 |
|
|
| View this newsletter online |
 |
Research School for Socio-Economic and
Natural Sciences of the Environment |
| SENSE e-News |
|
|
  |
Newsletter March
03 March 2016 |
|
 |
| • |
Rik Oldenkamp (RU): "Volkswagen fraud: 44,000 healthy years lost in Europe" ›› |
| • |
Rachel Carson Milieu Scriptieprijs for Rosanne Wielemaker (WU) ›› |
| • |
Colette Bos (UU) in BNR Nieuwsradio: How societal goals influence science ›› |
| • |
Sarah Gerssen-Gondelach (UU) in De Volkskrant about biofuels ›› |
| • |
Marten (WU) Scheffer on Dutch television in "De Kennis van Nu" ›› |
| • |
Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period ›› |
| • |
Making an Impact! How to increase the societal relevance of your PhD research, 25-26 May ›› |
| • |
ENP Summer School "Tackling Transparency: the Challenges of Operationalising Research on Disclosing Sustainability", 21-25 June ›› |
| • |
Summer School on the Governance of Socio-Ecological Systems”, 3-8 July ›› |
| • |
PhD summer school on Urban Metabolism and Water Management: Smart Solutions for the Urban Metropole”, 4-15 July ›› |
| • |
Overview of PhD / postdoc courses March-May ›› |
| • |
Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses ›› |
| • |
Wageningen Evolution and Ecology Seminars (WEES), 17 March ›› |
| • |
Discussion group Modelling and Statistics Network (MSN), 1 April ›› |
| • |
Reading group Environmental Economics, every second week on Wednesday ›› |
| • |
International Conference Disclosing Sustainability: The Transformative Power of Transparency, 24-25 June ›› |
| • |
The Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) conferences in 2016 ›› |
| • |
Overview of upcoming events ›› |
| • |
Newton International Fellowships Scheme for postdocs ›› |
| • |
Survey on teaching obligations of PhDs ›› |
| • |
PostdocNL in search for active postdocs ›› |
| • |
Post-doc in health risk analysis and assessment in closing wastewater and waste cycles, Wageningen University, deadline 6 March ›› |
| • |
Assistant/Associate Professor in Sustainability Science, Colorado State University, US, deadline 6 March ›› |
| • |
Assistant Professor (fulltime) Multi-sensor integration, ITC Twente, Enschede, deadline 13 March ›› |
| • |
2 ITC-Women in Science tenure track positions, ITC Twente, Enschede, deadline 1 April ›› |
| • |
Postdoctoral Research at IIASA, deadline 1 April ›› |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Editorial |
 |
|
As you probably know, SENSE welcomes more than 100 new PhD candidates every (!) year. Their PhD research projects cover a very broad spectrum of issues, all relevant in the domain of sustainability sciences. But within this broad spectrum there are many overlaps and connections, which may in fact greatly help to advance your own PhD research. In simple terms: remember to make use of your network! Many SENSE PhD candidates may be in a same (or similar) ‘boat’ as you are. We encourage all SENSE PhD candidates to reach out and benefit from our ‘network power’. If you are unsure how to do so... then pls send me a message and we will support you on this road (experience shows that this will almost certainly be very rewarding to you and your research).
To give you just some (excellent) examples of the ‘network power’ that SENSE offers you (many more examples in this newsletter), consider the upcoming activities organized by the Environmental Policy Group of Wageningen University: the event Post-Paris Climate Research and Politics: What’s New? (5 April), the Summer School Tackling Transparency: the Challenges of Operationalising Research on Disclosing Sustainability (21-24 June) and the International Conference Disclosing Sustainability: The Transformative Power of Transparency? (24-25 June).
Are you one of the SENSE PhD candidates considering to join (one of) these activities (which are in fact relevant to all SENSE PhD candidates), then perhaps you would also be interested to be connected to a ‘network’ or ‘research cluster’ of PhD candidates who are doing their PhD projects in this broad research domain. Connecting could include: organizing discussions and exchanges, learning and exploring together – but it could also very well include ‘eating pizza together’ (where ideas are born).
If you (perhaps together with your close PhD colleagues) think such a networking opportunity might be interesting to you too (it is in fact to all..), then do not hesitate to send me a brief message indicating so (pls include the topics/domain of your research). On this basis, it will be our pleasure to put you on track towards excellent, useful and happy connections within the SENSE network, your network.
