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Research School for Socio-Economic and
Natural Sciences of the Environment
SENSE e-News
    Newsletter May
30 April 2015
Table of contents
Editorial
SENSE News
Inaugural lecture of Margreet Zwarteveen: regulating water, ordering society ››
Upcoming PhD Graduations
Overview of PhD graduations upcoming month ››
Upcoming Courses
Statistical Uncertainty Analysis of Dynamic Models, 27 May - 2 June ››
REMINDER: International Summer School Sustainable city region food and agriculture system, 21-25 June ››
Overview of PhD / postdoc courses May-June ››
Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses ››
Discussion Groups
REDD+ PhD discussion Group Meeting: Experiences in jurisdictional REDD+ and the landscape approach in Latin America, 20 May ››
Wageningen Evolution and Ecology Seminars (WEES) - Yolanda Chen: "Anthropogenic effects on insect-plant interactions in agriculture: crop domestication and global invasions", 21 May ››
Upcoming Events
Inaugural address Eddy Moors (VU): "Is het morgen ook droog?", 30 April ››
Inaugural lecture Detlef van Vuuren (UU): "Integrated assessment: Back to the Future", 11 May ››
SENSE Summer Symposium 2015, 18 June: "Make a change! - Successful interaction with society" ››
Overview of upcoming events ››
Tips
Call to propose questions to National Science Agenda before 1 May 2015 ››
Vacancies
Assistant Professor who has interest in - and can contribute to - our Geo-Science Laboratory, ITC Twente, deadline 1 May ››
Lecturer in Environmental Planning and Management, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, deadline 1 May ››
Lecturer/Researcher in Environmental Governance and Water Services, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, deadline 15 May ››
Postdoctoral Researcher in international climate change and environmental law, University of Eastern Finland, deadline 6 May ››
PhD in Energy Innovation Controversies, TU Delft, deadline 7 May ››
Several Assistant Professorships at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, deadline 29 May ››
Climate Change Policy Expert (Hanoi, Vietnam) ››
Afdelingshoofd Mens en Omgeving, Staatsbosbeheer, deadline 13 May ››
More vacancies ››
SENSE headlines
International Summer School Sustainable city region food and agriculture system, 21-25 June 2015
SENSE Summer Symposium 2015, 18 June: "Make a change! - Successful interaction with society"
Editorial
On 21 April SENSE had a strategy meeting in Utrecht to identify how SENSE can further improve its added value for all involved.
Participants came from all SENSE partners but one, and professors as well as PhD candidates were well represented.
All participants were asked to write their two top-priorities for SENSE for the next five years down on post-its. After clustering the post-its, four main themes were identified:
  1. Funding and (inter)national research agenda
  2. PhD education and training, interdisciplinarity and research clusters
  3. Visibility of SENSE and SENSE researchers for PhD candidates and staff
  4. Societal impact
The themes were discussed in break-out groups and ideas were shared in the closing plenary.
Concrete actions were formulated, and related to people to get started with them.

We would like to thank everyone for his/her presence, and we will make sure you will see the results in the months and years to come!

Of course, we are looking forward to see you all on the SENSE Summer Symposium of 18 June. Details and registration at www.sense.nl/summer-symposium-2015
SENSE News
Inaugural lecture of Margreet Zwarteveen: Regulating water, ordering society
On 27 February, Margreet Zwarteveen, Professor of Water Governance at UNESCO-IHE, presented her inaugural lecture on the practices and policies of water governance. In her speech she proposes a mode of engaging with water that makes its distributions - and the organizations of society these assume and produce - more central.
Read more and download the lecture ››
Upcoming PhD Graduations
Overview of PhD graduations upcoming month
  • Maria José Ibarrola Rivas
    The use of agricultural resources for global food supply. Understanding its dynamics and regional diversity
    1 May 2015, Groningen University, Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences, IVEM  

  • Yunyu Pan
    Speciation of trace metals and their uptake by rice in paddy soils
    12 May 2015, Wageningen University, Soil Chemistry and Chemical Soil Quality
  • Oleksandra Ieromina
    Effects of pesticides on aquatic macrofauna in the field
    19 May 2015, Leiden University, Conservation Biology

  • Jan Klok
    Modeling studies of biological gas desulfurization under haloalkaline conditions
    26 May 2015, Wageningen University, Environmental Technology

  • Oscar Schoumans
    Phosphorus leaching from soils: process description, risk assessment and mitigation
    26 May 2015, Wageningen University, Soil Physics and Land Management 

  • Omotayo Adeboye
    Sustainable use of land and water under rainfed and deficit irrigation conditions in Ogun-Osun River Basin, Nigeria
    28 May 2015, UNESCO Institute for Water Education, Land and Water Development and Wageningen University

More upcoming graduations ››
Upcoming Courses
Statistical Uncertainty Analysis of Dynamic Models, 27 May - 2 June
Dynamic modelling plays a crucial role in life science research, for example for predicting or hypothesis testing. A key feature of biosystems is parameter uncertainty, arising from biological variation, or a lack of knowledge. It is generally hard to foresee how parameter uncertainty propagates into model predictions, especially when a model contains a lot of complex interactions. Some predictions may be sharp, others highly uncertain. Some parameter uncertainties make all predictions uncertain, whereas others may have no influence at all.
Read more and register ››
REMINDER: International Summer School Sustainable city region food and agriculture system, 21-25 June 2015
Urban agriculture - hype or trend?

