PhD, Master’s & Postdoc Opportunities in Freshwater Ecology in Belgium

Eawag’s Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to investigate fish migration and life history variation in anadromous Arctic charr. The project examines how glacial inputs shape fjord environments and how these environmental differences influence the ecology, movement patterns, foraging, phenotypic divergence, and local distinctiveness of Arctic charr populations. The research will compare populations using glacial-fed and tundra streams, fjords influenced ...

This postdoctoral project at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) focuses on how nitrogen moves through ecological systems and how stable-isotope tracing can be used to resolve the processes controlling nitrogen transformation, transfer, retention and loss. The researcher will develop and apply 15N-based approaches together with Orbitrap isotopologue and isotopomer analyses to build mechanistic understanding of nitrogen cycling across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The work is i...

Uppsala University is inviting applications for a full-time PhD student position in Limnology, based in the Department of Ecology and Genetics within the Limnology program in Uppsala, Sweden. The project focuses on modelling phytoplankton succession in lakes and understanding how lake communities respond to climate warming, eutrophication, extreme weather events, and other environmental changes. The doctoral researcher will use process-based biogeochemical and dynamical models, data handling, st...

The Olden Lab in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Canada, is recruiting fully funded MSc and PhD students in freshwater science. Research areas include sustainable water management, climate adaptation, environmental DNA (eDNA), freshwater conservation, ecology, fieldwork, data analysis, and collaborative research. Funding includes CAD $40,000 per year for PhD students for four years and CAD $20,000 per year for MSc students for two years, ...

Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, offers a six-month master’s thesis in microbial ecology at its Kastanienbaum site near Lucerne, Switzerland. The project investigates bacterial and archaeal diversity in Swiss lakes as part of the Swiss National Assessment of Lake Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (SNALBES). The successful student will use approximately 100 lake samples to study microbial community diversity and composition through 16S rRNA gene amplicon seq...

Fully funded postdoctoral opportunity in paleoecology and freshwater ecosystems at McGill University, Canada, in the Irene Gregory-Eaves Lab. The project investigates long-term freshwater community and ecosystem dynamics using lake sediment DNA (sedDNA). The research is suited to candidates interested in paleoecology, freshwater ecology, environmental science, sedimentary DNA, metagenomics, and ecosystem change over time. Applicants should hold a PhD in a relevant field, have a maximum of three ...

PhD Student Position in Environmental Hydrology and Hydroecology The Chattopadhyay Hydroecology Lab at Texas State University is recruiting a PhD student in environmental hydrology to begin in August 2027. The research will combine ecohydrologic modelling and fieldwork in the Texas Hill Country to investigate how floods, droughts, stream drying, climate change, land use, and water demand are reshaping Texas rivers and aquatic ecosystems. Potential research directions include identifying when and...

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is offering a full-time, four-year PhD position in Biology , specializing in aquatic ecology , at the Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua). The position is based in Drottningholm, Stockholm, Sweden, with fieldwork mainly in the Kävlingeån river in southern Sweden and at trap-and-transport fishing sites. The doctoral project focuses on conservation and management methods for critically endangered anguillid eels. It will investigate how t...

The University of Duisburg-Essen is hiring a PhD researcher in Aquatic Ecology for a three-year project based in Essen, Germany, starting 1 January 2027. The position is a 65% employment role paid at the TV-L E13 level, with an application deadline of 26 November 2026. The doctoral research will investigate how river restoration benefits biodiversity and whether the active introduction of organisms can support ecological recovery. The project is located in the River Hase catchment in north-weste...