PhD Scholarship in Decision Support Tools for Managing Water Resources in Mixed Land Use Catchments

The Department of Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Environment) advertises a fully funded 3-year PhD position in water resources engineering and ecohydrological modelling, focusing on the integration of field data within a system dynamics modelling framework that supports the coupling of water quantity and quality across the groundwater-surface water interface.

The project will focus on the development of a decision support system (DSS) for managing water resources in mixed land use catchments. A system dynamics modelling framework will form the basis of this research. System dynamics is the theory of system structures and an approach for representing complex systems by piecing together sub-systems and analysing their dynamic behavior. Specific technical challenges include determining the necessary modelling components for coupling water quality and quantity, and the incorporation of field data to support and guide model development. This will allow an evaluation of the impact of different types of contaminant sources in mixed land use catchments on stream water quality. The full scope of the research could cover aspects such as: socio-economic changes on both water quality and quantity; climate change impacts, including connections between natural and peri-urban systems; multi-functionality, i.e. the achievement of environmental standards (e.g. Water Framework Directive) while maintaining viable and sustainable anthropogenic practices.

Responsibilities and tasks

• The successful candidate will have a strong background in ecohydrology, hydrogeology and/or environmental chemistry, as well as experience with environmental modelling (analytical or numerical) and the integration of field data within models, with a strong interest in engineering applications.
• Experience with system dynamics software (e.g. Vensim; Powersim) and GIS are a prerequisite.
• The student will have the potential to improve our understanding of complex spatial dynamic systems, and support in decision-making by collaboration with scientists in relevant scientific fields (e.g. biology, ecotoxicology, geology, geochemistry, environmental chemistry, economics) and stakeholders.
• Desirable qualifications include a high degree of motivation and the ability to work independently in an interdisciplinary field.
• Excellent skills in English (oral, written).
• Willingness to travel and work in an international environment and team is essential for the position.

The PhD candidate should be able to start at the latest by December 1st, 2016.

Qualifications

Candidates should have a master's degree in engineering or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to the master's degree in engineering.

Approval and Enrolment

The scholarships for the PhD degree are subject to academic approval, and the candidates will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes of DTU. For information about the general requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies, please see the DTU PhD Guide.

Assessment

The assessment of the applicants will be made by Assistant Professor Ursula S. McKnight and Professor Poul L. Bjerg.

Further information

Further information may be obtained from Assistant Professor Ursula S. McKnight, +45 4525 1412, email: usmk@env.dtu.dk, http://www.staff.dtu.dk/en/usmk.

Please do not send applications to this e-mail address, instead apply online as described below.

You can read more about the department on www.env.dtu.dk.

Application

Please submit your online application no later than 1 August 2016.

To view the full announcement and to apply: www.career.dtu.dk