1 PhD position for Ecology of Longitudinal Training Dams in Netherlands | Radboud University

The PhD project aims to develop a generic design for longitudinal training dams (LTDs) and management strategy for ecological rehabilitation of regulated rivers, by answering the following research questions:

• To what extent do LTDs improve ecological conditions in regulated rivers, compared to traditional river training (i.e. river groynes and rip-rap banks)?
• What are the temporal developments of river ecotopes protected by LTDs?
• Do LTDs yield similar habitat diversity and quality as side channels constructed in floodplains?
• Which are the controlling factors to improve design and management of LTDs for ecological quality?

LTDs serve to constrict the flow in the navigable part of a river during low flows, and to increase the discharge capacity during flood conditions. The replacement of river groynes by LTDs is considered to be a key measure to prepare Dutch rivers for the next century and beyond. The flexibility to create openings in the dam potentially offers the opportunity to control unwanted morphological effects in the main and side channels. LTDs are also expected to exert a favourable influence on habitat diversity and ecological conditions. At present, aquatic-terrestrial zones along rivers regulated by groynes and rip-rap banks are highly dynamic and characterized by low shoreline complexity. River banks typically represent harsh environmental conditions, due to high disturbance by impacts from navigation, which causes shipping waves, water displacement and bank erosion. These environmental conditions result in low biodiversity and dominance of invasive exotic species. LTDs may create shallow and sheltered lotic habitats and gentle slopes subject to intermediate hydromorphological disturbance and supporting high biodiversity values. The interactive effects of various design parameters, such as dam height, shape and orientation, as well as locations and shape of the dam openings, will be assessed by means of field monitoring, laboratory experiments, and modelling.

Requirements

• MSc degree in biology or environmental sciences;
• experience with river ecology (field surveys, laboratory experiments and data analysis) and simple mathematical modelling (e.g. species sensitivity distributions);
• curiosity, commitment, and good organisation and communication skills (especially a good command of written English).

Conditions of employment

• you will be appointed for a period of four years. Your performance will be evaluated after 18 months. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years;
• you will be classified as a PhD Candidate (promovendus) in the Dutch university job-ranking system (UFO).
• the gross starting salary amounts to €2,083 per month, and will increase to €2,664 in the fourth year;

Organisation

Radboud University Nijmegen

Strategically located in Europe, Radboud University Nijmegen is one of the leading academic communities in the Netherlands. A place with a personal touch, where top-flight education and research take place on a beautiful green campus in modern buildings with state-of-art facilities.

Department

Faculty of Science

You will be appointed at the Department of Environmental Science, which is embedded in the Institute for Water and Wetland Research of Radboud University. This vacancy concerns a project of the research programme ‘RiverCare: Towards Self-sustaining Multifunctional Rivers’, funded within the ‘Perspectief’ programme of the Dutch Science and Technology Foundation (STW). In RiverCare five universities and many public and private parties collaborate to get a better understanding of the fundamental processes that drive ecomorphological changes, predict intermediate and long-term developments and develop best practices to reduce the maintenance costs and increase the benefits of interventions. It is a combination of fundamental research on the hydrological, geomorphological and ecological processes, applied research in river management and utilisation of the knowledge in serious gaming. This PhD project runs in close collaboration with other RiverCare projects, such as ‘Hydraulics of Longitudinal Training Dam Design’ (hosted at Wageningen University) and ‘Ecosystem Services of River Systems’ (hosted at Radboud University and the University of Twente). The project is co-funded by Rijkswaterstaat (Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment), Deltares, Witteveen + Bos and HKV Consultants. You will also cooperate with experts from these co-funding organisations. A user group will be formed to warrant the link to practice.

Additional information

• Dr. Rob S.E.W. Leuven

+31 24 3652096

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• Dr. A.D. Buijse

+31 623879381

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