PhD Position in Microbial Drivers of Peat Oxidation

Are you passionate about environmental science and eager to contribute to climate solutions? Utrecht University is looking for a PhD candidate to investigate the role of microbial communities in peat oxidation. Join us in uncovering key processes driving greenhouse gas emissions from Dutch peatlands and help develop strategies for sustainable land management.

Your job
Dutch drained peatlands are a significant source of CO2 emissions, contributing an estimated 3 to 4% of the total emissions of the Netherlands. The Dutch Climate Agreement has set a target of reducing annual emissions from peatlands by 1.0 Mton by 2030. The Netherlands Research Programme on Greenhouse gas dynamics in Peatlands and organic soils (NOBV) aims to monitor and evaluate measures designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate land subsidence in Dutch peatland areas. One important aspect of these efforts is obtaining process understanding of greenhouse gas fluxes and carbon dynamics to better predict future emissions and the effects of potential mitigation measures.

Utrecht University (UU) plays a key role in this research programme by investigating decomposition processes under controlled conditions to unravel the mechanisms of peat decomposition, identify the main actors, and predict the interaction between these actors and their environment. This work will be conducted by NOBV researchers from within and outside UU and is essential for understanding the mechanisms of peat oxidation, predicting the effectiveness of mitigation measures and understanding the relation between peat decomposition and land subsidence.

In this PhD position, you will focus on the role of microbial communities in peat oxidation. Microbes are key actors in the decomposition of peat, playing a crucial role in breaking down organic matter and releasing greenhouse gases in the process. In collaboration with the NOBV team, you will investigate how peat composition and quality, microbial strategies, and electron acceptor availability interact to determine decomposition rates. Using this knowledge, you will identify microbial functional groups contributing to the oxidation of peat, investigate whether peat decomposition can be inhibited by influencing microbial communities, and quantify decomposition rates of peat.

More specifically, this PhD project focuses on the following key questions:

• How do fluctuating moisture conditions impact microbial dynamics and decomposition of peat?
• What is the role of peat connectivity in determining microbial community structure and activity?
• Can peat oxidation rates be predicted from microbial community properties such as community composition and size, relative abundance of specific genes or the production of specific enzymes?
• What is the contribution of anaerobic processes to greenhouse gas emissions from peat?

In your research, you will utilise a range of approaches, combining molecular biological techniques, incubation experiments, analyses of enzyme activity and chemical analysis of organic soils. Up to 10% of your time will be dedicated to assisting in the BSc and MSc teaching programme of the Department of Biology. This will give you the opportunity to gain experience with teaching and develop supervision skills.

This PhD position may be the right fit for you, if you:

• have a master's degree in a relevant discipline, such as environmental sciences, microbiology, soil sciences, physical geography, or a related field;
• can demonstrate ability to work with a range of approaches, including microbiological, molecular and chemical techniques;
• have demonstrable experience and strong affinity with the design of laboratory experiments as well as field measurements;
• have demonstrable experience with statistical approaches, for instance within R or Python, bioinformatic or process-modeling experience would be an advantage;
• are able to work independently, but also within an interdisciplinary project team;
• are proficient in spoken and written English; Dutch communication skills would be an advantage as fieldwork may require communication with local landowners and stakeholders.

We offer:

• a position for four years;
• a gross monthly salary between €2,901 and €3,707 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

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You will be enrolled in the Utrecht University Graduate School of the Institute of Environmental Biology as well as the national graduate school of Production Ecology and Resource Conservation. Here, a personalised training programme will be set up for you, which will reflect your training needs and career objectives. Specifically, you will work in the Ecology and Biodiversity research group at Utrecht University. The central research theme of the group is to understand how ecosystems respond to changes in climate and land use. We want to use novel insights gained in ecosystem responses to inform future policy and management. Within the Ecology and Biodiversity research group, extensive experience has been gained in research on soil-borne microbial communities, especially with respect to plant-soil interactions and the effects of human perturbations on the diversity and functioning of these communities.

NOBV is a research programme coordinated by STOWA (Foundation for Applied Water Research) conducted by a national consortium of Universities (UU, VU, WUR, Radboud) and research institutes (WENR, Deltares, TNO) investigating the emissions from peat in The Netherlands. This programme runs since 2019, with the current second phase of the research programme running until 2028.

For more information, please contact Prof. George Kowalchuk at g.a.kowalchuk@uu.nl.

Do you have a question about the application procedure? Please send an email to science.recruitment@uu.nl.

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.

If you are enthusiastic about this position, just apply via the 'Apply now' button. Please enclose:

• your motivation letter;
• your curriculum vitae;
• the names, telephone numbers, and email addresses of at least two referees.

If this specific opportunity isn’t for you, but you know someone else who may be interested, please forward this vacancy to them.