Jobs & Scholarships

Applications are invited for two PhD positions in aquatic ecosystem ecology as part of a long-term interdisciplinary Transregional Collaborative Research Centre (SFB/TR 38; http://www-1.tu-cottbus.de/BTU/Innov/SFB) funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and involving several laboratories in Germany and Switzerland. Projects will build on a series of field experiments conducted in an experimental area located in a former mining area of Brandenburg, Germany, which serves as a model system for virgin landscapes. The overarching goal is to assess how shifts in physical structures during initial stream ecosystem succession shape aquatic communities and ecosystem processes. Special emphasis is placed on organic matter dynamics, ecosystem metabolism and microbial communities.

PhD students will be based in the research groups of Michael Mutz at Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus, research station Bad Saarow near Berlin, Germany (http://www.tu-cottbus.de/BTU/Fak4/Gewschu/english/home_e.htm), and of Mark Gessner at Eawag/ETH near Zurich, Switzerland (http://www.eawag.ch/~gessner). Accordingly, one of the students will be enrolled at the Brandenburg University of Technology, the other at ETH Zurich. The position based at Bad Saarow will have an emphasis on the regulation of the ecosystem metabolism, that near Zurich will have a stronger focus on microbial aspects. However, close collaboration is expected throughout the project and this will involve regular travel between locations and common field work at the experimental area in Germany.

We are looking for enthusiastic, highly motivated students with a Master’s degree or equivalent in Biology, Environmental Sciences or a related field. Background in stream ecology, microbial ecology, and/or molecular ecology is an asset but not mandatory. Field work can be challenging during adverse weather conditions. A clean driving licence is essential for this project.

Positions are for up to four years. Salaries will be according to standard national salary schemes (e.g. E 13 TV-L O, Teilzeit 50 v.H.). Closing date is 31 July 2007 but applications will be accepted after this date until the positions are filled. Starting date can be as soon as 15 August 2007.

Please email complete application documents including a letter of motivation, CV, transcripts, a brief description of your Master’s research or other research experience, any publications, and names and contact details of two referees to m.mutz@limno-tu-cottbus.de. Please indicate for which of the positions you apply or whether you are interested in both. In addition, please specify ‘Kennziffer: 48/07’ on your application.

For informal enquiries you may contact PD Dr. Michael Mutz (m.mutz@limno-tu-cottbus.de) or Prof. Mark Gessner (gessner@eawag.ch or gessner@stanford.edu).

The Faculty of Geosciences offers education and performs research concerning the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and anthroposphere. With a population of 2200 students (BSc and MSc) and 575 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty is organised in four Departments: Innovation and Environmental Sciences, Earth Sciences, Physical Geography, and Human Geography and Urban and Regional Planning.

We are looking for a:

PhD-researcher Marine Geochemistry (1,0 fte)

Job description

Multidisciplinary study Of Continental/ocean Climate dynamics using High-resolution records from the eastern mediterraneAn (MOCCHA). This project is part of a European project with partners from Zuerich, Bremen and Hamburg.

The Utrecht-PhD will focus on the geochemical composition and variations therein for benthic foraminifers and bulk sediment for a near-coastal and a deep Ionian site. Such records are rare but vital for our understanding of causes and consequences of climate and environmental change at decadal to millennial time scales. Funding is provided by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO: grant to G.J. De Lange).

Qualifications

We are looking for highly motivated individual with a MSc degree in (Marine) Geochemistry or a related field.

Terms of employment

Full-time PhD position for 4 years, with monthly salary starting at € 1,956.- in the first year to € 2,502.- in the last year of appointment. We also offer a pension scheme, a health insurance allowance and flexible employment conditions. Conditions are based on the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities and are supplemented with a holiday allowance of 8 % per year.

Further details

For further details contact: Gert J. De Lange by e-mail: gdelange@geo.uu.nl. You may also wish to visit the website of the Faculty: http://www.geo.uu.nl/.

How to apply

Applications, including a curriculum vitae, a statement of your research interests, and the names and addresses of two references, must be sent to the Personnel Department, Faculty of Geosciences, P.O. Box 80115, 3508 TC, Utrecht, or submitted by e-mail to: peno@geo.uu.nl. We prefer to receive your application before 01-09-2007.

Job description

Within the 5-member team, the PhD student will study the hemagglutinin (HA) protein of influenza virus. Virus infection starts with attachment of virus particles to target cells which, in the case of influenza virus, involves the HA protein that binds to sialic acid (SA) molecules on the cell surface. Both influenza HA and sialic acids exist in several, for the sialic acids even in multiple, variants. Goal of this project is to determine the functional interaction partners of HA molecules from different influenza viruses in relevant animal species and to thereby gain insight in differences in susceptibility and pathogenesis between these animal species due to differences at the level of HA-receptor interaction.

Qualifications

We are seeking a candidate with an MSc degree in biology, biomedical or biomolecular sciences and a strong motivation for fundamental scientific research. The ideal candidate has experience in molecular and cell culture techniques and a keen interest in protein expression and glycobiology.

Terms of employment

Appointment as a PhD-researcher is for a period of 4 years (full time) and should lead to a dissertation. The salary will range from € 1,956.- (first year) before tax up to a maximum of € 2,502.- (final year) per month (scale P of the Dutch Universities Conditions of Employment).

In addition, Utrecht University offers outstanding secondary benefits in general, including e.g. a pension scheme and flexible employment conditions. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 3% per year.

