Careers

PhD Position on How Vegetation Influences Soil Microbial Processes and Carbon Cycling Across Scales. University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands (deadline 18th October 2026)

How does vegetation protect soil microorganisms from climate extremes, and what does this mean for ecosystem carbon cycling? Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts and heat waves, impacting ecosystem carbon storage worldwide. Join the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) in this interdisciplinary project to uncover how vegetation traits and structure shape below-ground microclimates, which in turn regulate soil microbial processes and influence ecosystem carbon cycling across.

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts, with profound consequences for ecosystem carbon cycling. While drought effects on aboveground vegetation have been studied extensively, our understanding of how vegetation structure and functional traits influence belowground microbial processes and carbon stocks remains limited. Soils store more carbon than the atmosphere and vegetation combined, so even small changes belowground can have major implications for carbon storage and climate feedbacks.

Vegetation strongly modifies the microclimate experienced by soils. By reducing radiation and evaporative demand from the soil surface, plants moderate extremes in soil temperature and moisture while simultaneously altering carbon allocation belowground. These changes can influence microbial activity, community composition and carbon cycling, potentially buffering ecosystems against drought and heat waves. However, the magnitude of these effects, the mechanisms involved, and their consequences across ecosystem components remain poorly understood. The combined observation of soil processes with plant functional traits and structure of vegetation captured by remote sensing (e.g. LiDAR, multi- and hyper-spectral imagery) in experiments and at contrasting field-sites provide us insights on how soil microbial composition and diversity responds to a shift of vegetation types, climate, and land cover.

In this PhD project, you will investigate how vegetation traits and structure regulate below-ground microclimate and microbial carbon cycling across spatial scales. You will combine controlled experiments, field observations, remote sensing data, ecosystem flux measurements and process-based modelling to identify the mechanisms linking vegetation, soil microorganisms and ecosystem carbon cycling. The project spans laboratory, field and ecosystem scales and combines measurements ranging from microbial processes to ecosystem carbon fluxes.

You will be jointly supervised by Dr. Yifang Shi, Dr. Albert C. Brangarí, Dr. Emiel van Loon, and Prof. Franciska de Vries, whose complementary expertise in vegetation structure and functional traits, ecosystem carbon cycling, soil microbial ecology, remote sensing and process-based modelling provides a unique interdisciplinary training environment. The project will also include a postdoctoral researcher. As part of this team, you will collaborate with national and international partners, including the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS), and become part of a vibrant research environment.

As a PhD candidate, you will develop an interdisciplinary research programme together with a postdoc researcher, combining experiments, field observations and modelling to understand how vegetation regulates soil microbial responses to drought and heat, and the implications for carbon.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• performing laboratory experiments and field campaigns at the ICOS ecosystem station Loobos and other sites;
• quantifying soil microclimate, microbial activity, community composition and carbon cycling;
• assessing vegetation structure and functional traits using remote sensing techniques (e.g. multi- and hyper-spectral imagery, LiDAR);
• analyzing chamber and eddy covariance measurements;
• applying process-based models to integrate observations across biological and spatial scales;
• publishing your findings in international peer-reviewed journals;
• presenting your research at national and international conferences;
• contributing to teaching and supervising Bachelor's and Master’s students.
   

We are looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious candidate with a strong interest in vegetation structure and functioning, soil microbial ecology and ecosystem carbon cycling, and an interest in the challenge of combining experiments, remote sensing and modelling to answer fundamental ecological questions.

Your experience and profile:

• an MSc degree in the Natural Sciences (e.g. Earth Science, Biology, Ecology, Physics) or Engineering;
• experience with modelling, quantitative data analysis and programming;
• strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• excellent written and spoken English;
• the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research team.

Additional qualifications that would be an advantage include experience with:

• remote sensing data analysis (e.g. multi- and hyper-spectral imagery, LiDAR);
• process-based carbon modelling;plant functional traits;
• eddy-covariance and other carbon flux measurements;
• soil microbial ecology and biogeochemistry.

Deadline for applications is 18th October 2026.

Read more and apply here.
 

Head of Climate and Agriculture Research Group, Agroscope, Zurich, Switzerland (starting date 1st January 2027)

We're hiring a new Head of the Climate and Agriculture Research Group at Agroscope - Agroecology and Environment Research Division:

We are looking for someone to lead one of our six research groups in our division, and we’d like to tell you a bit about who we are.

In the Agroecology and Environment Division, we care deeply about the environment. That's why we come to work. But caring isn't enough, so we focus on solutions. We want our research to change how agriculture works in practice: fewer emissions, enhanced biodiversity, more resilient farms, healthier soils.

We're also ambitious. We compete for the best funding, the best ideas and the best people. At the same time, we know we don't have all the answers. Some of our best work happens when we learn from ecologists, economists, modellers, farmers and policymakers. And whatever we do, one question guides us: what gives society the most benefit?

The Climate and Agriculture group works on how agriculture can cut greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture, how carbon sinks can help, and how crop and livestock production can adapt to a changing climate. The group is also responsible for the Swiss Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Inventory, so your work will feed directly into national climate reporting and policy.

As head of the group, you will:
- Lead the group and shape its research on climate mitigation and adaptation, especially the role of soils as a greenhouse gas source and sink
- Coordinate a research call within the Agroscope work programme
- Bring science to practice and policy: federal authorities, committees, and national and international stages
- Mentor early-career researchers and help them grow

What you should bring:
- A PhD in climate science, ecology, environmental systems science, agricultural science or a related field
- > 5 years of experience in the field, including leadership
- A proven record of winning competitive funding
- Systems thinking across disciplines and real enthusiasm for strategic research planning
- A drive for results, creativity, and a love of teamwork
- English and at least one Swiss national language, preferably two

Read more and apply here