Severe droughts in Europe, China and the US in 2022 have hit the Po, Rhine, Yangtze, and the Colorado river basins. These droughts strongly impact freshwater supply, navigation, hydropower, nature, agriculture and livestock, as well as groundwater level and local compaction. The catastrophic events in the Ahr, Vesdre and Geul catchments during the 13-16 July 2021 flood illustrated the crucial effects of the initial groundwater level and infiltration regarding dampening of the associated flood waves and, as a result, flood risk. Both groundwater flow and infiltration capacity are in turn governed by local substrate and grain-size conditions and strongly affect the catchment response to extreme precipitation and the added value of short-term forecasting, or nowcasting, of precipitation, water discharge, and associated flood risk.

TU Delft invites applications for a career in Remote and In-situ Monitoring of River Droughts and Floods. The Tenure Track position aims to set up a framework to benefit from combined remote and in situ monitoring in the context of surface water, groundwater, and channel bed and floodplain changes. As such, the position contributes to developing cross-department methods and technologies on monitoring, sensing, and data. Furthermore, this position will contribute to better validation strategies of faculty-wide modeling efforts in morphodynamics, (geo)hydrology and hydrodynamics. The position brings together discipline-related knowledge from 4 departments within the CEG Faculty: Hydraulic Engineering (HE), Geoscience & Remote Sensing (GRS), Geoscience & Engineering (GSE), and Water Management (WM). The position is an excellent opportunity to combine this set of expertise in a river domain that is strongly affected by climate change induced extreme conditions and which has tremendous societal and economic impact. We believe that our faculty has the capacity to take a leading role in further developing this line of research. The position intends to enhance education capacity on monitoring, sensing, and data.

The successful candidate will develop a research line on Remote and In-situ Monitoring regarding River Droughts and Floods, complementing ongoing research at TU Delft. Interdepartemental collaboration and exchange will be warranted by a project team: this team will (1) ensure optimal embedding in the various departments and cross-departmental collaboration with peers; (2) assist in the candidate’s path toward an academic career development plan; (3) coach the candidate with regular meetings; and (4) ensure a balanced and realistic teaching load.

The key job responsibilities of the successful candidate include:

• Research: Delivering high quality, internationally leading research. (Co-)supervising PhD and MSc students aimed at successful completion of their theses. Obtaining funding for new research projects. Effectively disseminating research outcomes via internationally leading journals and conferences is an intrinsic part of the job.
• Education: Contributing to the organization and teaching of relevant courses in the BSc and MSc programs of Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Applied Earth Sciences. This includes the opportunity to introduce new content and teaching methods matching the candidate’s expertise and interests in the redesigned MSc programs (offered from September 2022). Preparing, supervising and assessing of BSc and MSc student projects.
• Impact: Proactive engagement with both private and government sectors, i.e. industry, business and community partners for societal impact. Communicating the science to peers, stakeholders and to a broader public, creating visibility.
• Organization: Contributing to organizational / administrative activities and committees within the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences.      

The departments associated with this position include expertise on river droughts and floods, as well as interventions that mitigate their consequences (HE), hydrology in general and droughts and floods in particular (WM), infiltration and relations between surface water and channel and floodplain morphology (GSE), and remotely sensed data (GRS). However, we currently lack expertise regarding identifying strategies to maximize the efficiency and added value of in-situ measurements when combining them with remotely sensed data. The new tenure track position aims to fill this gap. In particular, the position focusses on the connections between remote and in situ monitoring in the context of river droughts and floods. In other words, the two types of monitoring are applied to assess the relations between surface water, groundwater, and channel and floodplain bed level changes. The main question to be addressed is: “In the context of river droughts and floods, what are the critical in situ measurement networks and spatial and temporal measurement strategies for creating synergy by combining space-borne remotely sensed data with ground-based data, given the global scale of remotely sensed data?"

If you feel that you are complementary to our current research and an asset to our Remote and In-situ Monitoring of River Droughts and Floods ambitions, please apply for this position. The successful candidate:

• holds a doctorate degree (PhD) in engineering or science in a relevant field, such as Hydraulic Engineering, Water Management, Remote Sensing or Geosciences;
• has a track record that demonstrates the ability to independently perform and publish high quality research;
• demonstrates a strong motivation for developing a research line and building a research group, while at the same time establishing strong collaborations with colleagues within the department, faculty and university;
• possesses a good understanding of the higher education and academic environment, including diversity and inclusion values;
• has the capacity to communicate and cooperate effectively with peers, students and stakeholders.

Fixed-term contract: 6 years.

A tenure-track position is offered for six years. In the fifth year we’ll decide if you will be offered a permanent faculty position, based on performance indicators agreed upon at the start of the appointment. We expect that you have the potential to grow towards an Associate Professor and/or Full Professor role in the future.

Inspiring, excellent education is our central aim. We expect you to obtain a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) within three years if you have less than five years of teaching experience. This is provided by the TU Delft UTQ programme.
TU Delft sets high standards for the English competency of the teaching staff. The TU Delft offers training to improve English competency. If you do not speak Dutch, we offer courses to learn the Dutch language within three years.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation. An International Children's Centre offers childcare and there is an international primary school.

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 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 depletion, urbanisation and the availability of clean water, conducted  in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced that Open Science helps to achieve our goals 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.