Postdoctoral Researcher in Hydrodynamics, Water Quality & Machine Learning

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to work at the interface of river and coastal hydrodynamic modelling, water quality analysis, and machine learning prediction within the AQUAWISE project.

The ideal candidate should have a clear research profile, demonstrated through a completed PhD in a relevant field, and the ability to conduct independent academic research at a high level. This includes not only developing models and methodologies, but also clearly explaining the work, structuring scientific arguments, and communicating results through presentations and publications at PhD-level quality.

This position requires a researcher who is able to translate scientific developments into project-relevant outputs, including reporting, presentations, and contributions to deliverables within an international EU-funded project. The candidate is expected to actively support the scientific and coordination activities of the consortium.

You will join our team (one year with the intention for extension to up to two years, full time, fully funded) at Earth Systems and Global Change (ESC) Group and Hydrology and Environmental Hydraulics (HWM) Group at Wageningen University, in collaboration with IHE-Delft. The successful candidate will play a key integrative role between modelling, sensing, and AI components, contributing directly to the scientific core of the AQUAWISE project. You will have the chance to work closely with international project partners from Greece, Poland and Germany. 

As a postdoctoral researcher you will develop and implement hydrodynamic and pollutant dispersion models for rivers, lakes, and/or reservoirs within a case study in the Netherlands. You will integrate multi-source data, including for example (but not limited to): uncrewed vehicle (UV) monitoring data, Laboratory-based pollutant indicator, remote sensing and meteorological datasets. You will also contribute to data assimilation and model calibration workflows and support the development of predictive modelling and visualisation platforms. You are expected to participate in the validation of the developed models for other case studies within the project. 

You will coordinate the joint work between the two chair groups within Wageningen University and with IHE-Delft in this project and collaborate with other partners.

Your duties and responsibilities include: 

• Improve a framework to develop and implement AI-driven hydrodynamic model to monitor pollutant dispersion
• Develop and integrate hydrodynamic and water quality models for river–coastal systems.
• Design and implement machine learning approaches to enhance prediction and system understanding.
• Contribute to the scientific development of the project, ensuring methodological rigor and innovation. Including the preparation and publication of results in high-quality peer-reviewed journals.
• Communicate findings through presentations, reports, and stakeholder interactions at an advanced academic level.
• Support coordination and collaboration within an international, multidisciplinary consortium. Which implies to contribute to project reporting and deliverables required by EU funding frameworks (travels to conference, courses and workshops). 

Your team

This position is part of the project “AI-Driven Water Quality & Pollutant Modelling - AQUAWISE” funded by NWO under WATER4ALL scheme that aims to transform how pollutants in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are monitored, modelled, and managed. You will work with researchers from the two chair groups Earth System Change (ESC), Hydrology and Environmental Hydraulics (HWM) at Wageningen University (WU) in collaboration with IHE-Delft. You will work with experts on hydrological modelling, stochastic hydrology, AI-powered water resources management. There is also considerable expertise in the groups with regard to the different relevant aspects of water management in river basins, delta’s, and other areas with ongoing research through partnerships with local partners (e.g. cases in Asia, Africa, Latin America). 

You will work here 

We are the  Earth Systems and Global change Group (ESC) where we focus on profound humans influence on Earth's systems: land, water, climate, and nature. Through our work, we contribute to a better understanding of the challenges and to pioneer actionable solutions. For this position, experience with AI-driven hydrological modelling is preferred. 

You will work together with  Hydrology and Environmental Hydraulics Group (HWM), a dynamic and committed team of 14 academics, 5 support staff, 3 postdocs and 29 PhD researchers. Our focus is on hydrology and environmental hydraulics, which we combine to understand and quantify hydrological processes in catchments, aquifers, rivers and deltas. We develop novel sensing techniques, create models and perform field and lab experiments to advance process understanding

You will also collaborate with IHE-Institute of Water Education in Delft, the largest international facility for postgraduate water education in the world. The institute is based in Delft and focuses on addressing global water and sanitation challenges through education, research, and capacity building.

For this interdisciplinary project, we are looking for a highly motivated and skilled postdoctoral researcher with a recent university PhD degree (or equivalent) Environmental Engineering, Hydrochemistry, Hydroinformatics, Earth System Science, or a closely related discipline with demonstrated expertise in chemical or physico-chemical modelling of water systems, including contaminant transport and transformation processes. An ideal candidate should possess strong scientific programming skills (Python or equivalent) with past experience in handling complex environmental datasets (time series, spatial data, multi-parameter observations). 

You also possess: 

• Experience with hydrodynamic modelling, specially dealing with water quality or contaminant modelling, such as:
  • Nutrients, heavy metals, micropollutants, or emerging contaminants
  • Reactive transport or coupled physical–chemical processes
• Knowledge of machine learning for pattern recognition, clustering, feature extraction, or anomaly detection in environmental data
• Familiarity with AI-assisted workflows, including:
  • Model–data integration pipelines
  • Early experience with fine-tuning or adapting large language models (LLMs) for scientific or data-interpretation tasks (an advantage, not a requirement)

Preferred Skills

• Experience with integrated modelling frameworks (physics-based + data-driven, i.e. Delft3d).
• Familiarity with EU-funded projects or international research collaboration.
• Programming skills (e.g., Python, MATLAB, or similar).
• Ability to work across disciplines and communicate with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Willingness and ability to collaborate with PhD researchers and contribute to a dynamic research environment

Personal Profile

• Proactive, self-driven, and capable of working both independently and in teams.
• Strong sense of responsibility and ability to manage tasks within project timelines.
• Collaborative mindset with excellent communication skills.
• Structured and logical approach to research and problem-solving.

In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level C1.

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 3.546,- and € 5.538,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended- if possible within (company) organizational circumstances - on good performance, for the duration of the project. 

We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. 

Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees. 

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family. 

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account, dual career programs or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

For more information about the position, please contact Huu Loc (Josh) Ho, Assistant professor at ESC, via email: josh.ho@wur.nl; or Gerald Corzo Perez; Associate Professor at IHE-Delft, via email: g.corzo@un-ihe.org. 

Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Jessa Rozema, corporate recruiter, by email: jessa.rozema-stol@wur.nl

Ready to apply?
Click on the application button next to the vacancy on our website. Only applications submitted through our website will be considered.

You can apply until 11 May 2026. Internal candidates are preferred to apply before 19 April 2026. The first interviews are planned to be scheduled within 3 weeks after the closing date.

Procedure
As part of our selection process, an assessment may be incorporated within the procedure

Welcome, safe, and valued
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) highly values diversity and inclusion because we believe that different insights lead to innovative solutions. We create a work environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and appreciated, regardless of background, identity, or experience. Together, we are building a culture where everyone's unique contribution adds to the success of our organization.

​The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

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