Radboud University Nijmegen Faculty of Science, Mathematics and Computing Science
Nijmegen, (Gelderland), 40 hours per week
Job description
Within the framework of the cooperation between the Department of Environmental Science (Radboud University, RU-DES) and the Laboratory for Ecological Risk Assessment (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, RIVM-LER) methods are developed for the assessment of ecological risks of exposure to multiple physical-chemical pressures. The Department for Environmental Sciences has vacancies for three PhD positions within this framework. PhD1 "Ranking stresses using food web analysis” Biogeochemical processes take place in ecosystems, such as the element cycles. These processes are the result of interactions between organisms. The interactions between organisms can be described using food web models (Posthuma and De Zwart 2006, Environ Toxicol Chem 25: 1094-1105. Organisms in ecosystems are simultaneously exposed to different chemical and physical stressors. The relative impact of different stresses on the occurrence and abundance of species, and expected species distributions in relation to the impact of anthropogenic stressors will be obtained by exploring the topological behaviour of food web models. This can be achieved in several ways. To analyse the effects of chemicals, biotic and abiotic monitoring data and metabolic functions will be combined to describe the toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics at species level. Interspecies toxicity extrapolation also plays an important role. Alternatively, stressors may also be considered to destabilize the system in a more general sense, for instance by favouring (or selecting) species with certain characteristics and strategies that better fit the dynamics of a new situation at community level. Other possible human-mediated stressors to be evaluated include primary nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus), micronutrients and trace elements (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) and pH. The ranking of stressors will be performed by multiple regressions and generalized linear models. The patterns and processes predicted by the models can be used as hypotheses to be tested on the basis of already available field data. In the analysis, other trends predicted by these models will be included. Using this approach, it will be possible to select the environmental pressure with the highest impact, or the stressor that can be influenced by the best price / effect relationship, providing guidelines for action to policy and environmental managers.
Requirements
Required education/skills:University Graduate
The candidate should hold an MSc degree in Natural (Environmental) Sciences. A combined empirical-theoretical expertise on the impact of physical-chemical stressors on populations and communities is required. Important selection criteria are: curiosity, commitment, elementary modelling, good communication skills, good writing skills in English and experience in ecotoxicology and statistical techniques.
Job type: Research / Advising
Workfield(s):
- Research trainees, non-tenured lecturers, researchers(Scientific discipline: Natural Sciences)
Organization
Radboud University Nijmegen
Faculty of Science, Mathematics and Computing Science
Strategically located in Europe, Radboud University Nijmegen is one of the leading academic communities in the Netherlands. A place with a personal touch, where top-flight education and research take place on a beautiful green campus in modern buildings with state-of-art facilities.
The Department of Environmental Science is embedded in the Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud University. Its mission is (1) scientific research in environmental issues, (2) education at BSc-MSc-PhD level and (3) service to society for regional management and (inter-)national policy. We aim to understand and assess biological responses to combined physical-chemical pressures. Our efforts concentrate on: - (topics) interactions of multiple stressors, in particular physical reconstruction and chemical pollution, with ecosystem and human health - (aim) understanding and predicting - (geography) rivers and estuaries, in particular the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta and - (methods) theoretical concepts (models) developed in interaction with practical cases (laboratory experiments and field surveys) - (results) monodisciplinary in-depth insight and multidisciplinary overall assessment For additional information see website. The Laboratory for Ecological Risk Assessment (LER) of RIVM. The mission of LER is to provide a scientific basis for the assessment of impacts of different types of environmental stress on the composition and functioning of ecosystems in their mutual coherence. The emphasis is on the fate of substances in ecosystems, the exposure of organisms and the subsequent effects on ecosystems. LER focuses on development of knowledge on the structure and functioning of ecosystems and the effect of different types ecosystem stress thereon, individually or in combinations. LER enables model development as well as experimental research. The models derived describe the relationships between environmental stress and the structure and functioning of ecosystems. These are applied in the risk assessment methods that are developed and in the decision support systems for the impacts of environmental stress on ecosystem quality. Results are applied in environmental policy and management to derive scientifically sound and effective policy measures. For additional information see website.
Date of entry: 14/05/2008
Conditions of employment
Maximum salary amount in Euro's a month 2.558
Employment basis: Temporary for specified period
Duration of the contract: 4 years with go/no go decision after 1.5 years
Maximum hours per week: 40
Additional conditions of employment:
Salary scale: PhD scale
Additional Information
Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from:
prof.dr. A.M. Breure
Telephone number: 31-30-2743068
E-mail address: : ton.breure@rivm.nl, t.breure@science.ru.nl
Or additional information can be obtained through one of the following links:
You can apply for this job before 01-07-2008 (dd-mm-yyyy) by sending your application to:
Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica
Mr. M. Frieling
PO Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, NL
E-mail: pz@science.ru.nl
When applying for this job always mention the vacancynumber 62.39.08.
