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Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL

PhD in Fire Impacts on Terrestrial Carbon Cycling Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL in Switzerland

Degree Level

PhD

Field of study

Geology

Funding

Full funding available

Deadline

Sep 21, 2026

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Country

Switzerland

University

Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL

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Keywords

Geology
Chemistry
Environmental Science
Biology
Soil Science
Earth Science
Geochemistry

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About this position

PhD position in fire impacts on terrestrial carbon cycling at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL (ETH Domain), with enrollment as a PhD student at ETH Zurich.

The project is part of the recently funded SNSF FIRE project, which studies how wildfires affect carbon cycling, transit times, and carbon sources across the critical zone from soil to groundwater and laterally. The work is interdisciplinary and includes collaborators in Switzerland and the USA.

Research activities include fieldwork in remote cave locations in the USA affected by fire, geochemical analysis of fluid, gaseous, and solid samples, and especially radiocarbon analysis. The project also connects with related work on chemical transformation, subsurface transport of organic compounds, microbial community responses, and long-term fire impacts recorded in cave mineral deposits.

Applicants should hold a Master's degree in environmental or earth sciences, soil science, or a related field. Strong communication, self-motivation, quantitative skills, field research aptitude, and good English are expected. Coding and R experience are an advantage. The role requires good physical condition and willingness to travel for extended research visits to partner institutions in the USA.

The workplace is in Birmensdorf, Switzerland. Applications must be submitted via the WSL webpage; email applications are not accepted. Review of applications begins on 2026-09-21.

Funding details

Full funding including tuition fees and living expenses is available for this position. The scholarship covers all educational costs and provides a monthly stipend.

How to apply

Please submit your application including a cover letter, CV, academic transcripts, and contact information for two references. Applications should be sent via the online portal before the deadline.

More information can be found here

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