Postdoc in Ecosystem Size Spectra Analysis and Environmental Science Radboud University in Netherlands

Radboud University is advertising a Postdoc Position: Ecosystem Size Spectra Analysis within the ERC Advanced Grant project The Power of Size.

The project sits in Environmental Science, Ecology, and Biology, with a strong quantitative component in Statistics and theoretical modelling. The successful candidate will investigate how environmental stressors affect ecosystems in relation to organism and community size, and will help derive and compare statistical and mechanistic scaling relationships. The work is part of Task 3.1, focused on linking species richness, trophic level productivity, and community biomass to size spectra under stress.

You will collect and synthesize data from databases, reviews, articles, and reports; develop equations describing ecosystem structure and functioning; and test the framework on empirical data collected in the project. The role is theory- and data-driven and has both fundamental research and regulatory relevance, including risk assessment for many substances, species, and sites worldwide.

The postdoc will work in the WP3 team with Prof. Jan Hendriks, Dr Wilco Verberk, and Dr Aafke Schipper, and collaborate with PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers across the project. The position also includes opportunities to attend courses at the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science Graduate School, supervise students, and assist in BSc/MSc teaching for up to 10% of working time.

Eligibility highlights: a PhD in ecology, environmental science, or a related field; experience with systematic data collection and statistical analysis; ability to express complex systems with simple equations; and C1-level English. The contract is for 1 year initially, with a prospect of extension to 2 years at 1.0 FTE or 33 months at 0.8 FTE.

Funding: gross monthly salary €3,546–€5,538 (scale 10), plus holiday allowance, end-of-year bonus, leave, pension, flexible work options, and development support.

Application deadline: 28 June 2026. Apply through the university vacancy page and address the application letter to Prof. Jan Hendriks.