Job description
Within the framework of the cooperation between the Department of Environmental Science (Radboud University, RU-DES) and the Laboratory for Ecological Risk Assessment (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, RIVM-LER) methods are developed for the assessment of ecological risks of exposure to multiple physical-chemical pressures. The Department for Environmental Sciences has vacancies for three PhD positions within this framework. PhD1 "Ranking stresses using food web analysis” Biogeochemical processes take place in ecosystems, such as the element cycles. These processes are the result of interactions between organisms. The interactions between organisms can be described using food web models (Posthuma and De Zwart 2006, Environ Toxicol Chem 25: 1094-1105. Organisms in ecosystems are simultaneously exposed to different chemical and physical stressors. The relative impact of different stresses on the occurrence and abundance of species, and expected species distributions in relation to the impact of anthropogenic stressors will be obtained by exploring the topological behaviour of food web models. This can be achieved in several ways. To analyse the effects of chemicals, biotic and abiotic monitoring data and metabolic functions will be combined to describe the toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics at species level. Interspecies toxicity extrapolation also plays an important role. Alternatively, stressors may also be considered to destabilize the system in a more general sense, for instance by favouring (or selecting) species with certain characteristics and strategies that better fit the dynamics of a new situation at community level. Other possible human-mediated stressors to be evaluated include primary nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus), micronutrients and trace elements (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) and pH. The ranking of stressors will be performed by multiple regressions and generalized linear models. The patterns and processes predicted by the models can be used as hypotheses to be tested on the basis of already available field data. In the analysis, other trends predicted by these models will be included. Using this approach, it will be possible to select the environmental pressure with the highest impact, or the stressor that can be influenced by the best price / effect relationship, providing guidelines for action to policy and environmental managers.
Requirements
Required education/skills:University Graduate
The candidate should hold an MSc degree in Natural (Environmental) Sciences. A combined empirical-theoretical expertise on the impact of physical-chemical stressors on populations and communities is required. Important selection criteria are: curiosity, commitment, elementary modelling, good communication skills, good writing skills in English and experience in ecotoxicology and statistical techniques.
Job type: Research / Advising
Workfield(s):
- Research trainees, non-tenured lecturers, researchers(Scientific discipline: Natural Sciences)
Organization
Radboud University Nijmegen
Faculty of Science, Mathematics and Computing Science
Strategically located in Europe, Radboud University Nijmegen is one of the leading academic communities in the Netherlands. A place with a personal touch, where top-flight education and research take place on a beautiful green campus in modern buildings with state-of-art facilities.
The Department of Environmental Science is embedded in the Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud University. Its mission is (1) scientific research in environmental issues, (2) education at BSc-MSc-PhD level and (3) service to society for regional management and (inter-)national policy. We aim to understand and assess biological responses to combined physical-chemical pressures. Our efforts concentrate on: - (topics) interactions of multiple stressors, in particular physical reconstruction and chemical pollution, with ecosystem and human health - (aim) understanding and predicting - (geography) rivers and estuaries, in particular the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta and - (methods) theoretical concepts (models) developed in interaction with practical cases (laboratory experiments and field surveys) - (results) monodisciplinary in-depth insight and multidisciplinary overall assessment For additional information see website. The Laboratory for Ecological Risk Assessment (LER) of RIVM. The mission of LER is to provide a scientific basis for the assessment of impacts of different types of environmental stress on the composition and functioning of ecosystems in their mutual coherence. The emphasis is on the fate of substances in ecosystems, the exposure of organisms and the subsequent effects on ecosystems. LER focuses on development of knowledge on the structure and functioning of ecosystems and the effect of different types ecosystem stress thereon, individually or in combinations. LER enables model development as well as experimental research. The models derived describe the relationships between environmental stress and the structure and functioning of ecosystems. These are applied in the risk assessment methods that are developed and in the decision support systems for the impacts of environmental stress on ecosystem quality. Results are applied in environmental policy and management to derive scientifically sound and effective policy measures. For additional information see website.
Date of entry: 14/05/2008
Conditions of employment
Maximum salary amount in Euro's a month 2.558
Employment basis: Temporary for specified period
Duration of the contract: 4 years with go/no go decision after 1.5 years
Maximum hours per week: 40
Additional conditions of employment:
Salary scale: PhD scale
Additional Information
Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from:
prof.dr. A.M. Breure
Telephone number: 31-30-2743068
E-mail address: : ton.breure@rivm.nl, t.breure@science.ru.nl
Or additional information can be obtained through one of the following links:
- About the organization (http://www.ru.nl)
- About the department (http://www.ru.nl/environmentalstudies, http://www.rivm.nl)
- About the function (http://www.ru.nl/environmentalstudies, http://www.rivm.nl)
- Radboud University Nijmegen (http://www.ru.nl)
You can apply for this job before 01-07-2008 (dd-mm-yyyy) by sending your application to:
Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica
Mr. M. Frieling
PO Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, NL
E-mail: pz@science.ru.nl
When applying for this job always mention the vacancynumber 62.39.08.
