Doctoral Candidate (PhD) in Theoretical Community Ecology

Offer Description

Response diversity describes the variation in how individuals, species, or functional groups respond to environmental change and the concept is increasingly recognised as a key driver of ecosystem resilience. Understanding and promoting response diversity is therefore essential for conserving biodiversity and supporting resilient ecosystems in a changing world.

The University of Namur invites applications for a Doctoral Candidate position within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network ReDiLEEP. ReDiLEEP brings together leading universities, research institutes, and non-academic partners across Europe and beyond to advance response diversity research and translate new knowledge into ecosystem management, restoration, and biodiversity policy.

This specific doctoral project aims to develop a general theoretical framework explaining how response diversity shapes species coexistence and ecosystem stability under environmental change.

Research Project DC6

Understanding how ecological communities respond to environmental change remains one of the central challenges in ecology. While response diversity—the variation in how species respond to environmental drivers—is increasingly recognised as a key determinant of ecosystem functioning and resilience, we still lack a general theory explaining when, why and how it promotes species coexistence and temporal stability.

In this project, you will develop a general theory linking environmental change to species coexistence and ecosystem stability through response diversity. Combining mathematical ecology, dynamical systems theory and model simulations, you will investigate how a broad range of environmental drivers—including climate change, pollution, nutrient enrichment and biomass extraction—modify species’ demographic rates and interactions, and how these changes propagate to the community level. The theory will generate quantitative predictions that can be tested experimentally by other doctoral candidates within the ReDiLEEP network, providing the conceptual foundation for understanding and predicting ecosystem responses to environmental change.

More information on the doctoral network can be found here: https://redileep.eu

Your Responsibilities

• Construct and analyse mathematical models of ecological communities using analytical and computational approaches to understand how environmental drivers affect species' demographic rates, interactions and community dynamics.
• Parameterise, test and refine these models using ecological data and information from the scientific literature, generating quantitative predictions across a wide range of environmental scenarios.
• Collaborate closely with experimental and theoretical researchers across the ReDiLEEP network to translate ecological questions into predictive theory and develop hypotheses that can be tested experimentally.
• Disseminate your research through publications in leading international journals and presentations at international conferences and workshops.
• Participate actively in ReDiLEEP network training, secondments, dissemination, reporting, and cohort activities.

Secondments and Network Training

The position includes 3 months of planned secondments:

• 2 months at the University of Swansea
• 1 months at the University of Monash

The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary cohort of doctoral researchers and benefit from ReDiLEEP training in response diversity methods, data management, reproducible code, R/Tidyverse, machine learning and AI for ecologists, visualisation, evidence-based policymaking, science-policy communication, and policy brief writing.

Where to apply

E-mail: frederik.delaender@unamur.be

Requirements

Research Field: Mathematics
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field: Physics
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

• Master's degree in Applied Mathematics, Physics, Complex Systems or related discipline.
• Strong quantitative and programming experience (R/Python/Julia).
• Excellent English.
• Interest in ecological theory and biodiversity.

Specific Requirements

Applicants must meet the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network eligibility requirements at the recruitment date:

• Mobility rule: applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity, such as work or studies, in Belgium for more than 12 months during the 36 months preceding the recruitment date.
• Applicants must not already hold a doctoral degree.
• Applicants must be doctoral candidates and be enrolled, or eligible to be enrolled, in a doctoral programme at the University of Namur.
• Applicants must work full-time and exclusively for the ReDiLEEP project during the appointment, in accordance with the applicable MSCA rules.
• Exceptions to the mobility rule apply for compulsory national service, refugee status, and temporary protection.

Languages

ENGLISH
Level: Excellent

Additional Information

Benefits

• A 48-month, full-time doctoral position at the University of Namur in an international MSCA Doctoral Network.
• Relocation and integration support, including guidance on visas, residence permits, social security, and daily-life integration.

Employment Conditions

The position is funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks framework and will follow the applicable MSCA Doctoral Network conditions and the University of Namur’s employment regulations.

• Gross salary: In accordance with the regulation of the Marie Curie Fellowship
• Duration: 48 months, full-time.
• Place of work: Namur, Belgium
• Start of employment: Expected starting date is 01 March 2027, subject to final MSCA eligibility verification, doctoral programme enrolment, and completion of administrative onboarding.

Selection process

How to Apply

Please submit your application in English by 15/09/2026 as a single PDF file to Frederik.delaender@unamur.be. Applications should include:

• A cover letter describing your motivation for the position, relevant experience, and fit with DC6.
• A curriculum vitae.
• Copies of degree certificates and transcripts.
• A short statement confirming your MSCA mobility-rule eligibility for Belgium including countries of residence, work, and study during the previous 36 months.
• Contact details of two referees who may be contacted for a reference.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interviews in English. According to the current recruitment timeline, eligibility screening is planned for 15-25 September 2026, scientific evaluation for 26 September – 05 October 2026. Interviews are planned for 12-14 October 2026. The final selection will be communicated by 22 October 2026.

Selection Principles

Recruitment will follow open, transparent, and merit-based recruitment principles and the MSCA Code of Conduct for the recruitment of researchers. Applications will be assessed on eligibility, scientific excellence, motivation, fit with the project, quantitative and modelling skills, and potential to contribute to the ReDiLEEP doctoral network. Selection committees will be composed to ensure diverse expertise, appropriate gender balance, international perspective, and absence of conflicts of interest.

Additional comments

Further Information

For scientific questions about the project or application process, please contact Frederik De Laender. For questions regarding salary, employment conditions or other HR-related matters, please contact arnaud.wilkin@unamur.be. The University of Namur is committed to diversity, equal opportunities, and inclusive recruitment. We welcome applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds.

Website for additional job details: https://redileep.eu

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: University of Namur
• Country: Belgium

Contact

• City: Namur
• Website: http://www.unamur.be
• Street: Rue de Bruxelles, 61
• Postal Code: 5000
• E-Mail: frederik.delaender@unamur.be