PhD position: Modelling the wind-driven emission and transport of microplastics in the atmosphere

Your job

Are you a highly motivated and curious researcher who is excited about soil-atmosphere interactions? Would you enjoy pursuing a PhD in atmospheric modelling of microplastics? Are you enthusiastic about combing experimental lab work and numerical modelling? Then you could be the ideal PhD candidate to join our team!

The two chair groups Meteorology and Air Quality (MAQ) and Soil Physics and Land Management (SLM) of Wageningen University are hiring a joint PhD candidate for a 4-year project on atmospheric microplastics. The project aims to understand the fundamental processes that govern the emissions of microplastics from soil and their subsequent atmospheric transport. The PhD project involves not only the direct numerical simulation (DNS) modelling using the MicroHH model, but also experimental analysis with different plastic polymers/shapes in the laboratory and wind tunnel. Specifically, you will measure some key physical parameters like the threshold friction velocity and settling velocity of microplastics and extract microplastics from dust samples by chemical analysis. Using the experimental data and the principles of dust emission, transport, and deposition, you will then develop and validate an atmospheric model for microplastics.

Atmospheric microplastics research has recently emerged and still awaits breakthrough discoveries, and thus this PhD position provides you with a great opportunity to work on a highly timely research topic within an interdisciplinary team. Your project is also linked to our newly funded EU-Horizon project SOILPROM and thus you will work closely with another PhD candidate appointed through the sister project. Together, you will bring significant progress to this field of research. This position offers several connections and collaborations with other current PhD students within the two chairgroups working on microplastic pollution and/or atmospheric modelling, guaranteeing an engaging and dynamic working environment.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• conducting novel wind tunnel and laboratory measurements with different soil and microplastic types;
• developing a high-resolution atmospheric model for microplastics;
• conducing sensitivity analysis and validating the model;
• publishing research results in peer-reviewed journals;
• disseminate project results to stakeholders and scientific community through workshops.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the two chair groups Meteorology and Air Quality (MAQ) which is led by Prof. dr. Maarten Krol and Soil Physics and Land Management (SLM) which is led by Prof. dr. Coen Ritsema. You will be supervised by Prof. dr. Maarten Krol, Prof. dr. Coen Ritsema, and Dr. Mahrooz Rezaei who will provide the guidance and support through the project. Most of the work will be conducted in Wageningen, however, some travelling to Belgium or Germany is expected for conducting the wind tunnel experiments.

Your qualities

You are/have:

• completed – or will soon complete – an MSc degree in atmospheric science, soil science, physical science, engineering, environmental science, or a related field;
• hands-on experience or strong affinity in atmospheric modelling and microplastic research;
• affinity with laboratory and wind tunnel experiments;
• experience with programming, preferably with Python and C++ as well as scientific writing;
• proactive, collaborative, and have the ability to work independently as well as in a team;

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

We offer you

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.

The gross salary for the first year is € 2.770 - per month rising to € 3.539,-  in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University” in the Netherlands for the 19th consecutive time.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.
Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. We can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

Do you want more information?

For more information about this position, please contact Dr. Mahrooz – Rezaei,  Associate Professor, by e-mail: mahrooz.rezaei@wur.nl or Prof. dr. Maarten - Krol, chair of  Meteorology and Air Quality group, by e-mail: maarten.krol@wur.nl.

For more information about the procedure, please contact Noorien Abbas , corporate recruiter, noorien.abbas@wur.nl .

Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including 9 September 2024. We hope to schedule the first job interviews soon after the closing date in the third week of September 2024. Preferred starting date is 6 November 2024.

Additional information form
For this position, you must fill in a mandatory form which will allow us to have a comprehensive view of your qualifications and better assess your fit for it. You can access the form using the link below:

https://forms.office.com/e/g4U9Yh1DC5    

Your prompt response will ensure that your application continues to move forward in the evaluation process. We assure you that the information provided will be kept confidential and used solely for this application process.

Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.

We are

The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!


We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.