Postdoctoral Fellow studying carbon transfer

Deadline 29 Oct ’25

Vacancy ID 1037035

Job description

Have you completed your PhD? Are you eager to enrich knowledge on biodiversity as a postdoc? Then Naturalis in Leiden is the place for you. Pursuing a postdoc at Naturalis means working on research with a truly global impact — contributing directly to biodiversity. With state-of-the-art museum collections and lab facilities, many inspiring colleagues, and access to our international network, Naturalis offers everything you need to strengthen your career as a scientist.

As a postdoctoral fellow...You will have ample opportunities to showcase and share your research and results widely, through publications, presentations, or with partners in our international network.You will receive strong support, with access to our dedicated Research Coordination Office.You will build valuable professional connections by participating in both the academic and social activities of our PhD- and postdoc community. Furthermore, through our collaborations with diverse partners, you will strengthen your international profile.

This is what you'll be doing

In this position, you will focus on fungus-to-plant carbon transport in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. Apart from fully mycoheterotrophic plants, there is a wide range of indirect evidence for fungus-to-plant carbon in photosynthetic arbuscular mycorrhizal plants. As a Postdoctoral Fellow, you will design and perform carbon pulse-trace experiments with non-model plants in the field, pots, and/or in vitro to study this phenomenon. You are also stimulated and supported in applying for additional funding.

Here's what we have to offer

• A gross monthly salary of € 3,768.00 to € 4,897.00 gross/month for a full-time contract (36 hours).
• End-of-year bonus of 3.4% of your gross annual salary and 8% holiday pay.
• Time off thanks to 27 days of leave per year with full-time employment. Plus 1 extra day that you can use for a holiday that is important to you.
• Commuting allowance depending on your means of transport.
• Pension scheme via PFZW, where Naturalis pays 60% of your premium.
• Plenty of development opportunities. We support your growth and give you unlimited access to the online training platform Goodhabitz.
• Fascinating knowledge events. These help you stay up to date on the latest developments in both your own field and outside it, such as our lectures and gatherings on various (scientific) topics. You can also attend – or take part in – the fascinating internal information session ‘Naturalis Draait Door’.
• Laptop and mobile phone allowance.
• Nice extras such as discounts on software and hardware for private use, collective health insurance plans, and a bicycle scheme. You’ll also enjoy discounts in our museum restaurant and unlimited free access to our award-winning museum for you and your family.
• Fun team outings. We also get together for drinks every month, organize an annual BBQ and a fantastic New Year's party. Not your scene? That's fine too, of course. All team activities are voluntary.
• A unique work environment in a state-of-the-art building where you will feel proud to work every single day – we guarantee it!

The world lies at your feet!

Literally. Whatever your role may be, you contribute to the preservation of our planet on a daily basis. Naturalis Biodiversity Center is the national research and knowledge institute and a key player in biodiversity data and infrastructures; houses one of the largest natural history collections in the world; welcomes 500,000 museum visitors per year; collaborates with universities, expertise centers, and museums around the world, and has a staff of diverse colleagues in various functions and with many different nationalities, with whom you will work together in an informal atmosphere.

This is your team

The Postdoc project is part of the ERC Consolidator MIXOTROPH project. In this project, we collaborate with researchers at the University of Bayreuth (Germany), University of Leuven (Belgium), and Imperial College (UK). You will be part of the research group Understanding Evolution.

You will also be part of our PhD- and postdoc community — a close-knit group of around 50 PhD candidates and postdocs with whom you can share experiences and participate in training sessions, workshops, and peer review meetings. And of course, for those interested, there are plenty of social activities outside of work as well.

What you bring to the table

In addition, you have:

• A completed PhD degree with expertise in a relevant field (such as mycorrhizal symbiosis or plant physiology).
• Meaningful experience working with mycorrhizal symbioses and isotopic pulse-trace experiments.
• The ability to design and set up experiments, either in the field or the lab.
• Experience in publishing and disseminating research findings via scientific publications, lectures, conference presentations, or teaching.
• Strong proficiency in English.

Become our new postdoctoral fellow

Upload your CV and motivation letter in one PDF (including the contact details of two referees) via the application button no later than October 28, 2025.

Want to know more about the position before you apply? Send an email to vincent.merckx@naturalis.nl.

For more information about the application procedure, you can send an email to our colleagues in the HR department via sollicitaties@naturalis.nl.

We are managing the recruitment for this vacancy ourselves; unsolicited acquisition is therefore not desired.