Job Utrecht University, Faculty of Science - PhD Researcher in Palaeoecology (1,0 fte)

The PhD student will be employed within the project “Plants in a low CO2 world: proxy development for the Pleistocene plant record and reconstructed feedbacks on the carbon cycle”. The project will provide important constraints on the impact of glacial low CO2 conditions on plant growth and development. Furthermore, results will allow for determining the consequences for the terrestrial carbon cycle.

Low CO2 levels prevailed during most of the Pleistocene. For most modern plants a minimum concentration of about 160 ppmv atm. CO2 represents the limit of natural growth conditions. It has been suggested that CO2 starvation has had a direct effect on plants, limiting growth and water use efficiency. Low CO2 and associated water stress may have caused extinctions of plant species during the Pleistocene. However, little is known about the impact of these extreme environmental conditions. The main aims of the present project are to perform growth experiments at a series of (sub)ambient CO2, in order to validate botanical (pollen and seed productivity, stomatal frequency) and organic geochemical proxies (stable isotopes). Moreover we will study glacial plant macro and pollen records. The combination will allow us a better understanding of the impact of low CO2 on plants during the Pleistocene. 

The project is a collaborative project of the Department of Biology at Utrecht University and the Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences at the VU University Amsterdam. The project is sponsored by the Darwin Center for Biogeology. The place of work is Utrecht, The Netherlands.

We seek a highly motivated candidate with excellent communication skills and qualifications (MSc or equivalent) in the fields of environmental biology, plant ecology/-ecophysiology or palaeoecology. Experience in laboratory techniques necessary to work with plants in growth chambers would be an advantage. Candidates are expected to communicate easily in English, both verbally and in writing.

Conditions of employment: the candidate is offered a full-time PhD position for 4 years. The salary is supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8,3% per year. In addition we offer: a pension scheme, a partially paid parental leave, flexible employment conditions. Conditions are based on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities. The research group will provide the candidate with necessary support on all aspects of the project. More information you can find on the website.

The Faculty of Science consists of six departments: Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Information and Computing Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry and Mathematics. The faculty is home to 3500 students and nearly 2000 staff and is internationally renowned for the quality of its research. The faculty's academic programmes reflect developments in today's society.

The Palaeoecology group of the Department of Biology studies fossil biota and molecules recovered from continental environmental archives. The aim is to provide basic contributions to the understanding of the role of primary producers as recorders, drivers, and moderators of climatic and environmental change on different temporal and spatial scales. This includes the impact of the evolution of plants on global biogeochemical cycles. Currently, we are looking to fill one 4-year PhD position within the Palaeoecology group.

Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from: Dr Wolfram Kuerschner, email: w.m.kuerschner@uu.nl, tel. (+31) 30 253 2630, and from the websites of the Darwin Center and the Palaeoecology group.