Doctoral Candidate (PhD) in Theoretical Community Ecology University of Namur in Belgium

The University of Namur is recruiting a doctoral candidate (PhD) for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network ReDiLEEP, based in Namur, Belgium. The project sits at the interface of biology, mathematics, and physics, and focuses on theoretical community ecology and response diversity in changing environments.

Research Project DC6 aims to build a general theoretical framework explaining how response diversity influences species coexistence and ecosystem stability under environmental change. You will develop and analyse mathematical models of ecological communities, using analytical and computational tools to study how climate change, pollution, nutrient enrichment, and biomass extraction alter demographic rates, species interactions, and community dynamics. The work combines mathematical ecology, dynamical systems theory, model simulations, and comparison with ecological data and scientific literature.

The successful candidate will contribute to the ReDiLEEP network, an interdisciplinary MSCA Doctoral Network bringing together universities, research institutes, and non-academic partners. The project includes collaboration with experimental and theoretical researchers, and the theory developed here will generate quantitative predictions that can be tested by other doctoral candidates in the network. Planned secondments include two months at the University of Swansea and one month at Monash University.

Training within ReDiLEEP covers response diversity methods, data management, reproducible code, R/Tidyverse, machine learning and AI for ecologists, visualisation, evidence-based policymaking, science-policy communication, and policy brief writing. The appointment is full-time for 48 months, with gross salary in line with Marie Curie Fellowship regulations and employment conditions governed by MSCA Doctoral Networks and the University of Namur.

Eligibility highlights include a master's degree in applied mathematics, physics, complex systems, or a related field; strong quantitative and programming skills in R, Python, or Julia; excellent English; and interest in ecological theory and biodiversity. MSCA mobility rules apply: applicants must not have lived or mainly worked/studied in Belgium for more than 12 months in the 36 months before recruitment, must not already hold a PhD, and must be eligible for doctoral enrolment at the University of Namur.

Applications must be submitted in English as a single PDF by 15 September 2026 to [email protected]. Include a cover letter, CV, copies of degree certificates and transcripts, a short statement confirming MSCA mobility-rule eligibility, and contact details for two referees. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed in English, with the current timeline indicating eligibility screening in late September 2026, scientific evaluation in early October 2026, interviews in mid-October 2026, and final selection by 22 October 2026.