Ad van Dommelen (mailto: ad.van.dommelen[at]vu.nl)
SENSE Director of Education |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| SENSE News |
|
| Rik Oldenkamp (RU): "Volkswagen fraud: 44,000 healthy years lost in Europe" |
 Because Volkswagen has committed large-scale fraud with the software in diesel engines, 9 million fraudulent cars, sold in Europe and the US from 2009 to 2015, have emitted a cumulative amount of 526 kilo tonnes of nitrogen oxides more than was legally allowed. The Volkswagen fraud has had an even larger environmental impact in Europe than in the US: more Volkswagens were sold and the population density is higher. Environmental scientists from Radboud University in the Netherlands have provided an estimate of the public health consequences caused by this fraud in the scientific magazine Environmental Pollution. |
|
|
 |
| Rachel Carson Milieu Scriptieprijs for Rosanne Wielemaker (WU) |
 SENSE PhD candidate Rosanne Wielemaker obtained her Master in Environmental Management at WU in 2014. For her MSc thesis she looked at the options to re-use domestic wastewater for metropolitan agriculture to close nutrient cycles and make cities more self-supporting.
Read the interview with her (in Dutch) ›› |
|
|
| Colette Bos (UU) in BNR Nieuwsradio: How societal goals influence science |
| Colette Bos (UU), who graduated on 5 February, was interviewed about her research bij BNR Nieuwsradio. In the interview she explains how the scientific agenda is influenced by societal themes. |
|
|
| Sarah Gerssen-Gondelach (UU) in De Volkskrant about biofuels |
| Het verbouwen van biobrandstoffen hoeft niet ten koste te gaan van de voedselproductie. Ook is het niet nodig bossen te kappen om er grond voor vrij te maken. Dat concludeert energiewetenschapper Sarah Gerssen-Gondelach van de Universiteit Utrecht in het proefschrift waarop ze vrijdag 29 januari promoveerde. |
|
|
| Marten (WU) Scheffer on Dutch television in "De Kennis van Nu" |
| Marten Scheffer told about tipping points in the Dutch television programme "De Kennis van Nu" of 25 February 2016, that handled o.a. about algae. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Upcoming PhD Graduations |
|
| Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period |
- David Font Vivanco
The rebound effect through industrial ecology’s eyes: The case of transport eco-innovation
3 March 2016, Leiden University, Industrial Ecology
- Mauricio Rocha Dimitrov
Assessing the effects of chemicals on aquatic microbial ecosystems
17 March 2016, Wageningen University, Microbiology
- Guangquan Chen
New tools for assessment of soil toxicity: towards the bio-based economy
23 March 2016, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Animal Ecology
- Emma van der Zanden
Agricultural landscapes in Europe: spatial structure, land management and consequences of agricultural abandonment
24 March 2016, VU University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Spatial Analysis and Decision Support
- Nurul Khairudin
Modelling of ammonia volatilisation in fertilised and flooded rice systems
29 March 2016, Wageningen University, Biorefinary and Process Dynamics
|
|
|
| Upcoming Courses |
|
| Making an Impact! How to increase the societal relevance of your PhD research, 25-26 May |
Generating impact of research requires intense and ongoing collaboration with industry, government, societal organizations and citizens. It involves much more than communicating research findings to the wider public, formulating recommendations for policy makers or engaging in public debates as a scientist.
This new SENSE course builds on a transdisciplinary understanding of impact of sustainability research. You will discuss challenges and dilemmas, especially in the context of individual or small team PhD projects. At the end of the course, you will make an informed decision on whether and why you desire to integrate ideas of transdisciplinarity into your research and if so, in what way, and with what intended impact.
Registration deadline: 27 April |
|
|
|
| ENP Summer School “Tackling Transparency: the Challenges of Operationalising Research on Disclosing Sustainability”, 21-25 June |
The aim of the Summer School is to explore the methodological challenges of operationalizing research on disclosing sustainability. The Summer School will highlight a number of themes and contexts in which these challenges manifest themselves.
