PhD Candidate Satellite-based characterisation and modelling of human influences on wildfire dynamics
Are you a creative problem-solver with an analytical mind? Do you want to apply your skills to improve the lives of people affected most by fires, air pollution and climate change? The University of Twente invites applications for a fully funded PhD position.
Wildfires are powerful forces of nature that shape ecosystems, degrade air quality and influence climate. Human activities modify fire characteristics through land use change, intentional or accidental ignitions and by active fire management. However, the complex interactions between climate change, vegetation shifts, and human behaviour—and their consequences for wildfires—remain poorly understood.
Within the recently awarded project INFLAMES, we are looking for a motivated PhD Candidate to strengthen our team. The position aims to use Earth Observation data to improve understanding and modelling capabilities to provide more reliable projections of future fire dynamics and their effects on humans, and to provide recommendations for fire management. The study is focused on regions in East and Southern Africa.
Your tasks include characterisation of spatio-temporal patterns of fire dynamics in the target region from satellite data; the development of an empirical model linking land-use change and socio-economic developments to fire dynamics; the assessment of effects of landscape fires on urban air quality using satellite and model data; and the development of a conceptual model to support decisions regarding fire management in the focus region.
You will work closely together with the INFLAMES project team, which includes four other PhD Candidates, several MSc students and a postdoctoral researcher working at eight institutions throughout the Netherlands.
You will participate in numerous networking activities of the INFLAMES project, including three dedicated early-career events. Several visits to the study region are foreseen to interact with local stakeholders.
Information and application
For more information, you can contact Dr Marloes Penning de Vries (m.j.m.penningdevries@utwente.nl). You are also invited to visit our homepage .
Please submit your application before 15 March 2026, including:
- A cover letter (maximum 2 pages A4), emphasising your specific interest, qualifications, and motivations to apply for this position.
- A Curriculum Vitae (maximum 3 pages A4), including (if applicable) a list of publications and the names of at least two references, for example, previous supervisors.
- A course list with grades (both BSc and MSc).
An (online) interview and a scientific presentation will be part of the selection procedure.
For questions about working and living in the Netherlands, please consult the official website of the Netherlands Government or the website of the Expat Center East Netherlands.
Screening is part of the selection procedure.
About the department
The University of Twente strives to be an organisation that effectively deploys diversity, talent, and capabilities in the labour market, for both now and in the future. In line with our diversity and inclusiveness policy, we strongly encourage people with a (work) disability to apply.
The University of Twente is committed to providing a working environment where everyone is valued, respected, and supported to progress. Our priority is to ensure that no one is disadvantaged based on their ethnicity, gender, culture, disability, LGBTQ+ identities, family and caring responsibilities, age, or religion. We encourage everyone who shares these values to apply.
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.
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