Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas almost 300 times stronger than CO2. Globally, the majority of N2O originates from biological conversions in natural and engineered ecosystems. Despite decades of research, the environmental conditions controlling the underlying microbiology remain largely unknown.

This PhD project aims to advance our fundamental understanding of biological N2O formation as a basis for robust emission mitigation strategies. You will run parallel bio-reactors to enrich for nitrogen transforming communities, and understand how they assemble and function under highly-controlled non-axenic conditions. Cutting-edge meta-omics approaches, including metagenomics and metaproteomics, will be employed to resolve the function of each community member and their metabolic interactions in dynamic environments. Special emphasis will be given to as-of-yet overlooked processes and metabolic nitrogen intermediates.

The project bridges the Sanitary Engineering and Environmental Biotechnology groups at TU Delft. You will be directly supervised by Michele Laureni, Jules van Lier and Mark van Loosdrecht, with ample freedom to explore your own curiosity.

For a good candidate you will have the following 'Need-to-haves':

• MSc in Chemical/Environmental Engineering, Microbiology or Bioinformatics
• Demonstrable background and strong interest in biological processes and biotechnologies
• Independent, self-motivated, curiosity-driven mind, open to communicate and collaborate with peers and partners
• A scientific attitude and analytical skills combined with a hands-on mentality
• Laboratory experience proven by lab courses, internships or other previous work.
• Excellent spoken and written English

and hopefully the following 'Nice-to-haves':

• Experience in design and/or operation of lab-scale bio-reactors proven by previous practical or research projects
• Experience in metagenomics and metaproteomics, including wet-lab and bioinformatic pipelines, proven by previous research projects
• Linux, R, Python programming skills

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2770 per month in the first year to € 3539 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. 

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Civil Engineering & Geosciences

The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced of the importance of open science and supports its scientists in integrating open science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Michele Laureni at m.laureni@tudelft.nl.