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Research School for Socio-Economic and
Natural Sciences of the Environment |
| SENSE e-News |
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Newsletter Mei
21 April 2016 |
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Frank Berendse (WU) honoured as Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau ›› |
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Marko Hekkert appointed as director of Copernicus Institute ›› |
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Prof. Christopher J. Preston first VU Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Ethics of the Anthropocene ›› |
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Wageningen University appoints two news SENSE professors: Carolien Kroeze and Simon Bush ›› |
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SENSE graduate Tuqa Jirmo Huqa is saving the last lions ›› |
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Batterijen op wielen – Column Mart van der Kam ›› |
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Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period ›› |
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Making an Impact! How to increase the societal relevance of your PhD research, 25-26 May ›› |
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PhD summer school on Urban Metabolism and Water Management: Smart Solutions for the Urban Metropole”, 4-15 July ›› |
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SENSE Writing Week, 31 October - 4 November ›› |
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Overview of PhD / postdoc courses May-July ›› |
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Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses ›› |
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Wageningen Evolution and Ecology Seminars (WEES), 21 April and 19 May ›› |
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WIMEK/SENSE Sustainability BBQ, 10 June ›› |
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Overview of upcoming events ›› |
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Sprintij Startup on the Beach, deadline 1 June ›› |
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Postdoc position on water productivity, University of Twente, deadline 14 May ›› |
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Postdoc researcher: urban water governance, Utrecht University, deadline 14 May ›› |
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Assistant Professor in Energy Systems Analysis, Utrecht University, deadline 10 May ›› |
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Interdisciplinary Post Doc in “Climate change adaptation and natural hazards”, ETH Zürich Climate Policy Group, deadline 14 May ›› |
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| Last chance for nominations SENSE MSc Honours Programme 2016-2017: deadline 24 April |
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The Honours Programme prepares MSc students for an academic research career and gives the research groups the opportunity to supervise an excellent student with a high chance of obtaining a PhD candidate (fig. 1). The MSc honours students write a full PhD research proposal within the field of ‘Environmental and Sustainability Sciences’ under supervision of a coach and several professional trainers.
In total, 15 students can be admitted to the SENSE MSc Honours Programme. MSc student supervisors, teachers and MSc programme coordinators can nominate excellent students by sending in a recommendation letter, a motivation letter, exam results and CV of the MSc student. The nominations can be send to Monique Gulickx (monique.gulickx@sense.nl) until April 24.
We look forward to the class of 2016-2017 with enthused and inventive MSc Honours students!
> More information about the programme and the nomination procedure
Fig 1. The SENSE MSc Honours Programme has been successful in the previous years. The programme started in 2012, when there were six PhD grants available. Also in 2013 when there was only one PhD grant available, 78% of the participants found a PhD position. We do not have all the results for 2014-2015 yet, but they also look promising! |
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| SENSE News |
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| Frank Berendse (WU) honoured as Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau |
 On the day of his formal retirement, Frank Berendse was honoured as Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau. The Order is a Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by Queen regent Emma. Berendse was honoured for his tireless and passionate work for nature conservation in a broad sense. Mayor Geert van Rumund gave him the decoration during his farewell speech on 5 April, titled "Between idealism and science - from dead land to living nature". |
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| Marko Hekkert appointed as director of Copernicus Institute |
 Prof. dr. Marko Hekkert has been appointed as Director of the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development as of 1 April, succeeding prof. dr. Martin Wassen.
Hekkert studies the dynamics of emerging technological fields. Most of his studies focus on technological fields that contribute to a more sustainable society like renewable energy technologies. Theoretically he aims to contribute to the innovation systems perspective by improving our knowledge how emerging innovation systems develop and what type of micro mechanisms (power, lobby, research, strategy, expectations, resources) determine the dynamics of innovation systems. |
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| Prof. Christopher J. Preston first VU Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Ethics of the Anthropocene |
 Professor Christopher J. Preston has been appointed as first VU Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Ethics of the Anthropocene: Religion, Ethics, and Global Environmental Change for the academic year 2016-2017.
During the fellowship, he plans to consider what this prospective version of the Anthropocene does for certain key ideas that have anchored environmental thought. In particular Preston will consider what use this prospective Anthropocene has for the ideas of “nature” and of “the wild”. Contrary to what many Anthropocene thinkers are today saying, there seems to be good reason to doubt that the Anthropocene is the era of the “post-natural” and the “post-wild.” The project will endeavor to show the continued importance of these concepts in the epoch of the Anthropocene. |
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| Wageningen University appoints two news SENSE professors: Carolien Kroeze and Simon Bush |
  Prof.dr. C. (Carolien) Kroeze has been appointed Professor of Water Systems and Global Change at Wageningen University. On 1 April 2016, she will take over the chair held by Professor of Earth System Science Pavel Kabat, who has accepted a position at IIASA in Austria.