The Summer School will be organized in conjunction to the International Conference “Disclosing Sustainability; The Transformative Power of Transparency?”. The Summer School participants are therefore able to generate expert insights and experiences for operationalizing research on the presented themes in the International Conference which takes place on June 24 and June 25, 2016 in Wageningen.
Extended registration deadline: 3 April |
|
|
|
| Summer School on the Governance of Socio-Ecological Systems”, 3-8 July |
There is a large number of scholars that are currently working on socio-ecological systems. The analysis of the governance of socio-ecological systems is frequently problematic. The GOSES Summer School aims at addressing this emerging challenge. We expect that this will attract scholars working along the lines of Elinor Ostrom’s integrated diagnostic approach. The Summer School is also expected to appeal to those researchers who focus on global and regional environmental governance, and those who come from structuralistic and rationalist scholarly traditions, as well as constructivist and critical ones. This Summer School will be an opportunity for much needed cross-fertilization among scholars employing different approaches.
Registration deadline: 31 March |
|
|
|
| PhD summer school on Urban Metabolism and Water Management: Smart Solutions for the Urban Metropole”, 4-15 July |
Turn your research into practice with our two-week PhD summer school on the circular metropole. We will support, train and coach PhD students with different scientific specialisations to transfer their research knowledge into smart sustainable solutions for the metropolises of the future. You will gain experience with multidisciplinary collaboration, creative skills, commercial thinking, and communication with different stakeholders. Based on the active involvement of municipality problem owners you will work on real life cases from the metropolitan cities of Amesterdam (week 1) and Bologna (week 2). The different contexts provided by working in two large European cities gives a unique experience of how global challenges are solved and solutions are implemented locally.
Registration open from: 15 March |
|
|
|
| Overview of PhD / postdoc courses March-May |
- Microbial Services in Times of Global Change
7-11 March 2016, UFZ Leipzig, Germany
- Mathematical Models in Ecology and Evolution
14 March - 25 June 2016, Groningen
- Research Methodology I: From topic to proposal (NEW)
17 March - 19 May 2016, Wageningen
- Understanding Chemical Partition Equilibria
21 March 2016, UFZ Leipzig, Germany
- Transport of Chemicals on Small Spatial Scales
22 March 2016, UFZ Leipzig, Germany
- A1 SENSE Introductory Course
30 March - 1 April 2016, Apeldoorn
- Root Ecology
3-8 April 2016, Denmark
- Computational Energy Systems I: Basics of Geoenergy Processes (NEW)
5-7 April 2016, UFZ Leipzig, Germany
- ESPA Summer School 2016 (Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation)
10-16 April 2016, UK
- Design and Analyses of Ecological Experiments (NEW)
12 April 2016, Leipzig, Germany
- ReMaT - Research Management Training for Early-Stage Scientists (NEW)
18-19 April 2016, Brussels, Belgium
- Laser Scanning Microscopy (NEW)
18-22 April 2016, Leipzig, Germany
- PCDI course Employability Outside Academia (NEW)
18 April, 9 May and 6 June 2016 (all Mondays)
- 5-day training course on mapping and assessment of soils for soil and environmental scientists and professionals
9-13 May 2016, Wageningen
- Introduction to R for statistical analysis
12-13 May 2016, Wageningen
- Basic Statistics (NEW)
17-24 May 2016, Wageningen
- Making an Impact! How to increase the societal relevance of your PhD research
25-26 May 2016, Lunteren
- Advanced Course on Environmental Biotechnology
31 May - 10 June 2016, Delft
|
|
|
| Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses |
|
|
|
|
| Discussion Groups |
|
| Wageningen Evolution and Ecology Seminars (WEES), 17 March |
| WEES is an initiative from PhD students and postdocs at Wageningen University to organize a continuing series of stimulating seminars on contemporary topics in evolution and ecology. We aim to bring together different groups at Wageningen University using a variety of systems, but with a common interest in evolutionary and ecological questions. For this series we invite researchers from all over the world that have leading roles in their field. After the talk there will be drinks for an informal discussion and a dinner in town with the speaker. |
|
|
|
| Discussion group Modelling and Statistics Network (MSN), 1 April |
| The discussion group aims at generating discussion on statistical methods and modelling concepts. By stimulating these discussions we intend to encourage PhD candidates to share ideas, explore new methods, or to discuss and seek help to specific problems that they face in their research. Meetings are held six times a year and are organised by two MSN-members. Meetings can consist of two parts. In the first part, there will be a presentation by a PhD candidate or an expert. An expert in a specific field(s) can be invited based on the interest of the participants. In the second hour of the meeting there can be a 'round-table' discussion where everyone can raise modelling or statistics issues he is stuck with and hopefully this discussion delivers a huge contribution to your research. Also, visits to labs in Wageningen or other places are possible. |
|
|
|
| Reading group Environmental Economics, every second week on Wednesday |
A reading group with PhD students in the field of Environmental Economics. Each week one of us presents
- a paper in the broad field of environmental economics that he/she finds interesting (everyone reads the paper on beforehand), or
- a working paper he/she is working on, or
- the research set-up of an experiment or survey he/she is working on, or
- a topic he/she finds interesting based on a collection of the relevant literature.
