Two Assistant Professors in Land System Science

We search 2 tenure track candidates with the ambition to develop interdisciplinary research and teaching in the field of Human-Environment Interactions and Land System Science. The tenure track candidates will become part of the Environmental Geography department at the Institute of Environmental Studies (IVM) of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. While all candidates with an excellent track record in the field are invited to apply, candidates with the following expertise are specifically invited to apply: food systems analysis in relation to land use, integration of social processes into quantitative land system analysis and the relations between land system science and biodiversity conservation ambitions. Expertise in one of these fields would have most added value to the research group.

Your duties

• the candidates are expected to show academic leadership, maintain a high publication output, and raise competitive research funding
• the candidates are expected to apply for external project funding for PhD students and postdocs working on projects around his/her field of expertise
• the successful candidates have a research interest in one (and preferably more) of the following themes: Land use change, Food systems, Human-environment systems, Modelling (like Bayesian network models, Agent-based models or Spatial models), Land use decision making and Land governance, Biodiversity analysis and Conservation biology
• the successful candidates will teach and coordinate courses in existing teaching programmes and/or develop new courses to strengthen the institute sustainability science profile
• the candidates are expected to have strong methodological skills with a focus on quantitative approaches or on linking qualitative and quantitative approaches
   

REQUIREMENTS

• a PhD degree in geography, ecology or environmental science with evidence of strong methodological skills
• experience in academic teaching and a strong motivation to teach students interdisciplinary methods and supervise students in doing societal relevant research in thesis projects
• have the ability to work in collaboration with others
• have strong oral and written communication skills in English

WHAT ARE WE OFFERING?

Two challenging positions in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €3,746 (scale 11)
and a maximum €5,826 (scale 12), depending on your education and experience. The job profile is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.8 FTE.

The preferred starting date is between 1 February 2021 and 1 June 2021. We offer a tenure track position at the level of assistant professor, initially for the duration of 6 years. During the period, performance will be evaluated in terms of teaching, publication record, and acquisition of prestigious personal grants or equivalent project funding. After a successful evaluation permanent employment will be granted. 

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP), contribution to commuting expenses