Utrecht University, Faculty of Geosciences, Department of Earth Sciences

Utrecht University plays a prominent role in our society and contributes to finding the answers to topical and future societal issues. UU’s Faculty of Geosciences offers education and research concerning the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere. With a population of 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Physical Geography, Sustainable Development, and Human Geography & Spatial Planning.

The Department of Earth Sciences is the largest academic earth sciences institute in the Netherlands and among the larger ones in Europe. The department conducts teaching and research across the full range of the solid Earth and environmental Earth sciences. The profile of the department is rooted in the core disciplines of geochemistry, mineralogy, geology, geophysics, (marine) biogeosciences and hydrogeology. The department hosts a highly international tenured staff of over 50 scientists and more than 110 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. We house or have access to a wide variety of world-class laboratories, among which are UU’s Electron Microscopy Centre, the Geolab, and the Earth Simulation Lab.

About Utrecht
The department is located at the Utrecht Science Park. Utrecht is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands with a population of nearly 360,000 and forms a hub in the middle of the country. Its historical city centre and its modern central station can easily be reached from the Science Park by public transport or by a 15-minute bicycle ride. Utrecht boasts beautiful canals with extraordinary wharf cellars housing cafés and terraces by the water, as well as a broad variety of shops and boutiques.

Homepage: https://www.uu.nl/geo/aw/

The Department of Earth Sciences is seeking a highly motivated and high potential electron microscopist who applies advanced microscopy and analysis techniques in earth material research, including mineralogy, petrology and/or structural geology. As our new colleague, you will strengthen research and education in Earth Sciences and develop your own internationally recognised research line that should be complementary to current team efforts and contribute to sustain existing infrastructure that is key to the long-term viability of this research line within the department.

We are active in the development and application of novel electron microscopy and related techniques in earth material research. You are expected to contribute to the further development and application of advanced techniques such as atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy, ion and electron microscopy as well as microscopic X-ray tomography. Moreover, you should have an interest in big data analysis of in situ electron and X-ray tomography experiments and contribute to the university’s initiative in open (data) science. The position has become available through leave of existing staff and therefore the new hire will have an important role in making efficient use of the available equipment (the Electron Microscopy Centre and the Excite Network), rather than aim for additional equipment. In addition, the department has world class rock deformation and analytical facilities. The societal side of your work will preferably connect to our broad research theme of Sustainable use of the subsurface and/or Natural hazards. Besides developing your own line of research, it would be of advantage to be interested in facilitating transnational access to our state-of-the-art laboratories for which we collaborate in two European programmes.

You will play an essential role in education by inspiring students and developing innovative courses in the BSc and MSc programmes of the department of Earth Sciences, e.g., in mineralogy, petrology or structural geology (fieldwork), and in supervising graduation projects. On average, the Department of Earth Sciences targets at equal contributions to educational activities and research for all its tenured academic staff, resulting in (up to) 40% BSc/MSc teaching duties, 40% research, and 20% of other activities (management tasks, committee work, etc.). You will also contribute to the supervision of early career scientists such as PhD candidates and postdocs.

Qualifications
We are looking for a strong team player with good communication and networking skills, who is focused on achieving multidisciplinary research targets and participating in the acquisition of funding for research projects. We welcome applicants for the level of

• assistant professor, for which a minimum experience of two to three years as a postdoctoral researcher is highly recommended,
  as well as for the level of
• associate professor (max. UHD level 2, see below).

The combination of demonstrated experience, interests and motivation will help us in making our final decision on the hiring level.

We seek a highly motivated candidate who holds a PhD degree in solid Earth Sciences or a relevant natural science. If you:

• are skilled in advanced microscopy and (numerical) analysis methods of Earth materials;
• are interested in integration of observational and experimental approaches;
• are committed to multi- and interdisciplinary research;
• have strong communication, networking and organisational skills;
• have relevant international experience and an outstanding record of academic research, as reflected in high-quality publications;
• are willing to actively obtain research grants and actively develop new research lines;
• have strong didactic skills, enjoy teaching, and are an inspiring mentor to BSc students, MSc students and PhD candidates;
• have obtained a basic teaching qualification (at Utrecht University or equal), or are willing to obtain this qualification in the near future;
• have a keen eye for public outreach,
  we encourage you to apply. It may be regarded as a benefit, if you are able to contribute to the field teaching programmes.

You are expected to have an excellent level of English, both spoken and written. We require a qualification English at C1 level (CEFR or comparable to level 3 of the Lecturer Assessment Grid) or to be prepared to obtain this level by training. For non-Dutch speaking candidates, Dutch language skills should be at the level of practical communication within two years of the appointment. Willingness to further develop this toward the ability of teaching in Dutch in the longer term is desired.

Your vision on teaching, research vision and funding potential will be considered by the committee. Because of the ‘open rank’ nature of the available position, the requirements above will differ and depend on the career stage of the applicant. Publication track record, teaching record, acquired research funds and leadership experience will be weighed against the number of years of academic experience, also considering (parental) leave and part-time appointments.

We strongly encourage women to apply. The Faculty’s policy is to improve gender, as well as cultural diversity. Therefore, the diversity of our staff population and your connection to existing activities in the department may also provide guidance in the selection process.

Terms of employment
We offer:

• a position (0.8 – 1.0 FTE) as an assistant professor (level 2/scale 11 or level 1/scale 12) or associate professor (level 2/scale 13) for 18 months. After a positive evaluation the position will be made permanent;
• a full-time gross monthly salary between €4,537 and €7,651 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale 11, 12, or 13 under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities;
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

For informal questions about this position (not for application), please contact Professor Dr Mariëtte Wolthers via m.wolthers@uu.nl.

To apply, please follow the link tot the corresponding advertisement on our own website and follow the guidelines mentioned there. The application deadline is March 31st, 2025.

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home external link for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.

Include in your application the following information:

• a motivation letter;
• a brief vision/plans regarding your own research and teaching for the next 5 years (max. 3 A4);
• your curriculum vitae including your teaching experience and a list of publications;
• contact details of two referees.

In the second stage of the selection procedure, the short-listed candidates will be asked to defend their research plans and teaching vision in an oral presentation and discussion with the committee. Presenting a short lecture to students and staff may also be included in the procedure.

We aim for a quick selection procedure after the application deadline. We intend to have the second stage of the procedure take place in early June. The intended starting date is 1 September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Note that international candidates that need a visa/work permit for the Netherlands require at least four months processing time after selection and acceptance. This will be arranged with help of the International Service Desk of our university. Finding appropriate housing in or near Utrecht is your own responsibility, but the ISD may be able to advise you therewith. The ISD can answer many other questions about living in the Netherlands as international staff. For general questions about working and living in The Netherlands, you can also consult the Dutch Mobility Portal.

Online screening may be part of the selection. Commercial response to this ad is not appreciated.