The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), in collaboration with Wageningen University, is offering a fully funded 4-year PhD position in Phytoplankton Trait Diversity & Lake Ecosystem Modelling in Wageningen, Netherlands.
Research Focus & Limnological Modelling Scope
The doctoral project is part of the Swiss-Dutch collaborative BILMo (Biodiversity Inspired Lake Modelling) project funded by the SNF-Lead Agency programme. Key research priorities include:
- Trait-Based Phytoplankton Ecology: Investigating how diversity in light, nitrogen, and phosphorus resource-acquisition traits influences freshwater lake community productivity and biomass.
- Mechanistic Aquatic Modelling (PCLake+): Integrating intra- and interspecific trait diversity into the state-of-the-art aquatic ecosystem model PCLake+.
- Predictive Lake Forecasting: Simulating lake ecosystem regime shifts under climate warming and eutrophication scenarios in collaboration with Eawag and the University of Rhode Island.
Position Benefits & Details
- Host Institutes: Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) and Wageningen University, Netherlands.
- Contract Duration: 4 Years full-time doctoral employment.
- Supervisors: Dr. Dedmer van de Waal and Dr. Mandy Velthuis.
- Benefits: Competitive Dutch collective labour agreement (CAO-Onderzoekinstellingen) salary scale with 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus.
Candidate Requirements
- Master’s degree (M.Sc.) in Aquatic Ecology, Limnology, Computational Biology, Environmental Sciences, or Quantitative Ecology.
- Experience in numerical ecological modeling, data science in R/Python, or phytoplankton physiology.
- Fluency in scientific English.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted online via the NIOO-KNAW recruitment portal. Applicants must submit a motivation letter, curriculum vitae, master’s thesis summary, and contact details of two academic references.