Back Internship - Enhancing Water Balance Modelling with Radon Data

Duration

12 months

Internships

The IAEA accepts a limited number of interns each year. The internships are awarded to persons studying towards a university degree or who have recently received a degree (see Internship web pages for further details).

The purpose of the programme is:

• To provide interns with the opportunity to gain practical work experience in line with their studies or interests, and expose them to the work of the IAEA and the United Nations as a whole;
• To benefit the IAEA's programmes through the assistance of qualified students specialized in various professional fields.
• The duration of an internship is normally not less than three months and not more than one year.

   

  Organizational Setting 

  The Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications implements the IAEA's Major Programme 2, \"Nuclear Techniques for Development and Environmental Protection\". This Major Programme comprises individual programmes on food and agriculture, human health, water resources, environment and radiation technologies. These programmes are supported by laboratories in Seibersdorf, Monaco and Vienna. The Major Programme's objective is to enhance the capacity of Member States to meet basic human needs and to assess and manage the marine and terrestrial environments through the use of nuclear and isotopic techniques in sustainable development programmes.

  The Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences is responsible for assisting and advising Member States in research and development for the nuclear sciences, especially the physical and chemical sciences. Specifically, the Division provides support to Member States in the following fields: production of radioisotopes and radiolabelled products for applications in health care and industry; radiation source applications; research reactor utilization; applications of accelerators and nuclear instrumentation; nuclear and atomic data for applications; controlled nuclear fusion and isotope hydrology and geochemistry.

  The Isotope Hydrology Section is responsible for planning and implementing the IAEA's water resources programme. The programme assists Member States in the sustainable management of all aspects of their water resources, but with a particular focus on isotope hydrology. Major activities include internationally coordinated research, global isotope monitoring, capacity building, and technical assistance to Member States to help them with the assessment, development and use of water resources. The Section also operates a well-equipped laboratory for the analysis of stable and radioactive isotopes. The laboratory trains counterparts in using analytical techniques for high-quality measurements of isotopes in water samples.

  📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

  ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

   

  Main Purpose

  The objective of this internship is to support ongoing research in the Isotope Hydrology (IH) Section, specifically focusing on integrating radon-222 into isotope-enabled modelling approaches. This work is part of a larger program dedicated to understanding water dynamics and environmental processes.

  This internship offers hands-on training in testing and applying advanced models, investigating the potential of radon-222 data to enhance these models, and assisting in the preparation of comprehensive project documentation. The ultimate goal is to improve water resource management through innovative scientific approaches.

   

  Functions / Key Results Expected

  • Under the direct supervision of the Isotope hydrologist, the intern carries out the key tasks:
  • Support the team in conducting a comprehensive literature review on radon applications in hydrological studies, with emphasis in modelling applications.
  • Assist the team of the IH Section to investigate the potential of Radon data to improve water balance modelling.
  • Support the team of the IH Section to apply isotope water balance modelling using radon-222.
  • Assist in preparing project documentation in terms of modelling approaches for Radon but also general approaches in calibrating isotope-enabled water balance models.

     

    Qualifications and Experience

    • University degree in Hydrology, Environmental Science, Earth Science, Geology, or a related field.
    • A master’s degree in Hydrology, Environmental Science, Earth Science, Geology, or a related field is an asset.
    • Strong research and analytical skills with the ability to synthesize complex information.
    • Comfortable working in both office and field environments, with some experience in fieldwork being a plus.
    • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
    • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
    • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); experience with data analysis software or tools is a plus.

       

      Applicant Eligibility

      • Candidates must be a minimum of 20 years of age and have completed at least three years of full-time studies at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a first degree.
      • Candidates may apply up to one year after the completion of a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree.
      • Candidates must not have previously participated in the IAEA's internship programme.
      • Good written and spoken English essential; fluency in any other IAEA official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish or Russian) an asset.
      • Candidates must attach two signed letters of recommendation to their application.