Are you a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual with a strong background in terrestrial ecology and biodiversity? Do you want to collaborate in an interdisciplinary setting on cutting-edge research projects aimed at understanding and mitigating the impacts of global change on Dutch ecosystems? The University of Wageningen is recruiting for two PhD positions in Resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across landscapes!

Your job

Wageningen University’s “Sector Plan Biology” has been developed to perform fundamental biological research in the framework of evolutionary and ecological theory to connect the various levels of biological organization to understand the dynamics of biological variation. In Theme 5 – “Resilient and multifunctional landscapes”, we are looking for two PhD candidates working on resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across landscapes.

Focusing on landscapes around Wageningen, you will explore how landscape context and previous ecosystem conditions affect the resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem functions to wildfires or other highly relevant disturbances. Methodologically, you will apply experimental approaches and repeated field assessment to gain a mechanistic understanding of resilience at the plot level.

There are two PhD positions available in this project; PhD A will focus on biodiversity (plants and animals) and PhD B on ecosystem functions and services  (related to soils and vegetation) within the same study design. Both PhD candidates will conduct intensive fieldwork for at least two field seasons. Activities include the setup of a strong study design across various landscapes around Wageningen, data collection to quantify biodiversity and species interactions (position A), data collection to quantify ecosystem functions and services (position B), advanced statistical data analyses and modelling, and writing manuscripts.

Your supervisors
Daily supervision will be by Dr. Iris Hordijk (Forest Ecology and Management) and Dr. Dominic Martin (Wildlife Ecology and Conservation) for position A and by Dr. Amanda Taylor (PEN), Dr. Merel Hofmeijer (Farming Systems Ecology), and Dr. Luciana Chavez (Soil Biology) for position B.

Your qualities

You:

• are a team player;
• are Motivated to do ecological (field) studies;
• like to analyze complex data sets and is eager to reflect critically on research;
• are happy to constructively interact and collaborate with an interdisciplinary team, including local and international collaborators;
• look forward to publishing your findings in leading international academic journals and to communicating them to a wide audience;
• enjoy co-supervising MSc students who will be doing thesis research within the framework of the project.

You have:

• An MSc in ecology, environmental sciences or a related field;
• Experience with ecological field studies (e.g., soil sampling, vegetation plots, species inventories, ecosystem function measurement);
• Affinity (and ideally experience) with data analysis and visualization;
• Advanced knowledge in data analysis in R;
• Excellent English language skills both written and spoken (C1);
• Team-player skills;
• Good organizational and communication skills;
• A driver’s license;
• Fluency in Dutch (or willingness to learn Dutch through an intensive course) is a plus;
• Taxonomic knowledge of one or multiple groups (e.g., plants, bees, soil fauna) is a plus.

Application details

For more information and application details go to the vacancy page, where you can submit you application, including:

• A cover letter outlining motivation and suitability for the project. State preference for PhD position A or B (max. 2 pages).
• A CV, including relevant research experiences. The CV should include contact details for two relevant references (max. 2 pages).

Application deadline: Monday 12th of May 2025. The preferred starting date of the position is the 1st of September.