PhD position on Numerical modelling of plastics litter dispersal in Belgian coastal waters
Erik Toorman
VACANCY NOTICE
PhD position on
Numerical modelling of plastic dispersal in the Scheldt Estuary and Belgian Coastal area
In the framework of a new Dual-Cluster Strategic Basic Research project (2cSBO), entitled “From Seabed to SPace: Identifying and quantifying plastic litteR with Innovative remote sensing Technologies”, SSPIRIT for short, funded by Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO contract HBC.2024.0752) through the Flemish innovation clusters Flanders Space and Blue Cluster, the Hydraulics & Geotechnics Section of the KU Leuven Department of Civil Engineering is offering one full-time PhD position for 4 years (the first 2 or 3 years on SSPIRIT, contract to be renewed annually after evaluation). The multidisciplinary SSPIRIT project is a collaboration with the Remote Sensing Division of Flanders Institute for Technological Research (VITO), project coordinator, Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), the Environmental Toxicology Unit of the University of Ghent and the Ecosystem Management Research Group of the University of Antwerp.
See also https://remotesensing.vito.be/news/sspirit-tackling-plastic-pollution
The main task of the KU Leuven PhD project will be the further development and validation of a two versatile numerical modelling tools, i.e. a depth-averaged (2DH) and a 3-dimensional (3D) model, in the TELEMAC modelling system (www.openTELEMAC.org) to simulate the fluxes and fate of plastics in the Scheldt Estuary and along the Belgian coast. These models have been developed over the past years in the framework of the www.PLUXIN.be and www.LABPLAS.eu projects and need further extension to deal with two specific problems:
- Beaching and remobilization of plastic pellets (or nurdles) accidentally lost from the plastic production plants of the petrochemical industry of the Port of Antwerp, using TELEMAC2D. This requires the improvement of the wetting/during algorithm in TELEMAC2D, including the effects of vegetation.
- Modelling the SPM turbidity in 3D (using TELEAMC3D) in front of the Belgian coast, validated with 3D remote sensing data, and test the hypothesis that microplastics concentrations correlate well with SPM concentrations, as they are expected to be caught into cohesive sediment flocs. This will require to improve the 3D turbulence modelling capacities of TELEMAC3D, adapted to suspension flows with varying solids concentrations.
Field data will be collected by the project partners at different locations along the Scheldt Estuary for the pellet loss study and offshore by various remote sensing techniques above and under water. Samples will be analyzed for their plastic content. These data will be used for calibration and validation of the numerical model.
Profile: Candidates should be holding a MSc degree in Engineering (or equivalent), with demonstrated experience in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), preferably in hydraulic or morphodynamic applications in estuarine and coastal environments.. Proven experience in scientific programming of numerical methods (the finite element method in particular) is a strong asset. Please submit any thesis, (assignment) report or other publication demonstrating your experience in numerical modelling of (complex) fluid flow problems. Specific experience in the modelling of hydrodynamics (turbulence, waves) and sediment transport is an asset. Experience of modelling in TELEMAC-TOMAWAC-GAIA/SYSIPHE is an additional asset.
The candidate is expected to be creative, being able to carry out research investigation independently, and willing to work in a multidisciplinary team. He/she should be proficient in English, have excellent scientific writing, planning and communication skills, and be an enthusiastic team player.
Offer: We offer an open, stimulating and multi-disciplinary research environment. Duration of the contract: 1 year, with yearly extension to maximum 4 years, after yearly evaluation. The salary and appointment terms are consistent with the general rules at Leuven University.
Further general information on working at KU Leuven is found under:
https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/en/phd/phd-candidates
https://admin.kuleuven.be/personeel/english/international_staff/index
To apply: Submission of candidatures should take place online at:
https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60576439
Candidates should upload the following documents:
- Letter of motivation
- Full CV
- Detailed transcripts of all higher education diplomas (including list of all courses followed, number of credits and marks obtained)
- List of references
- Publications/reports demonstrating CFD experience
- Overview of scientific code programming experience (incl. programming languages)
- English language proficiency
Application deadline: 30 November 2025
Procedure: Candidates who pass the first round of evaluation based on their submitted files, will receive an assignment to be carried out and reported in a written document within a short period. Based on the quality of this assignment, the best candidates will be invited for an online interview, after which a final selection will be made.
For further information, please contact:
Erik A. Toorman
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Professor in theoretical and computational fluid and sediment mechanics
MSc Mechanical Engineering | PhD Civil (Hydraulic) Engineering
Division head
IUPWARE programme director
Hydraulics & Geotechnics | Department of Civil Engineering
Kasteelpark Arenberg 40 (box 2448) | B-3001 Heverlee (Leuven) | Belgium
Office 01.05 | Tel. +32 16 321659 | e-mail: erik.t...@kuleuven.be
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