Challenge: Water quality extremes due to climate change threaten water supply.
Change: Climate-resilient water treatment technologies.
Impact: Access to safe drinking water in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Job description
Sub-Saharan Africa, small and medium-sized towns are growing fastest in the world. As a consequence the tap water demand is increasing at a pace never seen before. At the same time, drinking water supply is under increasing pressure due to a changing climate, provoking water scarcity. In addition, longer periods of drought and floods affects source water quality.
Your research will focus on how drinking water treatment technologies are being challenged by the consequences of a changing climate in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as temperature extremes and changes in the composition of the source water. The specific focus will lie on identifying key water quality parameters affecting performance of existing water treatment (coagulation, filtration, chlorination), as well as developing an alternative technology to leapfrog to climate-resilient water supply infrastructure.
You will:
- Identify climate change related water quality changes relevant to water treatment.
- Develop an alternativen climate-resilient water treatment technology and/or strategy.
- Conduct laboratory and field experiments to study water treatment.
You will join the Sanitary Engineering Section of TU Delft's Department of Water Management, working with partners in Ghana and Kenya. You will test new technologies in TU Delft's Waterlab, as well as collect contextualized knowledge at sites of partners in Sub-Saharan Africa. Your promotors will be Prof. Doris van Halem and Prof. Luuk Rietveld, and you will be part of TU Delft's African Water Corridor project.
Job requirements
We are looking for a candidate with:
- An MSc degree (or equivalent) in civil, environmental, or chemical engineering - or alike.
- Laboratory experience in water treatment and analytical techniques for water quality.
- Demonstrated Proficiency in quantitative data analysis.
- Excellent English communication skills.
- Motivation to work in an interdisciplinary research environment and collaborate with industry partners.
- Experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa is considered a plus.
TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.
At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.
Challenge. Change. Impact!
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences
The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced of the importance of open science and supports its scientists in integrating open science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.
Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences.
Conditions of employment
Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.
Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 3059 per month in the first year to € 3881 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.
The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.
Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.
Additional information
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Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 21 September 2025 via the application button and upload the following documents:
- CV
- Motivational letter
Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.
Please note:
- A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
- For the final candidates, a knowledge security check will be part of the application procedure. For more information on this check, please consult Chapter 8 of the National Knowledge Security Guidelines. We carry out this check on the basis of legitimate interest.
- Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.