Doctoral Candidate “Temporal integration for high-tech (remote) sensing of natural and built ecosystems”

Job description

Are you thrilled by the scientific and technical intricacies of Earth system models and, at the same time, charmed by the opportunity to contribute to addressing societal issues? Then join our research team to determine how various earth system processes in and over open water, agricultural, natural and urban environments evolve at different scales.

This position is part of the ITEM (Infrastructure Twente for Ecosystem Monitoring) initiative, responding to the Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) Sectorplan-Beta II, which is aiming at strengthening the scientific foundation by continuous and incidental measurements of (sub)processes on earth while addressing societal missions in the fields of “Security living environment/habitat”, “Agriculture, water and food”, “Energie(transition), circularity and sustainability” and “Health”. This initiative is a faculty-wide effort that connects all four scientific departments of the Faculty ITC of the University of Twente through their four key focus areas: Resource Security, GeoAI, Disaster Resilience, and Urban Futures.

You will work with various physics-based models, ground observations and airborne and space-based earth observation images. More specifically, you will work on an open, explainable, and GeoAI-supported framework for the temporal integration of Earth system models with observational data from our spatially distributed sensor network (ITEM), as well as Earth observation imagery. With this framework, you will model environmental processes such as air quality, heat or drought over various land cover types and at multiple scales. You will present (both preliminary and mature) research results at meetings and conferences and publish results in scientific outlets. In addition, you will contribute to teaching on topics related to your work, supervise and mentor involved MSc students as needed.

Your profile

• An MSc in math, physics, climatology, physical geography, or a related field.
• A creative mindset, strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Able to do independent research and field data collection.
• Interested in cross-disciplinary research.
• Experience with at least one of the fields of quantitative (satellite) earth observation (e.g., radiative transfer modelling, data-driven (ML/DL) modelling, time-series, data assimilation), and willingness to delve deeper into these topics.
• Good programming skills; experience with C, C++, Python or other programming languages relevant to geodata analysis.
• Good communication skills and proficiency in written and spoken English.
• A good team spirit.
• Some limited teaching in ITC courses may be required.

Our offer

• An inspiring multidisciplinary, international and academic environment. The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in which internationalization is an important part of the strategic agenda.
• Full-time position for four years with a qualifier after 6 – 9 months.
• A professional and personal development programme within Twente Graduate School.
• Gross monthly salary of € 3,059.00 in the first year, which increases to € 3,881.00 in the fourth year.
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%
• Excellent support for research and facilities for professional and personal development.
• A solid pension scheme.
• A total of 41 holiday days per year in the case of full-time employment.
• Excellent working conditions, an exciting scientific environment, and a green and lively campus.

Information and application

For more information, you can contact Dr Wim Timmermans (e-mail: [staat bij de werkgever] ). You are also invited to visit our homepage .

Please submit your application before 1 September 2026, including:

• A motivation letter (maximum 2 A4 pages) clearly emphasizing your specific interest, qualifications and motivation to apply for this position.
• A detailed CV with the contact details of at least one reference person.
• An academic transcript of BSc and MSc education, including grades and a short description of your MSc thesis.
• An online link to an example copy of technical writing produced by you (a journal publication or thesis), if applicable.
• A link to the codes/programs that you have written, if applicable.

Applications that do not include the above-mentioned information will not be considered.

The interviews will take place in the week of 14 - 18 September.

Screening is part of the selection procedure.

For questions about working and living in the Netherlands, please consult the official website of the Dutch Government or the Expat Center East Netherlands website .

About the department

This research topic concerns temporal/spatial integration of different types of data and is multi-disciplinary and thus cross-departmental. The promotor for the current position is in our TECH department, reason for which the position is administratively positioned there as well.

About the organisation

The Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) provides international postgraduate education, research and project services in the field of geo-information science and earth observation. Our mission is capacity development, where we apply, share and facilitate the effective use of geo-information and earth observation knowledge and tools for tackling global wicked problems. Our purpose is to enable our many partners around the world to track and trace the impact – and the shifting causes and frontiers – of today’s global challenges. Our vision is of a world in which researchers, educators, and students collaborate across disciplinary and geographic divides with governmental and non-governmental organisations, institutes, businesses, and local populations to surmount today’s complex global challenges and to contribute to sustainable, fair, and digital societies.