Posted by:
Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
Job description
The doctoral thesis is part of the transdisciplinary project "Sustainable Water Infrastructure Planning" of the National Research Program "Sustainable Water Management" (NRP 61). The successful candidate will be part of a team of 3 PhD students that will develop a novel integrated, participatory planning procedure for municipal water infrastructures. The project focuses on dealing with limited data, the uncertainty of future developments, and ensuring high acceptance of the decision-making process by stakeholders.
The project combines engineering with decision sciences. The focus of this specific doctoral thesis is to combine quantitative models of water supply infrastructure with Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to support the long term planning process. MCDA is a well-structured procedure combining cost-benefit calculations with subjective stakeholder preferences. Special attention is given to uncertainty: imperfect data, uncertain future scenarios, and the decision makers' own uncertainty concerning his or her preferences. The developed concepts and approaches will be applied to running real world planning processes in Switzerland.
Requirements
The candidate for this position is expected to hold a MS degree in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Sciences, or similar. He or she should have skills in mathematical modelling as well as the capability and interest to bridge the science-society interface in particular concerning the application of decision sciences and elicitation of stakeholder values. For this collaboration with municipalities and utilities in Switzerland, fluency in German is required. Additionally, we require the skills and willingness to work in an interdisciplinary team.
Conditions of employment
The position starts as soon as possible for a project duration of three years. PhD enrolment will be at ETH Zürich.
Contract type
Temporary
3 years
Organisation
Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
Eawag is among the world's leading aquatic research institutes. Its strengths and successes are based on a long-established portfolio of activities - research, education and consulting & knowledge transfer.
The combination of natural and social scientists and engineers permits a wide range of water research, across the continuum from relatively unperturbed aquatic ecosystems to fully engineered wastewater management systems.
Staff at Eawag benefit from a unique scientific environment, allowing researchers, specialists and students to pursue questions that yield new scientific insights and meet fundamental societal needs. Particular attention is paid to innovative transdisciplinary projects.
To ensure that new findings and approaches can be translated into practice as rapidly as possible, Eawag also maintains close contacts with experts from industry, government and professional associations.
Additional information
For further information, please consult www.eawag.ch, www.nfp61.ch, or contact Dr. Judit Lienert, Phone: +41 44 823 5574, Email eawag.ch" rel="nofollow" class="external-link">judit.lienertateawag.ch.
Post
Send your application to the address listed below. Always mention the job number AT094603 and refer to AcademicTransfer.
Please submit your application including application letter describing your personal motivation, CV, copies of your academic qualifications, and names and contact information of three references in electronic form to Jadranka Vögelin, Human Resources Department: recruitingateawag.ch, indicating reference number 096101. Deadline for applications is 5th December 2009.
Job Title PhD Research Position in Environmental Engineering and Decision Analysis
POST DETAILS
Org Name Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
Contact Person Dr. Judit Lienert
Tel +41 44 823 5574
Fax
E-Mail judit.lienerteawag.ch
City Dübendorf
State/Province N
Country Switzerland
