The Department of Ecological Science, section Systems Ecology, at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam has a four year PhD position available in the field of soil microbial ecology, funded by a grant from  the NWO Netherlands Polar Program.
 
Soils in high northern latitudes store a globally important amount of carbon (C) in the form of organic matter. Understanding the controls of the stability of this C store is crucial for accurate projections of the global C cycle under a warming climate. An important uncertainty in this area is the temperature sensitivity of soil C decomposition by microbial organisms, and the ways in which this is determined by the interaction of microbial ecology and physiology. This project will investigate the dynamics of how soil microbial communities respond to warming in range of Arctic soils; what the consequences of those changes are for soil C stability as well as other important ecosystem functions. The results of this study will improve our understanding of the mechanistic basis of soil respiration temperature sensitivity in cold-biomes, and can potentially contribute to a more accurate representation of microbe-mediated processes in Earth System models.
 
The successful candidate will design and carry out field , laboratory and modeling experiments in order to: 1) determine the temperature sensitivity of microbial communities in a variety of high-latitude soils; 2)  test whether compositional changes can predict changes in soil carbon cycling;3) develop a microbe-based biodetection system for arctic soil warming; and 4) explore the consequences of integrating empirical observations of arctic soil community temperature responses into ecosystem models.
 
The study is multi-disciplinary, and will combine techniques from soil science, molecular biology, bioinformatics, statistics and ecosystem modeling. The project will provide the opportunity to collaborate with scientists in several countries, and will include a small number of field trips to the (sub) arctic region.
 
The successful candidate will be expected to write up results for publication in international scientific journals, and ultimately to submit a dissertation. There will also be the opportunity for participation in the teaching activities of the department (at BSc and/or MSc level). All PhD students in the department are enrolled in the Graduate School for Production Ecology & Resource Conservation (PE&RC) (https://www.pe-rc.nl/) which offers a wide range of courses in scientific methodology and professional development.

• an MSc degree (or equivalent) with specialization in ecology, soil science, microbiology or related field
• demonstrable hands-on experience with at least two of the following:
• extraction and sequencing of DNA/RNA from environmental samples
• soil physical/chemical analyses
• bioinformatics of microbial community sequence data
• statistical modeling and/or scientific computer programming    
• ability and willingness to perform physically demanding fieldwork and high-precision labwork
• excellent ability to communicate in both written and spoken English;
• good social skills, ability to work independently and strong scientific motivation.

The initial appointment will be for a period of 1 year. After satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years. Information about our excellent fringe benefits of employment can be found at www.workingatvu.nl and include for example:
• Remuneration of 8,3% end-of-year bonus and 8% holiday allowance;
• Solid pension scheme (ABP);
• A minimum of 29 holidays In case of full-time employment;
• A wide range of sports facilities, which staff may use at a modest charge.
 
The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel, and ranges from a minimum of € 2.222 gross per month up to a maximum of € 2.840 gross per month based on  fulltime employment (salary scale 85) for a PhD student.
 

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) is a leading, innovative and growing university that is at the heart of society and actively contributes to new developments in teaching and research. Our university has ten faculties, and provides work for over 4,500 staff and scientific education for more than 23,000 students.

The Department of Ecological Science (DES) answers fundamental ecological and evolutionary questions regarding the relationship between organisms and their environment at the full array of hierarchical levels: from molecular ecology to ecosystem research. The department comprises a dynamic community of researchers and provides an excellent research environment with state-of-the-art facilities and high quality training.