Prof.dr. S.R. (Simon) Bush has been appointed Professor of Environmental Policy. He succeeds Arthur Mol, who became Rector Magnificus of Wageningen University in 2015. The appointment will take effect on 1 June 2016. . |
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| SENSE graduate Tuqa Jirmo Huqa is saving the last lions |
The wild animals in Kenya are threatened. A park ranger who did his PhD defence on lions in Leiden, is working out a rescue plan. With a leading role for traditional nomads and modern safety zones. |
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| Batterijen op wielen – Column Mart van der Kam |
 Weg van het idealisme, duurzaamheid is iets geworden waar steden goed aan kunnen verdienen, een echte business opportunity. Waar liggen onze kansen? Mart van der Kam, promovendus bij het Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development aan de Universiteit Utrecht, schrijft over hoe elektrische auto’s kunnen helpen bij het uitrollen van een nieuw duurzaam energienetwerk in de stad. |
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| Upcoming PhD Graduations |
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| Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period |
- Bui Thi Phuong Nam
Ecophysiology of Novel Intestinal Butyrate-Producing Bacteria
22 April 2016, Wageningen University, Microbiology
- Koen Wetser
Electricity from wetlands: Technology assessment of the tubular Plant Microbial Fuel Celll with an integrated biocathode
22 April2016, Wageningen University, Environmental Technology
- Concillia Monde
Impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on the trophic interactions of molluscivores and Schistosoma host snails
25 April 2016, Wageningen University, Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management
- Jennifer Poussin
Flood damage mitigation investments: An assessment of (cost-)effectiveness and household decision making
28 April 2016, VU University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Spatial Analysis and Decision Support
- Xiaomei Yang
Pesticide use and off-site risk assessment: a case study of glyphosate fate in Chinese Loess soil
9 May 2016, Wageningen University, Soil Physics and Land Management
- Isaurinda Dos Santos Baptista Costa
Optimizing Soil and Water Management in Dryland Farming Systems in Cabo Verde
10 May 2016, Wageningen University, Soil Physics and Land Management
- Pavel Roman
Biotechnological removal of H2S and thiols from sour gas streams under haloalkaline conditions
12 May 2016, Wageningen University, Environmental Technology
- Vassilis Daioglou
The role of biomass in climate mitigation: Assessing the long-term dynamics of bioenergy and biochemicals in the land and energy systems
13 May 2016, Utrecht University, Energy and Resources
- Sjef van der Steen
BEEHOLD The colony of the honeybee (Apis mellifera L) as a bio-sampler for pollutants and plant-pathogens
25 May 2016, Wageningen University, Environmental Technology
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| Upcoming Courses |
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| 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 |
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| 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. |
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| SENSE Writing Week, 31 October - 4 November |
| During this week you can fully concentrate on writing an article without the distraction of every day practice. The writing week will take place in a comfortable environment where you can spend the night. The presence of other PhD students will provide motivation, support and social contacts. Additionally, an English writing coach will guide us through the writing process with tips&tricks, feedback sessions and individual advice. Each participant will receive information on how to prepare. |
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| Overview of PhD / postdoc courses May-July |
- 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
- Environmental Models and Bayesian Inference
17-20 May 2016, UFZ Leipzig, Germany
- Basic Statistics
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
- Geo-information Technology and Governance (NEW)
1-3 June 2016, Enschede
- ASTARTE & PEARL Joint Summer School on extreme coastal hazards (NEW)
3-7 June 2016, Greece
- International Postgraduate Course European Forest Resources and the Bio-Economy
5-10 June 2016, Ede
- STAN 2.5 Workshop
9-10 June 2016, Vienna, Austria
- Linear Models
13-15 June 2016, Wageningen
- Summer school Modelling environmental resilience
19 June 2016, Paris, France
- Generalized Linear Models
20-21 June 2016, Wageningen
- ENP Summer School “Tackling Transparency: the Challenges of Operationalising Research on Disclosing Sustainability”
21-25 June 2016, Wageningen
- Facilitating multi-stakeholder processes using participatory modelling (NEW)
26 June - 1 July 2016, Wageningen
- Mixed Linear Models
27-28 June 2016, Wageningen
- Summer School Concepts and tools to engage in knowledge co-production and public participation
27 June - 1 July 2016, France
- Summer School on the Governance of Socio-Ecological Systems
3-8 July 2016, France
- PhD summer school on Urban Metabolism and Water Management: Smart Solutions for the Urban Metropole
4-15 July 2016, Amsterdam and Bologna
- Computational Social Science
10-17 July 2016, Italy
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| Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses |
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| Discussion Groups |
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| Wageningen Evolution and Ecology Seminars (WEES), 21 April and 19 May |
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.