After the presentation (±20 mins) the remaining will be used for discussion. The group is open for new participants and new topics! |
|
|
| Upcoming Events |
|
| International Conference Disclosing Sustainability: The Transformative Power of Transparency, 24-25 June |
Transparency is one of the most widely touted concepts of our age. We live in an era of ever greater openness and disclosure of information, even as a push for more transparency is not discernible to the same extent everywhere and in all social settings.
The driving force of this growing call for transparency is an unwavering belief in its potential to foster more accountable, democratic and effective decision-making and action at different levels and across public and private domains. While the transparency turn is being ever more closely scrutinized in policy domains such as diplomacy, national security, human rights, or economic relations, the relationship between transparency and sustainability remains strikingly obscure. |
|
|
|
| The Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) conferences in 2016 |
The Ecosystem Services Partnership will organise several conferences in 2016 focussing on the use of the ecosystem services concept in policy and practice to find ‘nature based solutions’ for pressing environmental and socio-economic problems in
> Asia (organised in South Korea, 30 May-3 June),
> Europe (in Antwerp, Belgium, 19-23 September),
> Latin America (14-18 November in Brazil or Colombia),
> Africa (in Kenya, 21-25 November) and
> N. America, together with ACES (in Florida, USA, 5-9 December) |
|
|
|
| Overview of upcoming events |
| Recently announced: |
- IVM Colloquium: Deforestation in Latin America: the role of institutional and socio-economic factors
7 March 2016, Amsterdam
- Workshop Up-scaling of Bioelectrochemical Systems towards application
10-11 March 2016, Leeuwarden
- Energy Lecture: “Making business of sustainable thinking” by Tom Bosschaert
10 March 2016, Groningen
- Kapitaal en water. Van mare liberum naar mare restrictum - VVM Café
16 March 2016, VVM, Utrecht
- Seminar Safe Operating Space (SOS): From theory to application in water management (in Dutch)
17 March 2016, Wageningen
- Farewell address Prof.dr. Frank Berendse (WU): Between idealism and science - from dead land to living nature
31 March 2016, Wageningen
- Post-Paris Climate Research and Politics: What’s New?
