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source

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences

PhD Position in Phytoplankton Trait Diversity and Ecosystem Modelling Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Netherlands

Degree Level

PhD

Field of study

Computer Science

Funding

Full funding available

Deadline

Sep 20, 2026

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Country

Netherlands

University

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences

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Keywords

Computer Science
Environmental Science
Biology
Earth Science
Freshwater Ecology
Global Change
Ecological Modeling
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About this position

PhD position in phytoplankton trait diversity, lake ecosystem modelling, and global change ecology at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in the Netherlands.

The project is part of the SNF-Lead Agency funded BILMo (Biodiversity Inspired Lake Modelling) project, which aims to improve mechanistic lake models by incorporating biodiversity and community composition responses to warming and changing resource availability (light, nitrogen, phosphorus). The successful candidate will work on integrating phytoplankton resource acquisition trait diversity into the mechanistic ecosystem model PCLake+ and assessing consequences for ecosystem structure and functioning.

Research activities include sensitivity analysis in PCLake+, traditional and emergent community modelling approaches, meta-analyses to determine trait parameter space, and scenario analyses tailored to Swiss lakes. The work involves field observations, laboratory experiments, and mechanistic modelling, with close collaboration with other PhD candidates and postdocs in the project.

Supervision is provided by Dedmer van de Waal (NIOO-KNAW) and Mandy Velthuis (Wageningen University). The broader team also includes researchers from EAWAG and the University of Rhode Island.

Eligibility highlights: MSc in environmental sciences, computational ecology, quantitative biology, or a related field; interest or experience in ecosystem modelling, ecological forecasting, phytoplankton ecophysiology, or trait-based ecology; strong programming and data-handling skills; and professional English writing ability.

Funding: full-time PhD appointment for four years with a gross monthly salary of €3,204–€4,051 plus benefits.

Deadline: 20 September 2026 at 21:59 UTC. Apply via Academic Transfer with a cover letter, CV, and 1–3 referees.

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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