- 21 April: Mike Jetten - Discovery and application of "impossible" anaerobic micro-organisms in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and methane
- 19 May: Ian Kaplan - Improving agricultural pest management with ecological and evolutionary principles
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| Upcoming Events |
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| WIMEK/SENSE Sustainability BBQ, 10 June |
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| Overview of upcoming events |
| Recently announced: |
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| Full list of interesting upcoming events: |
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| Sprintij Startup on the Beach, deadline 1 June |
 Startup on the Beach, enabled by Accenture & ASN Bank, gives you the opportunity to pitch and solve your challenges at the most sustainable forum of the Netherlands: Springtij Forum!
During the Springtij Forum 2016, 8 innovative sustainable Startups get the opportunity to profile themselves and find solutions to their biggest challenge. Springtij offers you the opportunity to exchange ideas with sustainability experts such as Annemarie Rakhorst (Entrepreneur & part of Urgenda), Willem Vermeend (Former Dutch Minister) and Brigitta Kramer (Vitens & Sustainability Manager of the Year 2015).
Do you want to capture this opportunity? |
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| New vacancies |
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| Postdoc position on water productivity, University of Twente, deadline 14 May |
| The postdoc will particularly contribute to two projects. The first is a project on land and water productivity funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). Together with researchers in Brazil, this project aims to study land and water productivity of different agricultural systems in the cerrado area in Brazil, based on a combination of modelling and field data. The second project focuses on assessing water productivity in Africa and the Middle East and is funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. As part of a Dutch-Belgian research consortium, the work at the University of Twente focusses on assessing the quality of near real-time remote sensing products of evapotranspiration and biomass production, at resolutions ranging from 250m to 30m. This will be done by analyzing the consistency between the water productivity estimates from remote sensing and estimates from modelling using FAO’s AquaCrop model. The position will also include lecturing a few classes to Master students and guidance of Bachelor and Master students in their thesis stage. |
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| Postdoc researcher: urban water governance, Utrecht University, deadline 14 May |
| The post doc’s main tasks (three years fulltime) relate to the EU funded project on political and social awareness on water and environmental challenges (POWER; project coordinator is De Montfort University, UK). The POWER-project is a user-driven project to share the knowledge and experience of water scarcity, security, quality and water consumption-related issues among local authorities. Knowledge institutes from seven European countries are involved in the project. The post doc will contribute to the analysis and evaluation of Urban Water Cycle Services (UWCS) governance in partner cities. This work includes designing a framework of analysis and evaluation, document analyses and interviews with partner city representatives. A provisional selection is made of cities in Portugal, Italy, Spain, Israel, Belgium, The Netherlands and the UK. The post doc will also contribute to key deliverables of the POWER project. Besides that, in fall 2016, the post doc will devote app. three months to a seed money project funded by Utrecht University’s strategic theme “Institutions”. As part of this project, the post doc will write a proposal for an externally funded competitive research grant on upscaling of bottom-up initiatives for sustainable transformations in renewable energy. |
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| Assistant Professor in Energy Systems Analysis, Utrecht University, deadline 10 May |
The candidate will (help) develop the portfolio of research in energy systems analysis, with a focus on technology assessment of new energy generation technologies, environmental and resource impacts of technology, and energy systems evaluation through modelling or other tools. She/he will develop this area in collaboration with E&R staff.
The candidate will be responsible for managing, developing, and teaching mainly (applied) thermodynamics courses for bachelor and master programs in the Graduate School of Geosciences.
The appointee will be expected to split her/his time equally between research and teaching next to a small (ca. 5%) contribution to (departmental) management tasks. |
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| Interdisciplinary Post Doc in “Climate change adaptation and natural hazards”, ETH Zürich Climate Policy Group, deadline 14 May |
| We are seeking an Interdisciplinary Post Doc in “Climate change adaptation and natural hazards” to carry out applied research and outreach within a 30-month externally funded project on “Enhancing Synergies for disaster Prevention in the European Union”. Specific tasks will include: the evaluation of current disaster risk management and climate change adaptation policies, in Switzerland and other European countries; engagement with stakeholders including organizing workshops, interviews, and surveys; statistical analysis of quantitative data; preparation of written project deliverables, scientific papers for publication, and outreach material. |
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