5 April 2016, Wageningen
- Conference Sustainable Built Environment 2016: TRANSITION ZERO − SBE16
7-8 April 2016, Utrecht
- Regional launch of the UN World Water Development Report
25 April 2016, Delft
- Asian conference on Ecosystem Services for Nature Based Solutions: "Reconnect People with Ecosystems to achieve Nature-based Solutions for Environmental and Socio-economic Problems"
30 May - 3 June 2016, South Korea
- Conference Citizen Observatories for Water Management
7-9 June 2016, Italy
- Ecology & Safety, 25th International Conference
23-27 June 2016, Bulgaria
- Symposium Cumulative Effects in Marine Ecosystems
30 June - 1 July 2016, Texel
- International conference Data Intensive System Analysis for Geohazard Studies
18-21 July 2016, Russia
- Interfaces Against Pollution conference (IAP 2016): Environmental Challenges and Opportunities
4-7 September 2016, Spain
- Sfécologie2016, the 2016 International Conference of the French Ecological Society
24-28 October 2016, Marseille, France
- ACES and ESP conference on Ecosystem Services: "Linking Science, Practice, and Decision Making"
5-9 December 2016, Florida, USA
- CfP - 2016 Nairobi Conference on Earth System Governance: "Confronting Complexity and Inequality"
7-9 December 2016, Kenya, Abstract submission deadline: 21 March 2016
|
| Full list of interesting upcoming events: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Tips |
|
| Newton International Fellowships Scheme for postdocs |
| The Newton International Fellowships Scheme is delivered by the British Academy, the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences. The Scheme aims to attract the most promising early career postdoctoral researchers from overseas in the fields of natural sciences, physical sciences, medical sciences, social sciences and the humanities. The Newton International Fellowships enable researchers to work for two years at a UK institution with the aim of fostering long-term international collaborations. |
|
|
| Survey on teaching obligations of PhDs |
| PNN is conducting a survey on the teaching experiences of PhD candidates. Are we prepared adequately? Are we given too little/much teaching? What can be improved? Fill in the survey now! |
|
|
|
| PostdocNL in search for active postdocs |
Encouraged by PCDI last November PostdocNL was initiated. This national postdoc platform exists to unite and represent all postdocs in the Netherlands and speak on behalf of them with employers and policy makers. Recently, the board established four committees to efficiently work on achieving its aims. Please find more information about the committees on the new PostdocNL website.
For PostdocNL it is important that in the board and/or the committees include representatives of all knowledge institutions. Therefore, representatives from Groningen, Wageningen, Maastricht, Eindhoven, Tilburg, Utrecht and Enschede are extra welcome! If you are interested, please send an email to info@postdocnl.com
Do you support the mission and are you interested in joining PostdocNL, join their LinkedIn group. |
|
|
| New vacancies |
|
| Post-doc in health risk analysis and assessment in closing wastewater and waste cycles, Wageningen University, deadline 6 March |
Within the program Water Nexus the primary task of the post-doc will be to integrate the results of several PhD’s into various applications or business cases.
Main task for the post doc will to facilitate the system integration of the technology developed and find connections to other programs dealing with governance aspects targeted at developing follow up or adjacent projects. |
|
|
|
| Assistant/Associate Professor in Sustainability Science, Colorado State University, US, deadline 6 March |
| We are especially interested in applicants with research that addresses the development of formal criteria and metrics, e.g., Life Cycle Assessment, to quantify and model sustainability. An emphasis on climate, land use and/or land cover change as constraints on sustainability coupled with experience planning and implementing sustainability programs with government or corporate organizations and/or multiple stakeholders, and experience working with ecosystem scientists and/or hydrologists on trans disciplinary research are desirable. |
|
|
|
| Assistant Professor (fulltime) Multi-sensor integration, ITC Twente, Enschede, deadline 13 March |
| The increasing availability of low-cost sensors for UAVs and mobile platforms creates opportunities to develop innovative multi-sensor systems to address new applications of geospatial information. You initiate, carry out and participate in education, research and consulting activities on geo-information extraction from multi-sensor data. Research will focus on the development of multi-sensor systems, the analysis of their performance, and development of methods for information extraction. You are able to discuss and find solutions for information acquisition problems emerging within ITC’s research and consulting projects and initiate contacts to develop multi-disciplinary research projects. You will teach, assist and supervise MSc and PhD students, contribute to the development of educational modules and new blended learning packages at various levels of education and actively participate in joint educational programmes with ITC’s partner institutes abroad. You may share responsibility in the management of the department. You participate actively in national and international professional societies. |
|
|
|
| 2 ITC-Women in Science tenure track positions, ITC Twente, Enschede, deadline 1 April |
| To improve the representation of women in senior academic positions the University of Twente introduced the University of Twente Women in Science, engineering and Technology Tenure Track programme (UTWIST). The programme aims at female scientists looking for a challenging and attractive career path. A variety on this is the ITC-Women in Science theme (I-WIS). Also this programme aims at female scientists looking for a challenging and attractive career path but more specific in the RS-GIS domain. |
|
|
| Postdoctoral Research at IIASA, deadline 1 April |
| Every year IIASA provides full funding for several postdoctoral researchers. Scholars are expected to conduct their own research in collaboration with one or more of IIASA's research programs or special projects. Postdoctoral positions, up to 2 years duration, can begin up to 6 months after selection. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
