The Faculty of Science at Leiden University, through the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) and the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), invites applications for a position in Computational Environmental Science at Associate Professor (UHD) level.
Both LIACS and CML face converging scientific and societal challenges driven by climate change, biodiversity loss, and the transition to sustainable socio-ecological systems. At the same time, rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Science, and computational modeling are transforming how complex environmental systems are studied, monitored, and governed. This initiative aligns strongly with European and Dutch research priorities around climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, digital twins of the Earth, trustworthy AI, and data-driven sustainability.
We welcome candidates whose research addresses questions that are central to both frontier AI research (such as explainability, causality, and uncertainty quantification) and cutting-edge environmental science (such as climate impacts, sustainability transitions, and ecosystem modelling). Areas of particular interest include AI-supported data-driven analysis, monitoring and predictions for tracing supply chains, land-use change and sustainable resource management, as well as decision-support systems for sustainability policy and planning. Ideally, candidates will bridge computational methods with environmental applications and contribute to interdisciplinary collaborations between computer science, environmental science, and sustainability practitioners. A proven track record of engagement with policy makers, industry partners, and/or environmental organizations will be considered a strong advantage.
The successful candidate will contribute to educational programs at bachelor and master level, and supervise bachelor, master, and PhD students at the intersection of computational methods and environmental science.
In addition, the candidate is expected to secure external research funding to build and lead a research group offering a collaborative and supportive environment that values interdisciplinary research and real-world impact on environmental sustainability.
