Researcher Land use and climate (LULUCF)

Are you a broadly interested researcher with a university degree and a strong interest in sustainability, climate and land-use or forestry issues? Do you have experience with researching the effects of land use, land-use change and forestry on greenhouse gas emissions and CO₂ removals? Are you motivated to contribute to science-based climate reporting and policy support at national and European level? Then we are looking for you!

For the Sustainable Forest Ecosystems (SFE) team at Wageningen Environmental Research (WENR) , we are seeking a motivated LULUCF researcher who will contribute to monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and removals for the land-use, land-use change and forestry sector. In this position, you will work on current and policy-relevant questions related to climate mitigation, carbon stock changes, land-use monitoring and sustainable forest and land management.

Within WENR we develop and apply geographically explicit instruments, including models and monitoring approaches, to determine the effects of management and land-use change across forests, cropland, grasslands, wetlands, settlements and other land-use categories. Your work directly contributes to international (Climate Convention, Paris Agreement, EU) and national reporting, and to Dutch and European climate policy, including, at present, the development of methodologies for certifying carbon removals in forests, peatlands and agricultural soils (carbon farming).

You will collaborate closely with colleagues at WENR, Wageningen University & Research and other national and international research institutes. Together, you will bring together the knowledge, data and tools needed for high-quality reporting under the international and national climate frameworks.

What will you do?

• National GHG inventory and projections : You will help preparing the national greenhouse gas inventory for the LULUCF sector in the Netherlands and contribute to the projections of policies and measures in the annual Dutch Climate and Energy Outlook studies.
• Methodology development : You will help improve methodologies for calculating carbon stock changes towards higher Tier levels according to the IPCC guidelines and contribute to the further development of spatially explicit approaches, models and monitoring tools for land-use categories within the LULUCF sector.
• Data and quality assurance : You will bring together required data, deliver it in the right format, and take responsibility for the QA/QC of the data that underpins the inventory.
• Reporting and policy support : You will translate scientific results into clear reports, datasets and advice that support Dutch and European climate policy.
• Collaboration and knowledge integration : You will work closely with experts on forests, land use, soils, ecology and climate, both within Wageningen Environmental Research and with external European partners e.g. in the Horizon project NextGenCarbon with a focus on the role of European forests in the GHG balance.
• Networking and project acquisition : You will contribute to acquiring new, externally funded research in the field of LULUCF, climate mitigation, carbon accounting and land-use monitoring.

You will work here
You will be based in the SFE team of WENR on the Wageningen Campus of Wageningen University & Research, collaborating intensively with colleagues in other WENR teams and with researchers at national and international institutes. You will join an enthusiastic team of around 30 colleagues working on the conservation, restoration, development and sustainable use of trees and forests from an ecological perspective – exploring how policy, management and climate shape ecological processes, and what this means for climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and restoration, and the delivery of ecosystem services. It is a stimulating environment that combines first-class expertise with youthful enthusiasm. Curious about the team you would be joining? Take a look here .

Requirements

We are looking for a curious and analytically strong researcher with a broad interest in climate, land use and sustainability. You quickly acquire new knowledge, critically assess complex information and communicate your findings clearly to scientific, policy and professional audiences.

You bring:

• Education : An MSc or PhD in Forest and Nature Management, Biology, Environmental Sciences, Ecology, or a similar discipline.
• Expertise : Broad knowledge of carbon dynamics in European ecosystems and of the ecological processes contributing to carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions from land use and forestry and/or experience in developing and applying spatially explicit approaches to land-use monitoring in a European context.
• LULUCF and policy understanding : Knowledge of greenhouse gas inventories, land-use monitoring and reporting in the European context. Familiarity with the EU LULUCF Regulation and Governance Regulation is considered an asset.
• Data and modelling skills : Excellent data-analysis skills in R and affinity with spatially explicit approaches and GIS, and ideally some familiarity with object-oriented programming (e.g. Java).
• Analytical mindset : The ability to bring together diverse datasets, ensure data quality, perform QA/QC and deliver data in the required formats for reporting and policy support.

In our international working environment, there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position, at least English language level C1 is required. Because part of the work takes place within the Dutch policy context, understanding Dutch is considered a bonus.

We prefer candidates with 4–8 years of relevant working experience , but candidates with less experience and an excellent track record are also warmly invited to apply. Due to the nature of the role, we are seeking candidates with proven experience in the Dutch or European market.

Contract terms

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

• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• 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 year-end bonus of 8,3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. We offer, depending on your experience, a competitive gross salary of between €3399 and €6228 for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 10 or 11). Additionally, for this role a contract for 28 hours can be discussed. As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended - if possible within (company) organizational circumstances - on good performance.

We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.