Postdoctoral researcher Carbon dynamics of coastal wetland ecosystems

Department: Department of Biology
Regime Full-time

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The ECOSPHERE research group, which is part of the Centre of Excellence on Global Change Ecology of the University of Antwerp, is looking for a full-time (100%) postdoctoral researcher in the field of Carbon dynamics of coastal wetland ecosystems

Position

• You will contribute to research projects on ecosystem functioning, more specifically, on nature-based climate mitigation through regulation of greenhouse gas fluxes by natural and created coastal wetland ecosystems.
• You will work on the WETCOAST project assessing the blue carbon sequestration functionality of newly created tidal marshes and mangroves. The VLAIO funded WETCOAST project is executed by a consortium of researchers of the University of Antwerp, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL). You will work within an internationally oriented, multidisciplinary team of environmental scientists, within the Centre of Excellence on Global Change Ecology of the University of Antwerp (https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/research-groups/global-change-ecology/ ). You will be guided by prof. Ivan Janssens (expert in greenhouse gas fluxes) and prof. Stijn Temmerman (coastal wetland expert), in close collaboration with project partners from VUB (Prof. dr. Tom Van Der Stocken) and KUL (Prof. dr. Christian Schwarz, Prof. dr. Steven Bouillon) and several other experienced researchers in the project team.
• The key objective of your research is to advance scientific understanding of the greenhouse gas fluxes (focussing on CO2  and CH4 , perhaps to a lesser extent N2 O) between blue carbon ecosystems (coastal wetlands incl. tidal marshes and mangrove forests) and the atmosphere. Established coastal wetlands are considered the most efficient ecosystems on Earth in terms of carbon sequestration per surface area, but a key question is how efficient this is in projects where new marshes and mangroves are created (in places where they have been previously lost by human land use change). More specifically, you will be part of a team installing and running a new eddy covariance flux tower in a large, newly created tidal wetland (in the Schelde estuary, Belgium), and you will be the main scientist analysing the flux data. You will be part of a larger team looking into the full carbon balance of the newly created coastal wetlands, including the quantification of carbon sequestration in the wetland soils and vegetation through advanced field, lab and drone techniques, and the quantification of water fluxes of various forms of carbon via surface and subsurface water flows. As such you will advance major understanding of interactions between new wetland development, carbon dynamics and greenhouse gas fluxes, over tidal, seasonal to multi-annual time scales.
• You will communicate results at international conferences and you will publish your results in high-level scientific journals.
• You will work in a team, interacting among others with professors, field and lab technicians, PhD students and post-doc researchers working on carbon dynamics and other ecological processes in coastal, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
• You will help coordinate project proposals in the field of wetland ecology and contribute to attracting external funding.
• You will assist in the supervision of PhD and Master students and other team members working within the field of wetland ecology.
• You may contribute to a limited number of teaching activities, for instance on courses on Estuarine & Coastal Systems.

Profile

• We are looking for a highly-motivated candidate holding a PhD degree in Biology, Ecology, Geograpgy, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences or Engineering, or related disciplines (or you will have obtained it by the time you start the position).
• You have advanced experience on ecosystem carbon dynamics and greenhouse gas fluxes, and preferentially have worked before with data resulting from eddy covariance flux towers.
• You can demonstrate your experience as an advanced academic researcher by high-level scientific publications that are relevant for this profile.
• Candidates should be capable of planning and organizing their own work independently, to organize and carry out field experiments, and meet deadlines imposed by the project.
• The candidate should be open and communicative, and keen on interacting with both end-users and interdisciplinary project partners.
• The candidate should be inspired by frontier-applied research, where fundamental knowledge is developed, in order to provide a knowledge base for end users.
• Excellent communication skills and an open collaborative attitude are essential for the success of the project.
• Good English oral and writing skills are demanded, as the candidate is expected to publish the findings in scientific journals and effectively communicate results to end-users.
• Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies .
• Your teaching competences are in line with the University of Antwerp’s educational vision .
• You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.

What we offer

• We offer a full-time contract as a postdoctoral researcher for a period of one year, which after positive evaluation, will be extended to a total period of at least 3 years.
• Your gross monthly salary is calculated according to the pay scale  for a principal research fellow in the Contract Research Staff category (Dutch: Bijzonder Academisch Personeel, BAP).
• You will receive ecocheques, Internet-connectivity allowance, a group insurance, an income protection insurance, and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
• The planned start date is the 1st  of May 2024.
• You will do most of your work at the Campus Drie Eiken in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here .

Want to apply?

• You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including February 29 (by midnight Brussels time). Click on 'apply', complete the online application form and don’t forget to include the following document(s): (1) a motivation letter, (2) your academic CV and (3) and contact information of max. 2 reference persons.
• The selection committee will review all of the applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision has been made, we will inform you about the next steps in the selection procedure.
• If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions  or send an email to [email protected] . If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact prof. Stijn Temmerman ([email protected] ).

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award  for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity  and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.