infrastructure.
• Conducting data analysis to better understand water fluxes and evaporation.
• Conceptualizing and modeling the urban water balance before and during drought conditions.

You will closely collaborate with other project members and stakeholders within the Thirsty Cities project. This project aims to develop knowledge, tools, and strategies for a climate-proof and water-sensitive built environment.

More information about the project: Thirsty Cities - NWO

Job requirements
We are looking for a candidate with:

• An MSc degree or equivalent in sanitary engineering, (urban) hydrology, or a related field.
• Affinity with field work.
• Strong analytical skills and experience in data analysis and modeling.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work in a team.
• Proficiency in Dutch (required due to close collaboration with Dutch municipalities and industry partners).

Are you passionate about contributing to innovative solutions for urban water management and eager to work in a practice-oriented research environment? Then we encourage you to apply!

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences
The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced of the importance of open science and supports its scientists in integrating open science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences.

Conditions of employment
Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2901 per month in the first year to €3707 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information
If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Miriam Coenders (a.m.j.coenders@tudelft.nl, +31152782110) or Jeroen Langeveld (j.g.langeveld@tudelft.nl).   

Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 1 June 2025 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV
• Motivational letter

You can address your application to Miriam Coenders.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• For the final candidates, a knowledge security check will be part of the application procedure. For more information on this check, please consult Chapter 8 of the National Knowledge Security Guidelines. We carry out this check on the basis of legitimate interest.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.

36 - 40 hours per week

Mekelweg 5