PhD Position on Reconstructing Himalayan Precipitation Change

The Departments of Earth Sciences and Physical Geography are looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate with a MSc background in Earth Sciences, Environmental sciences, Geochemistry or other appropriate fields. You will work on the project “Impacts of changes in the Indian Summer Monsoon on Himalayan precipitation”.

Your job
Precipitation in the Himalaya is both a vital water resource for millions of people downstream and a frequent cause of disasters such as flood, landslide, debris-flows and avalanches. Ongoing warming impacts the large-scale atmospheric circulation systems, such as the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) that regulates the Himalayan precipitation patterns. However, instrumental records of precipitation changes in the Himalaya are scarce due to the challenging observational conditions in this area. In this 4-year study, you will reconstruct ISM precipitation changes over the past ~100-1000 years, based on lipid biomarkers and their isotopic composition stored in lake sediments along an elevation transect in the central Himalaya in Nepal. The biomarker records should reveal changes in precipitation amount and source over time and space, and provide unique insights in historical precipitation changes in the central Himalaya and the potential impact of global warming on large-scale circulation patterns such as the ISM.

A personalised training programme will be set up, reflecting your training needs and career objectives. About 20% of your time will be dedicated to this training component, which includes training on the job in assisting in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes of the departments at Utrecht University.

We welcome a motivated team-player who recognizes themselves in the following description:

You have completed an MSc degree in Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geochemistry, or a related discipline by the time the position starts. Preferably, you will also have:

• experience with working in a (wet chemistry) laboratory;
• experience with programming in Python, R, or a similar language;
• motivation and willingness to organise and carry out fieldwork in high elevation, mountainous terrain;
• motivation to cooperate in a diverse and multidisciplinary research team;
• strong social and communication skills.

Due to the international character of our research, good command of spoken and written English is essential. We highly encourage applicants from all members of our community and of diverse backgrounds to join us.

We offer:

• a position for one year, with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
• a working week of 36 hours and a gross monthly salary between €2,901 and €3,707 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth’s core to its surface, including man’s spatial and material utilisation of the Earth – always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.

The Department of Earth Sciences and the Department of Physical Geography conduct teaching and research across the full range of the solid Earth and environmental Earth sciences, with activities in almost all areas of geology, geochemistry, geophysics, biogeology and hydrogeology, from the mountains to the sea, and the interaction in between. This knowledge is essential for the sustainable management of our planet and to guarantee the availability of resources for the next generations. The departments host a highly international tenured staff of over 50 scientists and more than 110 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. We house or have access to a wide variety of world-class laboratories, among which are UU’s Electron Microscopy Centre, the Geolab, and the Earth Simulation Lab. We also have excellent High- Performance Computing facilities and organise a warm welcome for every new member.

At EMBRACER we work at the very frontiers of knowledge on climate change, Earth’s climate system and climate feedbacks. Within its 10-year research programme, funded by NWO, EMBRACER brings together a wide range of world-leading climate experts with the aim to address existing uncertainties about climate feedbacks at the boundaries between oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere. Our interdisciplinary approach and state-of-the-art infrastructure will bring us forward in our understanding of the impact of climate feedbacks emerging over the next decades to centuries.

The departments and their facilities are located at Utrecht Science Park. Utrecht is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands with a population of nearly 360,000 and forms a hub in the middle of the country. Its historical city centre and its modern central station can easily be reached from the Science Park by public transport or by a 15-minute bicycle ride. Utrecht boasts beautiful canals with extraordinary wharf cellars housing cafés and terraces by the water, as well as a broad variety of shops and boutiques.

For informal information (not for application) about this position, please contact Dr Francien Peterse at f.peterse@uu.nl.

Note that international candidates that need a visa/work permit for the Netherlands require at least four months processing time after selection and acceptance. This will be arranged with help of the International Service Desk (ISD) of our university. Finding appropriate housing in or near Utrecht is your own responsibility, but the ISD may be able to advise you therewith. In case of general questions about working and living in The Netherlands, please consult the Dutch Mobility Portal.

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.

You can only apply via our online procedure using the 'apply now' button. E-mail applications cannot be accepted. Include the following information in your application:

• your curriculum vitae, including any courses taken that are relevant for the position;
• academic credentials (mark sheets and degree statements);
• your motivation letter.

No reference letters need to be submitted in your initial application. If you are short-listed, we will contact you for referees. We aim for a quick selection procedure after the application deadline. The preferable starting date is summer 2025.

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