A 4-yr PhD position is offered at the VU Earth Science Department to combine the information from dendrochronological and sedimentary palaeoflood data in NW-Europe to gain a better insight into the spatial and temporal variability of the Holocene hydroclimate – specifically that of extreme events. With your research, you make an important contribution to addressing today’s societal challenges including climate change and natural hazards. A fundamentally enhanced understanding of drivers for hydroclimatic change and natural flood variability will lead to better understanding of the unfolding effects of a rapidly warming climate.
The project main aims are to establishing if (i) dendrochronological and sedimentary data are signalling the same hydrological events and trends in riverine environments, and if these can be deployed together to improve our abilities to reconstruct the magnitudes and specific timing of extreme flood events, and (ii) whether largest floods did have a supra-regional impact, and if such events align with known periods of hydroclimatic instability or relatively warm/cold climate conditions that have been recorded in NW-Europe. The project involves fieldwork to collect novel sedimentary palaeoflood data and to investigate changes in fluvial geomorphology associated with flood regime changes of the Meuse, Rhine and Overijsselse Vecht rivers.
This project is funded by a governmental grant to stimulate independent research, and the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency. Results will be presented at (international) conferences and peer-reviewed publications will form the basis of a PhD dissertation. The candidate will be involvement in teaching activities, such as the supervision of BSc and MSc thesis projects. We seek a candidate that is strongly motivated, has the ability to work across disciplines, and is eager to participate in dedicated research communities such as the NCR (Netherlands Centre for River Studies) and the GLOCOPH (Global Continental Palaeohydrology) working group.
https://werkenbij.vu.nl/vacatures/phd-position-in-holocene-palaeoflood-research-amsterdam-1057441