Urban agriculture is a novel concept, that is part of broader discussions about local self-sufficiency. Urban agriculture covers a wide range of bottom-up initiatives that aim to restore direct contact between food producers and consumers. A special example is food production by and for citizen groups.

What does urban agriculture mean? How does it fit in a worldwide growth in urban population? What results can we expect? And -last but not least- what can it contribute to citizen participation and community building?

These topics are extensively discussed in the International Summer School ‘’Sustainable City region - Food and agriculture systems’’, 21-15 June 2015 in Reims (France). A co-production of Reims’ University IRCS (International Research Center on Sustainability) and SENSE. The four-days program, with interactive lectures and parallel workshops, is aimed at mutual learning by the international audience of PhD students and post-docs.
Read more and register ››
Overview of PhD / postdoc courses May-June
Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses
More upcoming courses ››
Discussion Groups
REDD+ PhD discussion Group Meeting: Experiences in jurisdictional REDD+ and the landscape approach in Latin America, 20 May 2015, Wageningen
The REDD+ PhD discussion group welcomes any PhD and Postdoc student from different disciplines that are interested in REDD+ research and/or agriculture-driven deforestation.
 

20 May 2015 Meeting:
Lessons from Acre State (Brazil), Ecuador, and the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)

Unsustainable land-use patterns in the world’s tropics have led to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and contributed with nearly a quarter (24%) of the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions that cause global climate change. Half of those emissions stem from deforestation and forest degradation, the other half from agriculture and livestock farming. The two halves, however, are intimately intertwined, as agriculture is a major driver of deforestation. Conventional policy approaches have treated agriculture and forest conservation separately, but a more comprehensive “landscape approach” is emerging, together with REDD+ programs that go beyond project-level to encompass entire jurisdictions.

Read more ››
Wageningen Evolution and Ecology Seminars (WEES) - Yolanda Chen: "Anthropogenic effects on insect-plant interactions in agriculture: crop domestication and global invasions", 21 May 2015, Wageningen
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.
Read more ››
Upcoming Events
Inaugural address Eddy Moors (VU): "Is het morgen ook droog?", 30 April
Hoe dragen (semi-)natuurlijke ecosystemen bij aan droogte en wanneer leidt droogte tot permanente verandering in deze ecosystemen?

Of een droge periode ook tot schadelijke gevolgen zal leiden, hangt sterk af van het ecosysteem of de sector die getroffen wordt. Voor schadebepalingen is het van belang te weten wat het kantelpunt is waar voorbij (eco)systemen zich niet meer kunnen herstellen. Naast de waterbehoefte is de duur en frequentie van droge perioden hiervoor bepalend.
Read more ››
Inaugural lecture Detlef van Vuuren (UU): "Integrated assessment: Back to the Future", 11 May
Monday 11 May Dr. Detlef P. van Vuuren, special professor in the field of "Integrated assessment of global environmental change" at Utrecht University, will give his inaugural lecture, titled: "Integrated assessment: Back to the Future". 
Read more ››
SENSE Summer Symposium 2015, 18 June: "Make a change! - Successful interaction with society"
  • 4 interesting keynote speakers
  • 10 challenging workshops
  • Poster-pitch presentations (and the pitchers can get a free pitching workshop beforehand!)
  • Lots of opportunities to network
  • A buffet and party with culinary surprises
  • Live music

Check our website for more details and register!! Hope to see you there! 

Read more ››
Overview of upcoming events
Recently announced:
Full list of interesting upcoming events:
See SENSE website ››
Tips
Call to propose questions to National Science Agenda before 1 May 2015
The Dutch Government is preparing a national science agenda: ‘de nationale wetenschapsagenda’. Anyone can propose questions for this agenda. The number of questions asked per subject is important to weigh which questions will be considered for funding. It is important that the plant sciences are well-represented in the questions proposed.

We hope that you will propose a question through the link below before 1 May 2015.

