Tasks and responsibilities:

• Conduct and help organize demographic fieldwork during part of the PhD;
• Build, validate and document the spatially explicit IPM; maintain reproducible workflows;
• Integrate multi-source data streams from other work packages (chick growth/condition, predation, habitat selection);
• Design and analyze management scenarios with stakeholders;
• Write scientific papers and present at conferences and project meetings;
• Contribute to teaching at UvA (maximum 10% of time).

We are looking for someone with a strong motivation to conduct research in the field of animal population ecology and conservation. We’re keen to meet candidates who are excited to make quantitative modelling work count for conservation. 

Your experience and profile:

• MSc (or nearly completed) in ecology, quantitative biology, environmental science, applied statistics, or a closely related field;
• Fluent in spoken and written English;
• Strong computational skills;
• Some familiarity with population ecology, capture–mark–recapture, IPMs or state-space models;
• An interest in wader ecology and conservation in an agroeconomical context;
• An affinity for scientific writing;
• Clear communicator with an interest in stakeholder-facing science;
• Motivated to conduct fieldwork in a godwit population as part of a larger team;
• A valid European driving license;
• Experience with ecological fieldwork and/or handling and ringing birds is an advantage.

We offer you a temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended with 30 months). The preferred starting date is 1 March 2026. This contract should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students. For this position the University Job Classification profile “Promovendus” (PhD candidate) applies. Your salary will be € 3,059 gross per month in the first year and will increase to € 3,881 in the final year, based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week. In addition, you will receive an 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end allowance.

The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• a complete educational program for PhD students;
• multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• partly paid parental leave;
• the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• help with registration at UvA- Housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad. 

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.