Research Assistant within Coastal Systems

The Department of Coastal Systems (COS) of the Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research (NIOZ) is looking for a highly motivated, responsible and proactive early career research assistant to support in lab and data analysis.

ROYAL NIOZ

NWO-NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research is the Dutch national oceanographic institute and principally performs academically excellent multidisciplinary, fundamental, and frontier applied marine research addressing important scientific and societal questions pertinent to the functioning of the ocean and seas. NIOZ includes the National Marine Research Facilities (NMF) department that operates a fleet of research vessels and the national pool of large seagoing equipment, and supports excellence in multidisciplinary marine research, education, and policy development.

THE DEPARTMENT
The Department of Coastal systems (COS) studies integral coastal ecosystems and their populations of fish, birds, and other marine animals in the North and Wadden Seas as well as on a global scale. The department focusses on key physical, chemical and biological processes that determine the productivity and the ecological functioning of coastal areas. The coastal system is studied as a unity by considering the interrelations between the key compartments of the ecosystem (water, sediment, microalgae, macrozoobenthos, parasites, fish, marine mammals and birds).

THE PROJECT
The REWRITE project promotes “rewilding” of intertidal shorelines as a nature-based solution to restore and enhance Europe’s coastal ecosystems. It focuses on three key soft-sediment habitats—saltmarshes, seagrass meadows and mudflats - across ten demonstration sites in Europe. Within the project, a consortium of international principal investigators, postdoctoral research and PhD candidates collaborate across disciplines where they combine fieldwork, laboratory analysis, remote sensing, and stakeholder collaboration to develop effective, nature-based rewilding strategies for sustainable coastal management.

THE VACANY
As part of the EU REWRITE project, the department is seeking an enthusiastic Research Assistant. The successful candidate will assist with laboratory preparation of macrobenthos samples for data analysis, prepare materials for stable isotope techniques, and handle data entry, exploration, and preliminary statistical analyses. Responsibilities also include logging and performance of sample handling, lab analyses and data handling. In addition, the candidate will help plan and support fieldwork and should be willing to participate in field activities.

THE CANDIDATE
We are looking for someone who works well independently, thrives in an interdisciplinary environment, and communicates effectively with:

• A Bachelor degree in Marine Science or a related field

• Knowledge and practical experience in taxonomic laboratory work

• Experience with marine macrofauna field campaigns

• Proficiency in data entry, exploration, and preliminary analyses using R

• Willingness to participate in fieldwork and proven ability to conduct fieldwork independently

• Good communication skills and the ability to work effectively within an international and motivated team

We want to be a transparent institute with a healthy working climate and an inclusive culture, where people from diverse backgrounds and gender bring their talents and further develop these talents. We aim for inclusive decision-making processes and expect our leadership to show visible commitment, awareness of bias, and cultural intelligence.

THE CONDITIONS

• Employment of this full-time position at Royal NIOZ is by NWO-I for a duration of 4 months.

• Salary compliant with CAO-WVOI  (Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Research Institutes) scale 8 or 9 depending on educational level and/or relevant experience.

• The freedom to fulfill your role and space and opportunities for your personal (talent) development with the help of the NIOZ Academy.

• 338 annualized holiday hours for a full-time 40-hour work week.

• Pension scheme via ABP, 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.33%.

• 2nd class public transportation travel is reimbursed 100%.

• Employment benefits plan to exchange a portion of your salary for days off or vice versa, or can be used to purchase a bicycle with tax benefits.

• We offer relocation expenses for employees coming from abroad and support with finding accommodation.

Please note that non-EU citizens can only apply for this position when they have a valid work permit for working in the Netherlands as it is not regarded as a scientific position.

MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about this vacancy, please, contact Dr Ir. Jim de Fouw, jim.de.fouw@nioz.nl. For additional information about the procedure, please send an e-mail to working@nioz.nl 

The closing date for this vacancy will be the 7th of December 2025. The interviews will be held the 11th of 12th of December.