Read more ››
Vacancies
Assistant Professor who has interest in - and can contribute to - our Geo-Science Laboratory, ITC Twente, deadline 1 May
You will carry out and participate in education, research and consulting activities. 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 programs with ITC’s partner institutes abroad. You have specific research interest in one or more of the scientific research fields, earth sciences, vegetation analysis and hydrology respectively fitting in the domains of the scientific departments Earth Systems Analysis (ESA), Natural Resource Science (NRS) and Water Resource Science (WRS) of our faculty ITC. You participate actively in national and international professional societies.
Read more ››
Lecturer in Environmental Planning and Management, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, deadline 1 May
The staff member is expected to contribute to the chairgroup's education, research, and capacity development activities in the field of environmental planning and management. The staff member will have to teach in this area of expertise at graduate level in the Environmental Science MSc programme and will be expected to supervise MSc thesis students.
Read more ››
Lecturer/Researcher in Environmental Governance and Water Services, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, deadline 15 May
The new staff member will be engaged in developing innovative research on environmental governance and water services in cooperation with colleagues at UNESCO-IHE and partner institutes and translating research outputs in educational and training activities.
Read more ››
Postdoctoral Researcher in international climate change and environmental law, University of Eastern Finland, deadline 6 May
The main task of the Postdoctoral Researcher will be to undertake research in international climate change and environmental law. She/he will contribute to the research project ‘Keeping the Arctic White,’ funded by the Academy of Finland through the Arctic Programme. This interdisciplinary research project brings together a combination of law, atmospheric physics and environmental science to study ways to strengthen the regulatory framework for reducing emissions of short-lived climate pollutants in the Arctic. This is a new, promising area of climate policy that could slow down climate change in the short-term while simultaneously improving local air quality. The particular focus of the project will be on black carbon and methane emissions.
Read more ››
PhD in Energy Innovation Controversies, TU Delft, deadline 7 May
The research will consist of case study research on national and international energy projects that might give rise to public contestation, as has recently happened in cases such as shale gas exploration and wind power. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with the TUD research team involving staff from two departments (Multi-Actor Systems, and Values, Technology and Innovation) that represent the disciplines that need to be incorporated in this research, led by Dr. Cuppen, Dr. Correljé, Dr. Pesch, Dr. Taebi and a post-doctoral researcher, as well as in collaboration with a consortium of private parties (energy companies, consultancies, and engineering firms). The PhD candidate is expected to do scientific research, write research papers and complete a PhD thesis. The candidate will be responsible for organisation of workshops and meetings with partners.
Read more ››
Several Assistant Professorships at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, deadline 29 May
A.o.:
  • Assistant Professor in Resource efficient business models for recycling of materials
  • Assistant Professor in Process Engineering with focus on recycling of resources from waste
  • Assistant Professor in Process Engineering with focus on recycling of resources from waste
  • Assistant Professor in Sustainable urban development
Duties:
Research within the subject field as well as supervision of graduate and post graduate students. Teaching at bachelor, master and PhD levels.
Read more ››
Climate Change Policy Expert (Hanoi, Vietnam)
CIAT is looking for a professional with the ability to think creatively to bring new approaches to difficult development problems with the expertise to prepare project proposals seeking positive changes. This requires someone who is well versed with international climate change initiatives as well as translation of information into compelling communications for policy makers. S/he must be interested to engage in interaction with diverse actors including policy roundtables to identify potential areas for change, and to engage in social media and other creative communications including blogging, to ensure widespread dissemination of knowledge. This requires someone who primarily is creative within their field of expertise, but who is also good at listening and engaging in conversations across organizational and cultural boundaries. We are seeking someone who is good at bridging diverse worlds and documenting the results in a concise and clear fashion.
Read more ››
Afdelingshoofd Mens en Omgeving, Staatsbosbeheer, deadline 13 May
Als afdelingshoofd Mens en Omgeving geef je actief leiding aan accountmanagers met betrekking tot financiering van publieke doelen van terreinbeheer (aanvraag SNL, PAS, e.d.). En bij het realiseren van alternatieve financieringsmogelijkheden voor het werkveld mens en maatschappij (jeugd, gezondheid, participatie en vrijwilligers). Je draagt zorg voor de kwaliteit, inzet en welzijn van de medewerkers voor een effectieve en efficiënte inzet van je afdeling op basis van concrete vragen uit organisatie. En je bewaakt daarbij landelijke eenheid van beleid en uniform handelen op één of meerdere werkvelden en adviseert directie en provinciale hoofden. Je verzorgt het relatiebeheer van een aantal landelijke accounts, waaronder het EZ-account. En je bent verantwoordelijk voor werving en inzet van vrijwilligers. Je werkt daarbij samen met andere afdelingshoofden binnen en buiten de divisie, in het bijzonder met het afdelingshoofd Communicatie en Externe Betrekkingen.
Read more ››
More vacancies
During the months new vacancies are regularly posted on the SENSE vacancy page and in the SENSE LinkedIn group.

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