"PhD Candidate in Ecosystem Response to Tundra Fires at the Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group"

Job Summary

We are looking for a proactive, analytical, and self-motivated PhD candidate to contribute to understanding fire impacts on vegetation and carbon emissions in a rapidly warming Arctic. You will work on satellite image analysis and field inventories of ecosystem responses to tundra fires in remote Arctic sites, embedded in the EMBRACER consortium, which focuses on climate change and feedbacks.

Responsibilities

• Analysis of satellite images and climate data to study occurrence of tundra fires and subsequent regreening across climatic gradients.
• Remote fieldwork in fire-affected and pristine tundra in the Sisimiut – Kangerlussuaq region, in an interdisciplinary team.
• Vegetation surveys, soil physical monitoring, and carbon flux observations.
• State-of-the-art analysis of spatio-temporal and ecological data.
• Collaboration with researchers and (BSc/MSc) students from various disciplinary backgrounds.

Qualifications and Requirements

• An MSc in earth science, ecology, remote sensing, environmental science, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience with environmental field studies (e.g., soil sampling, vegetation inventories, species inventories, ecosystem function measurement).
• Basic skills in satellite image analysis.
• Affinity and experience with data analysis and visualization in R, Python, or equivalent.
• Excellent English language skills, both written and spoken, at C1 level.
• Team-player skills, excellent organizational and communicational skills.
• The ability to perform physically demanding and mentally challenging remote fieldwork.
• Experience with identification of tundra vegetation, carbon flux measurements, permafrost monitoring, and managing large spatiotemporal raster datasets is considered a plus.

What the Employer Offers

This is a fixed-term position of 18 months (1.0 FTE), extendable to 48 months based on performance. The gross salary ranges from €3,059 to €3,881 per month for a full-time working week of 38 hours, according to the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. Benefits include partially paid parental leave, flexible working hours, focus on vitality, sports facilities, a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%, excellent pension scheme, and a fully funded PhD position with tailored course programs. You will work at Wageningen University & Research, with opportunities for growth, development, and participation in cohort-building activities and trainings.