Further details

Additional information can be obtained from prof. Dr. P.J.M. Rottier, p.j.m.rottier@vet.uu.nl or Dr. C.A.M. de Haan, c.a.m.dehaan@vet.uu.nl.

How to apply

Applications, including a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae and names and addresses of two references, should be sent before August 15th 2007 under the heading vacancy number 70804 to the personnel department of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, attn. Mrs F. Molkenboer, by e-mail to vacatures1@vet.uu.nl.

Please state where you first saw the job advertised.

Job description

A cultural landscape is the product of continuous interaction between nature and human activity. It includes historical places and buildings, together with the natural environment itself, which, under the influence of human habitation, has got cultural value as well. For centuries different groups of people have cultivated their environment. Traces of these activities have been scattered over various collection holders, like archives, museums, libraries, research institutes, government agencies, even far outside the cultural landscape itself. The documents, works of art, books, images and databases in question differ greatly in nature and in the manner they have been catalogued and digitized, which makes the digital heritage of a cultural landscape not only distributed, but also semantically disconnected. On the other hand, there are the potential users of this kind of information, like tourists, schools, architects, town and country planners, governmental administrators and the local population. All these users must be able “to read” the landscape in its context of place and time. This reading will take place on different levels: landscape as nature, habitat, artifact, system, problem, wealth, ideology, history, place and aesthetic. All this information has to be combined and integrated in order to display the spatio-temporal dynamics of the cultural landscape: how different processes have interacted in transforming it over time, what traces they have left in cultural objects, thus presenting cultural heritage in the context of its evolving environment. The target groups form a fleeting audience, which will not spend hours studying; they will rather prefer ‘one window shopping’ and information packages whose essence can be quickly grasped. Therefore, the presentation should be comprehensive and concise, and long-winded stories are to be replaced with visual and explorative interfaces empowering users to gather information as they wish.

This PhD-project will be focused on the definition of a suitable architecture for high-level, content-oriented information retrieval and visualization techniques for spatial multimedia, acknowledging historical collections and the dimension of time. Emphasis will be on (1) use case scenario’s for intended audiences (2) prospects for federated search over the cultural heritage collections within a limited domain and (3) the design of a appropriate information retrieval and visualization interface with attention for 3D. The PhD-project will be embedded in the research line on visualizing cultural landscapes.

For more information, refer to website of the Center of Content and Knowledge Engineering (http://www.cs.uu.nl/groups/IK) and the project website http://www.vensteropdevecht.nl/.

Qualifications

Msc. degree in Computer Science, Information Science (with specialization in techniques, like XML and multimedia), or Geomatics. Interest in geovisualization and the (historical) development of cultural landscapes is highly desirable.

Terms of employment

We offer a full time PhD position for the duration of four years. Your gross salary per month ranges from € 1,956.- during the first year to € 2,502.- during the fourth year of your employment. The salary is supplemented with a holiday allowance of 8%, and an end-of year bonus of 3% gross per year. In addition we offer: partially paid parental leave, flexible employment conditions in which you may trade salary for vacation days or vice versa. The employment conditions are based on the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities.

Further details

More information can be obtained from Prof. dr. J. van den Berg (jurgen@cs.uu.nl) or Dr. L. Breure (leen@cs.uu.nl).

How to apply

Send a letter and CV to:

Personnel and Organization Department,
Wiskundegebouw
Budapestlaan 6, 3584 CD Utrecht
The Netherlands
or send an e-mail to: Science.PenO@uu.nl

Please mention vacancy number 62716.

Closing date for applications is 1st of August 2007.

Please refer to this website.

PhD-researcher Law of the Sea (1.0 fte (four years) or 0.8 fte (five years))

Job description

Research project:

The legal regime of marine areas beyond national jurisdiction: the significance of the freedom of the high seas and the common heritage of mankind regime.

The research is concerned with public international law, in particular the law of the sea. The central question of the research is to establish the significance of the principles of the regimes of the high seas and the international seabed area contained in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the law of the sea for the further elaboration of a regime to effectively manage these areas beyond national jurisdiction. The research should pay particular attention to current developments in respect of this topic.

Qualifications

Applicants should have a master’s degree or equivalent in law, with specialization in public international law. Knowledge of the law of the sea will be plus. The PhD researcher needs to have the necessary language skills to conduct research in English. Additional language skills constitute an advantage. The candidate should have a scientific attitude. She/he will be assigned to the Chair in public international law/the Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS).

Terms of employment

We offer a temporary employment of 1.0 fte (four years) or 0.8 fte (five years). The appointee is expected to complete all requirements for the PhD degree within this period.

We offer a stimulating research climate and an enjoyable working environment. For further details please consult the University’s website at www.uu.nl.

The salary for a full time appointment is € 1,956.- gross per month in the first year and is expected to increase to € 2,502.- in the fourth year, contingent on a satisfactory performance.

Good secondary benefits.

Further details

Please contact for more information about the project dr. A.G. Oude Elferink (NILOS):
Adress: Achter Sint Pieter 200, 3512 HT Utrecht
Phone: +31 (0)30 253 7033
E-mail: a.oudeelferink@law.uu.nl.

How to apply

Your may send your application before 27-07-2007 to Utrecht School of Law, c/o Mr E.G. Groenveld, Department of Human Recources, Janskerkhof 3, 3512 BK Utrecht, The Netherlands. You can also send your application by e-mail: peno@law.uu.nl.

When applying for this position always mention the vacancy number 60746E.

Please refer to this website.

Publication date

11-07-2007