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Researcher in Mapping African sand rivers by remote sensing

The Land and Water Management Department aims to add value to managed land-water systems through monitoring, assessing, understanding and anticipating the impact of intervention and change. The Department covers a broad range of disciplinary knowledge, across the physical domains of water-land-environment, the policy and management domains of linking information to action and decision-making, and the technology and society domains, looking at technological innovations in land and water that can support societal development.

Responsibilities

The researcher will map the presence of sand rivers in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is urgent because sand rivers, ephemeral rivers whose beds are filled with sand, can be a reliable and accessible source of water for irrigation development in arid lands. Mapping their occurrence and understanding their water potential, while preserving their riparian vegetation, can help government agencies and development banks to strengthen the resilience of resource-poor households in African drylands.

With remote sensing, best estimates can be made of the presence of sand rivers, their water storage potential, and their sustainable water yield, as well as the associated error margins. The researcher will develop a near continent-wide map of sand rivers, and establish the rural population that can potentially benefit from this sustainable water source in so far as it still is under-utilized.

The researcher will work closely with Pieter van der Zaag, the leader of the A4Life and A4Store projects, with Claire Michailovsky, expert in Remote Sensing for Water Management, and with other experts at IHE Delft and at partner institutions. This research project will also engage an early-career researcher who will collaborate with the researcher.

  • Synthesise relevant grey, academic and other literature on the occurrence of alluvial aquifers of ephemeral (seasonal) rivers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and their most important biophysical characteristics;
  • Synthesise relevant grey, academic, and other literature on the (current and historic) use of alluvial aquifers of sand rivers for securing livelihoods in SSA;
  • Inventorise the presence and current use of sand rivers (that are at least 20-40m wide and that experience at least one flow event per year in 9 out of 10 years) in SSA by means of remote sensing, generate a near-continent scale map, and estimate the rural population that can potentially benefit from available water from sand rivers;
  • Present the obtained results at international conferences and in a journal paper;
  • Provide content support for the A4Store project;
  • Co-supervise MSc and PhD students studying related topics;
  • Work closely with A4Store partners.

Requirements

  • MSc degree and PhD degree in fields relevant to natural resources, environmental engineering, agriculture and water management;
  • Demonstrated knowledge on hydrological or agricultural applications of remote sensing, and experience with conducting large-scale geospatial data analysis;
  • Knowledge on land use, hydrology and/or irrigation would be an added advantage;
  • Demonstrated ability to conduct scientific research and communicate results;
  • Demonstrated ability to work in multidisciplinary research teams;
  • Willingness to conduct extensive missions to Africa;
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills in the English language;
  • Candidates from countries from the Global South are encouraged to apply;
  • Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Terms of employment

The employment is for 38 hours per week with a one-year contract.

The position is in accordance with scale 10 of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. A competitive salary is offered depending on qualifications and experience.

This role requires the candidate to be based in the Netherlands or willing to relocate to the country.  The candidate will be stationed at IHE Delft Institute in Delft, The Netherlands. 

The appointment implies entry into the Netherlands' Civil Service Pension Fund (ABP). IHE Delft offers an attractive, multiple-choice employee benefits scheme, year-end bonus and generous pension scheme. We also offer 31 days leave based on a 38 hours working week. 

Information and application

Additional information can be obtained from Prof. Pieter van der Zaag (p.vanderzaag@un-ihe.org) or from the Head of Department, Dr. Nora van Cauwenbergh (n.vancauwenbergh@un-ihe.org).

IHE Delft follows an open recruitment procedure that respects diversity and provides equal opportunity to applicants of all backgrounds.

Applications (in English) should respond specifically to the requirements and can be sent before 9 February (closing date) including curriculum vitae and motivation letter in PDF format. 

Please use the application form via the ''apply'' button, applications via email will not be taken into consideration.

 

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Publication date

Publicatie datum: 15 January 2025 17:07