Before we can understand the impact of expanding OWFs on top predators such as seabirds, we need to understand their foraging ecology at sea. Your primary role will be to investigate the foraging behaviour of gulls in the dynamic North Sea environment. You will combine existing and new GPS and tri-axial accelerometer tracking datasets with behavioural observations from interdisciplinary research cruises to develop methods to identify different foraging strategies. You will study where and when different foraging strategies are used, how abiotic factors (e.g. oceanographic fronts) and biotic factors (e.g. prey availability) influence foraging movements, and what energetic trade-offs characterize different foraging strategies. You will connect these findings to the development and distribution of current and future OWFs to help identify and predict hotspots of foraging activity.

You will work within the research line of Animal Movement Ecology (AME) in the Department of Theoretical and Computational Ecology. Here we work on different systems and research questions where movement plays an important role. You will have access to a unique long term gull tracking dataset as well collect your own data. In addition you will collaborate with our colleagues at the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research NIOZ, and with other researchers within the NO-REGRETS consortium. Your daily supervisor and promotor will be Prof Judy Shamoun-Baranes and co-promotors will be Eldar Rakhimberdiev (UvA) and Rosemarie Kentie (NIOZ).

You will work in a collaborative environment within a large consortium, conducting research on gull foraging ecology and developing new methodologies in the field. You will publish your research in scientific journals, present at project meetings and international conferences, engage with project partners and stakeholders and contribute to teaching at UvA (maximum 10% of time).

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Research gull foraging ecology at sea;
• Collect new behavioural data from research cruises on the North Sea and GPS tracking;
• Apply and develop advanced computational movement models and analytical pipelines;
• Publish research in peer reviewed journals;
• Present research (in English) at project meetings and (inter)national conferences;
• Contribute to a vibrant and inclusive research culture within the research group.

We are looking for someone with a strong motivation to conduct research in the field of animal movement ecology or marine biology, a talent for and interest in working with large spatio-temporal datasets, an interest in combining computational skills with some field work and who likes collaborative research.

Your experience and profile:

• MSc in Biological Sciences, Ecology, Conservation or Environmental Science with appropriate motivation;
• Fluent in spoken and written English;
• Computational skills;
• An interest in seabird ecology or marine biology;
• An affinity for scientific writing.

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 for a total duration of 4 years). The preferred starting date is October 2025, with the NO-REGRETS kickoff meeting planned for 25 – 27 November. This 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 €2,901 gross per month in the first year and will increase to €3,707 in the final year, based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week. This does not include 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;
• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• a complete educational program for PhD students;
• multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
• 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.