PhD Position on the Coupled Soil Carbon-Nitrogen-Phosphorus Cycles

Faculty: 

Faculty of Geosciences

Department: 

Department of Earth Sciences

Hours per week: 

36 to 40

Application deadline: 

5 May 2025

The Department of Earth Sciences is looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate with an MSc background in Earth, Environmental or Agriculture Sciences or other appropriate fields. You will work on the project "The coupled soil carbon-nitrogen-phosphorus cycles and their response to human activities and climate change".

Soils are the largest terrestrial reservoirs of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), playing a crucial role in global biogeochemical cycles. The soil cycles of C, N, and P interact dynamically with each other, but some of their individual pathways also differ. Spatial heterogeneity and temporal changes in climate, hydrological cycle, atmospheric chemical components, soil physiochemical properties, vegetations, and human activities (e.g., land-use change, agriculture, urbanization) collectively lead to changes in soil C-N-P cycling.

In this four-year study, you will develop a state-of-art global spatially explicit, integrated, mechanistic, coupled soil biogeochemistry model for the dynamic interconnected C-N-P cycling. This model will build on our pioneering model framework Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment-Dynamic Global Nutrient Model (IMAGE-DGNM), which tracks the changes in climate, hydrological cycle, land cover, and human activities since the pre-industrial era. You will collect and synthesise the latest field and remote-sensing-based observation databases and reported coupled kinetics from labs and culture experiments, and use them to construct and validate the model. On this basis, we will quantify the spatiotemporal changes in global soil coupled C-N-P cycling from the pre-industrial era till the present and assess the influences of climate change and a variety of human activities. Questions regarding the interdependencies among C, N and P will be the research focus, such as how nutrient imbalance regulates/disrupts global soil C sequestration and how CO2 fertilisation influences N and P storage in soils and loss to waters and the atmosphere. We will further run the model to project their future changes under different scenarios. We invite you to share your ideas and suggestions for this innovative project in your application letter.

A personalised training programme will be set up, reflecting your training needs and career objectives. About 20% of your time will be dedicated to this training component, which includes following courses/workshops as well as training on the job in assisting in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes of the department at Utrecht University.

You are a motivated team player, have experience in modelling using programming language(s), and have completed your MSc degree in Earth Sciences, Environmental Science, Agricultural Science or a related discipline by the time the position starts. Furthermore, you have:

• strong and demonstrable skills in running transport, cycling or budget models or Earth System Model(s) (shown by a relevant master research project experience or course study);
• a theoretical background and an interest in coupled soil C-N-P cycling, biogeochemistry, integrated assessment, human perturbations, climate change, and sustainability issues (shown by a relevant master research project experience or courses);
• strong analytical skills;
• willingness to experiment with new data collection and model methodology development;
• motivation to cooperate in a diverse and multidisciplinary research team;
• excellent communication skills;
• being fluent in the use of Python or a similar programming language is essential.

Due to the international character of our research, good command of spoken and written English is essential. We highly encourage applicants from all members of our community and of diverse backgrounds to join us.

• A position for one year, with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
• a working week of 38 hours and a gross monthly salary between €2,901 and €3,707 (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
external link
 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
external link
, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities
external link
, 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
external link
.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University
external link
, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes
external link
. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow
external link
.

Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciences
external link
studies the Earth: from the Earth’s core to its surface, including man’s spatial and material utilisation of the Earth – always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.

The Department of Earth Sciences
external link
conducts teaching and research across the full range of the solid Earth and environmental Earth sciences, with activities in almost all areas of geology, geochemistry, geophysics, biogeology and hydrogeology. Our key research themes are Earth & Planetary Processes, Sustainable Use of the Subsurface, Planetary Health & Environment, and Climate & Life. The department hosts a highly international tenured staff of over 50 scientists and more than 110 PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers. We house or have access to a wide variety of world-class laboratories, among which are UU’s Electron Microscopy Centre
external link
, the Geolab
external link
, and the Earth Simulation Laboratory
external link
. Moreover, the department has excellent High-Performance Computing facilities.

The department is located at the Utrecht Science Park. Utrecht is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands with a population of nearly 360,000 and forms a hub in the middle of the country. Its historical city centre and its modern central station can easily be reached from the Science Park by public transport or by a 15-minute bicycle ride. Utrecht boasts beautiful canals with extraordinary wharf cellars housing cafés and terraces by the water, as well as a broad variety of shops and boutiques.

For more information, please contact Dr Junjie Wang
external link
at j.wang3@uu.nl . 

Note that international candidates that need a visa/work permit for the Netherlands require at least four months processing time after selection and acceptance. This will be arranged with help of the International Service Desk
external link
(ISD) of our university. Finding appropriate housing in or near Utrecht is your own responsibility, but the ISD may be able to advise you therewith. Unfortunately, we must warn that it is a tight market at the moment. In case of general questions about working and living in The Netherlands, please consult the Dutch Mobility Portal
external link
.

Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University. Commercial response to this ad is not appreciated.

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home
external link
 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.

To apply, please send the following documents via the ‘apply now’ button:

• your curriculum vitae, including any courses taken that are relevant for the position;
• your motivation letter;
• academic credentials (mark sheets and degree statements).

No reference letters need to be submitted in your initial application. If you are shortlisted, we will contact you for referees. We aim for a quick selection procedure after the application deadline. The preferred starting date is in summer of 2025 and no later than 1 October 2025.

The application deadline is 6 May 2025.