Faculty of Geosciences (Utrecht University)

The PhD position is part of the larger research project Re-Flex Zeeland that aims to reconstruct and visualize Zeeland's natural landscape formation processes during historical periods of rapid sea-level rise, with a focus on the last 12,000 years. The project is funded by the Delta Climate Centre (DCC) in Vlissingen and consists of two PhDs and one postdoc position in a collaboration between Utrecht University, Wageningen University &amp; Research (WUR), NIOZ, Scalda and UNESCO GeoPark Schelde Delta.
Your job
The present-day landscape of Zeeland is highly regulated to support key societal, economic, and flood-safety functions. Allowing more space for natural processes to shape the landscape can contribute to flood protection and restoration of biodiversity, however, knowledge of how natural landscapes have evolved in the past and of the ecosystem services they once provided remains limited. This phenomenon is often described as shifting baselines, whereby each generation perceives the contemporary environment as the long-term norm. In reality, the Dutch landscape—and that of Zeeland in particular—has been extraordinarily dynamic and adjusting flexibly to changes in sea level. Over the Holocene, Zeeland has transitioned from an subarctic environment with boreal forest to alternating phases of peatland and intertidal environments, before becoming largely regulated through human embankment only in the past few centuries.
For the work package “Holocene peat deposits as natural archives of landscape developments” we look for a motivated PhD student who investigates these landscape and ecosystem dynamics in Zeeland based on fossil plant remains preserved in peat and lake sediment records.
What will you be doing?
You will design and carry out field work to map the locations and ages of peat deposits along an east-west transect around the major marine estuaries of Zeeland. You will integrate existing and new field data and investigate the botanical composition of the peat and, using pollen analysis, improve the current knowledge on past landscape reconstructions with a focus on peat to intertidal transitions. You will also co-supervise BSc and MSc courses and thesis projects that contribute to this.
The gathered data will provide new insight in the exact timing and variability in past landscape changes. Your results will furthermore contribute to computer simulations of coastal dynamics in a parallel PhD project conducted at WUR and provide context for visualisations of historic landscapes developed by a postdoc at NIOZ in a collaboration with Scalda and UNESCO GeoPark Schelde Delta.
Your qualities
We are looking for an enthusiastic PhD candidate who is interested in landscape and vegetation development through time across different timescales and a drive to understand the relevant processes involved. The project physical geographical field work, pollen analysis and quantitative vegetation reconstruction. We require at least significant experience in one of these aspects and a motivation to develop skills in the other. The project will involve several sampling campaigns in Zeeland, in collaboration with the DCC, and training courses for the relevant techniques. You have a broad interest in geosciences, are a team player who is able to work in interdisciplinary environment, and are curiosity-driven.
We Are Looking For a Candidate
<ul>
<li>with an MSc degree in Physical Geography, Earth Sciences, Landscape Ecology, or a related field;</li>
<li>who has a drive to link and collaborate with different geoscientific disciplines;</li>
<li>with demonstrated experience with paleogeographic and/or botanical landscape reconstructions;</li>
<li>with affinity with Zeeland and willingness to spend time in and engage with the Zeeland landscape and community;</li>
<li>with good English oral and writing skills: English at C1 level or better (comparable to level 3 of the Lecturer Assessment Grid) qualifies, or willingness and aptitude to obtain this level by training.</li>
</ul>
PhD candidates at Utrecht University follow courses as part of their own academic and personal development. They also assist in teaching courses at Bachelor's and Master's level at our faculty. Both activities amount to approximately 10% of the contracted time.
Our offer
We Offer
<ul>
<li>a position (1.0 FTE) for 1 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;</li>
<li>a working week of 36 - 40 hours and a gross monthly salary between €3.204 and €4.051 (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU)). The salary is based on a 38-hour working week;</li>
<li>8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;</li>
<li>a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.</li>
</ul>
In addition to the terms of employment set out in our collective labour agreement, we offer attractive additional benefits, including opportunities for personal and professional growth, flexible leave arrangements, and extra vacation days. Through the UU Terms of Employment Options Model, you can tailor your employment package to your needs. In this way, we encourage you to grow in what you do, both in your work and in your development. Read more about our terms of employment.
About Us
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 &amp; Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.
The city of Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, with a charming old centre and an internationally oriented culture that is strongly influenced by its century-old university. Utrecht has been consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the Netherlands.
The team of the Department of Physical Geography excels in research and education on BSc, MSc and PhD level. We research processes, patterns and dynamics of Earth’s continental and coastal systems, 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. We are a lively department that hosts an active PhD candidate community of more than thirty PhD students. Will you join our team?
More information
For further information about the vacancy, please contact: Dr T.H. Donders
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(Associate Professor) via <a href="mailto:t.h.donders@uu.nl" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">t.h.donders@uu.nl</a> or Dr W.Z. Hoek
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(Associate Professor) via <a href="mailto:w.z.hoek@uu.nl" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">w.z.hoek@uu.nl</a>
Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.
Apply now
At Utrecht University, we strive to be a place where everyone feels at home. We value colleagues with different backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including differences in culture, religion or ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, disability and age. We are committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive and contribute. Read more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
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If you have any questions about accessibility, for example regarding your workplace Vening Meineszgebouw A
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, the application process or your work, please contact us via our HR contact page
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Knowledge security screening can be part of the selection procedures of academic staff. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology.
You Can Only Apply Via Our Online Procedure Using The 'apply Now' Button. E-mail Applications Cannot Be Accepted. Please Include The Following Information In Your Application
<ul>
<li>a letter of motivation</li>
<li>your curriculum vitae</li>
<li>the names of at least 2 referees (with an email contact addresses and phone numbers.</li>
</ul>
We look forward to receive your application no later than November 1st, 2026. The first interviews will be scheduled mid November. The intended starting date for the PhD project is late 2026 or early 2027.
If you have an international (non-Dutch) Master’s diploma, you will be requested to provide your Bachelor’s and Master’s diplomas as well as the corresponding grade lists (in English) if you are selected for this position.
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. Unfortunately, we must warn that it is a tight market at the moment. In case of general questions about working and living in The Netherlands, please consult the Dutch Mobility Portal.

PhD: Reconstructing Zeeland’s historic landscape developments

PhD: Reconstructing Zeeland’s historic landscape developments

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