Tenure-track position: “on the Dynamics of Lower Trophic Level Consumers”

NIOZ is looking for a highly motivated marine researcher to join the team of PIs in its Department of Coastal Systems (COS). The position will be filled at the Tenure-track level. The PI will develop world-leading research on how environmental change impacts consumers at lower trophic levels within coastal and/or shelf sea habitats. Examples of consumers include macrozoobenthic invertebrates and early life stages of fish. The position complements long-standing expertise at COS in advancing fundamental ecological understanding of coastal marine systems.

THE INSTITUTE

NWO-NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research is the Dutch national oceanographic institute and principally performs academically excellent multidisciplinary, fundamental, and frontier applied marine research addressing important scientific and societal questions pertinent to the functioning of the ocean and seas. NIOZ includes the National Marine research Facilities (NMF) department that operates a fleet of research vessels and the national pool of large seagoing equipment, and supports excellence in multidisciplinary marine research, education, and policy development.

THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of COS studies integral coastal ecosystems and their populations of fish, birds, and other marine animals in the North and Wadden Seas as well as on a global scale. The department focusses on key physical, chemical and biological processes that determine the productivity and the ecological functioning of coastal areas. The coastal system is studied as a unity by considering the interrelations between the key compartments of the ecosystem (water, sediment, microalgae, macrozoobenthos, parasites, fish and birds). The welcoming atmosphere at NIOZ will provide ample opportunity for collaborations.

THE VACANCY

Over the course of the tenure-track period, the PI is expected to take concrete steps toward building a world-class research group. The focus is on using laboratory experiments and other methods to advance fundamental process knowledge on how environmental factors impact on consumers at lower trophic levels in marine food webs. You can and should take advantage of the cross-departmental research facilities available at NIOZ including its research aquarium and laboratories (e.g. from molecular to advanced microscopy and benthic taxonomy).

Your research line dovetails well with field studies routinely conducted at NIOZ in shallow coastal habitats. For example, the research can be designed to explain patterns of change observed in long-term ecological time series maintained at NIOZ such as i) the weekly to bi-weekly samples of shellfish larvae sampled from the NIOZ jetty, ii) the annual macrozoobenthos surveys conducted for > 12 years across the Dutch Wadden Sea (SIBES), and/or iii) the daily captures of fish within >30 years of the NIOZ fyke program.

You use innovative methods to gain a cause-and-effect understanding of how abiotic and biotic factors interact to impact vital rates (growth, reproduction, survival) of consumers at lower trophic levels. Ideally, your work integrates cellular- and organismal-level measurements to gain insight on the population dynamics of consumers at lower trophic levels. You are interested in increasing the predictive capacity of climate projection models and contributing to improving actions aiming to restore degraded habitats to improve marine biodiversity. In this way, your fundamental research contributes to the mission of NIOZ.

THE CANDIDATE

You have a PhD plus relevant post-doctoral or other professional research experience in ecology, physiology, marine science or a closely related discipline. You have a strong track record of process investigation on consumers at lower trophic levels. You have an affinity for addressing marine ecological questions using a collaborative, cross-disciplinary, state-of-the-art approach. You are ready to build an effective research team including the mentoring of early career scientists. You have demonstrated success at building national and international research collaborations and you have a strong track record of publishing in peer-reviewed journals. You are dedicated to contributing to the diverse, safe and healthy working culture at NIOZ.

NIOZ wants to be a transparent institute with a healthy working climate and an inclusive culture, where people from diverse backgrounds and gender bring their talents and further develop these talents. We aim for inclusive decision-making processes and expect our leadership to show visible commitment, awareness of bias, and cultural intelligence.

CONDITIONS

• Employment of this full-time position at Royal NIOZ is by NWO-I, after a successful tenure track period and positive evaluations by the tenure track committee (TTC) the position will become a tenured PI appointment within the Royal NIOZ. The duration of the tenure track will be 5 years at the maximum. Depending on your starting level and evaluations by the TTC, the decision to become tenured in an earlier stage is a possibility in case you can fit the tenure track criteria.  
• Salary compliant with CAO-WVOI  (Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Research Institutes). scale 11 or 12 depending on relevant experience. 
• The freedom to fulfill your role and space and opportunities for your personal (talent) development with the help of the NIOZ Academy.
• 338 annualized holiday hours for a full-time 40-hour work week.
• Pension scheme via ABP, 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.33%. 
• 2nd class public transportation travel is reimbursed 100%.
• Employment benefits plan to exchange a portion of your salary for days off or vice versa, or can be used to purchase a bicycle with tax benefits.
• We offer relocation expenses for employees coming from abroad and support with finding accommodation.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Myron A. Peck. For additional information about the procedure, please send an e-mail to working@nioz.nl

The deadline for applications is July 31^th 2024.