Estuaries are among the most dynamic landscapes on earth, shaped by tidal and fluvial currents that form continuously migrating sand bars and channels. They are uniquely sensitive to slight changes in environmental drivers, such as sediment supply and river discharge, and are therefore under significant pressure, by e.g. increase in river discharge extremes, damming, deforestation, dredging, and infrastructure constraining floodplains. Changing river discharge and sediment supply, by natural and anthropogenic influences, will lead to e.g. changes in sediment dynamics, channel dimensions and water levels, and will affect their long-term morphodynamic development. Furthermore, estuaries across the world will respond differently to natural and anthropogenic pressures, based on their unique combination between environmental drivers and internal processes, such as basin geometry, sediment characteristics, and ecology.

One large remaining unknown for estuaries is how quickly they respond to environmental change. Equilibrium conditions are fairly well established, and so is the expectation for the direction of estuarine change. Time rates of change, however, are poorly known. Numerical morphodynamic models such as Delft3D are a useful tool to predict fundamental responses of deltas/estuaries to changing boundary conditions and long-term morphodynamic feedbacks. However, model outcomes are hard to test. Recent global datasets of estuaries offer an opportunity. By expanding the number of observations, we can reduce the influence of complicated local field conditions and extract (sometime subtle) rates of change that we can then further explain with numerical models.

The aim of this PhD project is to unite Delft3D simulations and global datasets, and better understand rates of estuarine change. We envision that you will:

• Identify boundary conditions of global estuaries, including the range in discharge peaks & intermittency, sediment supply, and dimensions, based on literature and databases.
• Run idealized Delft3D simulations and characterize morphodynamic feedbacks in estuaries of different sizes to varying discharge peaks and sediment supply, and link this to natural systems.
• Based on the interest of the PhD candidate: develop scenarios to test the adaptation rate of estuaries to direct anthropogenic pressures (e.g. dredging, dams and floodplain constraints), explore the effect of climate change scenarios (e.g changing discharge) or look into spatially varying natural processes (e.g. vegetation, biota)

You will be supervised by Dr Anne Baar (TU Delft, Water Management), Dr Joep Storms (TU Delft, Geoscience and Engineering) and Dr Jaap Nienhuis (Utrecht University). 

Need to have:

• A Master’s degree in Earth Science, Physical Geography, Civil Engineering, Geology, or other relevant discipline
• Experience with sediment transport, morphodynamics or hydrodynamics of rivers, deltas, estuaries or coasts.
• Experience with a programming language, e.g. Python or Matlab.
• Excellent ability to communicate in both written and spoken English.
• Good organizational skills and ability to work independently and in a team.

Nice to have:

• Experience with numerical modelling
• Experience with studying landscape development through e.g. remote sensing, fieldwork, or physical experiments

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.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

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 € 2770 per month in the first year to € 3539 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. 

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

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 & 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.