PhD scholarship within Environmental Soil Physics

24th April 2024
Languages
English

• English

English
Would you like to be at the forefront of exploring climate-land use-soil interactions?
PhD scholarship within Environmental Soil Physics
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About the position

The Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA) at Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has a vacant 3-year position as PhD research fellow in Environmental Soil Physics.

It is growingly recognized that many important soil properties are influenced by the changing climate and the change of land use in a relatively short time. For example, there are ongoing changes in precipitation patterns and the frequency of freeze-thaw cycles that are both known to have a role in soil formation. However, it is not clear yet how quickly the soil may respond to climatic or land use changes and what are the main environmental factors driving changes in soil physical properties, such as e.g. soil structure and the soil’s capacity to conduct or retain water.

Our Faculty is involved in developing knowledge in this subject via domestic and international collaborative projects, using experimental data collection, statistical learning and numerical modeling.

The overall aim is to establish at what timescale the soil goes through significant changes in physical soil properties and determine what their most influential climatic and land-use drivers are. The announced PhD position will contribute to these studies across several ongoing projects.

The application for a PhD position at MINA is also an application for admission to the MINA PhD programme. Documentation that ensures that the admission requirements are met must be uploaded as an attachment to your application, as described below.

The PhD project is funded by NMBU.

Main tasks

• Collection of soil physical and vegetation, topography and climate related environmental data from fields under different land-uses (forest, grassland, agricultural field)
• Conducting soil column experiments in a greenhouse setting
• Descriptive and predictive exploration of the data set by statistical analyses and machine-learning
• Discussion, write-up (thesis, scientific articles) and dissemination of findings.

The successful candidate is expected to have a PhD education plan approved by MINA during the first months of the appointment and to complete a PhD within the PhD scholarship period.

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Competence

The successful applicant must meet the conditions defined for admission to the programme . The applicant must have an academically relevant education corresponding to a five-year Norwegian degree program. The applicant must have a documented strong academic background from previous studies and be able to document proficiency in both written and oral English. For more detailed information on the admission criteria please see the PhD Regulations and the relevant programme description .

The applicant must document expertise and interest in the research subject.

Required Academic qualifications:

• Master  degree within a relevant field, such as environmental sciences, forest science, soil science or similar.
• Fundamental knowledge in soil science and soil physics

The following experiences and skills will be emphasized:

• Experience with field- and laboratory work and data collection
• Strong skills in applied statistics, with documented experience
• Strong programming skills and experience in machine-learning
• Experience with GIS systems

You need to have:

• Strong scientific capacity and analytical skills
• Good social and collaboration skills but also good ability to work independently
• Proficiency in oral and written English
• Fluency in a Scandinavian language (preferably Norwegian)
• Strong motivation for the PhD education and for the research project Creativity and ability to find solutions to practical problems

Personal suitability will be given weight.

Remuneration and further information

The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1017 PhD research fellow PhD research fellows are normally placed in pay grade 54 (NOK 532.200) on the Norwegian Government salary scale upon employment and follow ordinary meriting regulations.

Employment is conducted according to national guidelines for University and Technical College PhD scholars.

For further information, please contact Professor Attila Nemes

E-mail: [email protected]; phone +47 92010865

Information for PhD applicants  and general Information to applicants

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Application

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply for this job' button above. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Application deadline: 24.04.2024

Your CV must also be entered in JobbNorge's CV form and not only included as an attachment. This is to be able to comply with the regulations of §15 of the Public Administration Act.

In the application, the candidate must confirm that information and documentation (in the form of attachments) submitted via the job application can also be used by NMBU in a possible admission process.

Applicants invited for an interview are expected to present original diplomas and certificates.

The following documents must be attached to the application:

• Motivation letter (maximum 1 page)
• Complete CV
• Certified copies of academic diplomas and certificates. (i.e. Diploma, transcript. Diploma supplement for both bachelor and master). Diplomas, transcripts and diploma supplements that are not in Norwegian or English must be uploaded in the original language. An English translation of these documents must also be attached.
• Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement, or a similar document, which describes in detail the study program and grading system.
• Documentation of proficiency in written and oral English in accordance with NMBU PhD regulation section 5-2 (3) . 
• Names and contact details for two references
• Additional relevant documentation of professional knowledge (for example, list of scientific works). If it is difficult to judge the applicant’s contribution for publications with multiple authors, a short description of the applicant’s contribution must be included.

About The Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management

The Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA) works with nature and the environment, sustainable use of natural resources, biological and geological processes.

MINA’s employees undertake teaching, research and dissemination within the fields of geology, hydrology and limnology, soil science, environmental chemistry, forestry, ecology, natural resource management, renewable energy, and nature-based tourism.

Our vision is to be a key actor in knowledge production and dissemination, and our goal is to deliver research of high, international quality, and varied and excellent teaching. The faculty’s employees are significant participants within their respective fields of expertise, both nationally and internationally. The faculty is dominated by a vital research culture and high levels of scientific production.

The faculty has about 200 employees, 90 PhD students and 650 students.

Read more about MINA here .

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The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)

NMBU will contribute to securing the future of life through outstanding research, education, communication and innovation. We have the country's most satisfied university students, who receive research-based education in a unique student environment. Our graduates gain a high level of competence in interdisciplinary collaboration and are popular in the labor market. NMBU has internationally leading research environments in several subjects. Together with our partners in society and business, we contribute to solving some of the biggest societal challenges of our time.

We focus on innovation, communication and entrepreneurship because we believe these challenges are best solved with joint efforts. We believe that a good working environment is characterized by diversity.If necessary, workplace adaptations will be made for persons with disabilities. More information about NMBU is available at www.nmbu.no/en

Apply for this job
Deadline

24th April 2024

Employer

Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)

Municipality

Ås

Scope

Fulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)

Duration

Fixed Term

Place of service
Universitetstunet 3, 1430 Ås

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