"PhD Position - Uncovering the underground rules of plant health and community resilience (ERC Advanced Grant DIGDEEP)"

Job Description

Are you fascinated by the hidden world of plant–fungal interactions belowground? Do you want to uncover how biodiversity shapes the risk of plant diseases, and make discoveries that matter for both fundamental ecology and sustainable agriculture? Then this PhD position in the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant project DIGDEEP might be for you!

Biodiversity often reduces disease outbreaks, but not always, and we don’t yet know why. As our PhD candidate, you will dive into this puzzle, exploring how plant community structure, host quality, and fungal diversity interact to influence disease risk. You will combine mesocosm experiments in the greenhouse with fieldwork in large-scale biodiversity experiments to untangle the complexity of plant–fungal interactions. Our special focus lies belowground: on fungal root pathogens — digging deep in both a literal and scientific sense.

Your Role

• Develop and test hypotheses on belowground pathogen transmission in diverse plant communities.
• Conduct greenhouse and field experiments, including work at the renowned Jena Experiment in Germany.
• Measure plant performance and fungal diversity using ecological and molecular tools.
• Publish your findings in leading scientific journals and complete your PhD thesis.

The Team

You will join the Root Ecology team led by Prof. Dr. Liesje Mommer at Wageningen University, part of the Forest Ecology and Forest Management group. We are an enthusiastic, international, and interdisciplinary team, passionate about plant–fungal interactions in complex communities. Your fieldwork will take you to Germany, where you’ll work within the Jena Experiment and collaborate closely with Prof. Dr. Alex Weigelt and Prof. Dr. Nico Eisenhauer. Together, we form a strong network of ecologists — from experimental to theoretical — working toward nature-positive solutions for agriculture, biodiversity, and ecosystem health.

Requirements

• MSc degree in Plant Biology, Ecology, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience with plants and/or fungi, and enthusiasm for both field and greenhouse research.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills are essential. Experience with ecological experimental design and molecular techniques are a plus.
• A collaborative, organised, and curious mindset, with readiness to travel for fieldwork.
• Ability to thrive in a stimulating environment that requires dedication, persistence, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and spoken.

Conditions of Employment

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include: Partially paid parental leave; working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance; there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee; a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%; excellent pension scheme. In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team. The gross salary for the first year is €3,059 per month rising to €3,881 in the fourth year according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.