SD-25093 – PHD IN BIOGEOCHEMISTRY

The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) active in the fields of materials, environment and IT. By transforming scientific knowledge into technologies, smart data and tools, LIST empowers citizens in their choices, public authorities in their decisions and businesses in their strategies.

Do you want to know more about LIST? Check our website: https://www.list.lu/

Your LIST benefits

• An organization with a passion for impact and strong RDI partnerships in Luxembourg and Europe that works on responsible and independent research projects.
• Sustainable by design, empowering our belief that we play an essential role in paving the way to a green society.
• Innovative infrastructures and exceptional labs occupying more than 5,000 square metres, including innovations in all that we do.
• An environment encouraging curiosity, innovation and entrepreneurship in all areas.
• Personalized learning programme to foster our staff’s soft and technical skills.
• Multicultural and international work environment with more than 50 nationalities represented in our workforce.
• Diverse and inclusive work environment empowering our people to fulfil their personal and professional ambitions.
• Female-friendly environment with multiple actions to attract, develop and retain women in science.
• 32 days’ paid annual leave, 11 public holidays, 13-month salary, statutory health insurance.
• Flexible working hours, home working policy and access to lunch vouchers.

Temporary contract | up to 48 months (first initial 14 months contract) | Belvaux Are you passionate about research? So are we! Come and join us

To address the urgent societal need for science-based management recommendations for forests under increasing pressure, and to leverage on the fast-developing expertise in multi-disciplinary forest research in Luxembourg, LIST, in collaboration with the University of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, has formed a dedicated doctoral training unit (DTU) on “Forest function under stress” (FORFUS). It consists of 4 inter-linked research clusters, focusing on below-ground processes, tree and canopy processes, remote sensing observations, and prediction and valuation of forest functions, providing a holistic view on forests as complex systems. See the project website to find out more about the FORFUS doctoral training unit here.

How will you contribute?

Forest ecosystems are subject of unprecedent economic, environmental and societal challenges and are affected by nutritional, silvicultural and/or climatic pressures. In this context, their sustainability needs to be reevaluated and the evolution of stand nutrition in relation to those pressures is a concern for future forest management. This requires more appropriate approaches to assess and predict the sustainable production potential of forest ecosystems and their responses to the experienced pressures. The major challenge of this FORFUS sub-project is to better understand the biogeochemical functioning of forest ecosystems with low mineral fertility, in order to better predict their evolution under multiple constraints. The main objective of this FORFUS sub-project is to assess the interaction between the water storage seasonality and the spatio-temporal variability of the nutrient pool mobilities from the litter to the deeper regolith layers. The main research question relates to the connectivity/synchronicity of the chemical and isotopic dynamics that happen below the ground and inside the trees and which is certainly controlled by water accessibility to tree and driven by drought frequency and intensity.

An innovative approach combining quantitative and qualitative developments will study the exchange of Rare Earth Elements (REE) and some related radiogenic isotopes (143Nd/144Nd, 206Pb/207Pb, 87Sr/86Sr) to constrain for the first time the REE cycle in the regolith-tree-atmosphere continuum during two vegetative periods. These trace elements are recognized as environmental tracers for the study of the interactions between compartments of the critical zone but also for the identification of sources of elements within natural ecosystems. They have recently demonstrated their added value in understanding the nutritional interactions between the biotic and abiotic compartments of forest ecosystems. The PhD candidate will study at diverse temporal scales the seasonal evolution of the water chemical and isotopic composition in the groundwater-throughfall continuum. He/She will elaborate a research project on the quantification of REE exchanges in between the compartments of an experimental forest that is recognized as a long-term critical zone observatory in Luxembourg (https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14140). This PhD project will apply the Nutsfor model to REE to estimate the trace element budget at plot scales of different tree species and contribute to a more precise understanding of REE dynamics within the critical zone. The student will rely on all facilities available in the Weierbach Experimental Catchment including long-term hydrological and geochemical databases (2000-2024) and high frequency monitoring of ecohydrological parameters. Moreover, she/he could beneficiate from a large set of laboratory equipment, including state-of-the-art analytical equipment for water isotopes (Laser Spec, IRMS) and major and trace element concentrations (ICPMS).

The PhD candidate will be part of the Catchment and ecohydrology group of the Environmental SensIng and Modelling research unit and will work in close collaboration with the INRAE group in Biogeochemistry of Forest Ecosystem (BEF/INRAE) located in Nancy, France.

Is Your profile described below? Are you our future colleague? Apply now!

Education

• MSc degree in environmental sciences or a related discipline.

Experience and skills

• Good knowledge on geochemistry and/or hydrological functioning within the critical zone.
• High motivation for field work is mandatory.
• Good knowledge on trace elements, like Rare Earth Elements, in the environment is an asset.
• Experience with 1D-hydrological modelling is an asset but not required.
• Experience with Python/R script writing is an asset but not required.
• High motivation and communication skills within an international multi- to interdisciplinary research environment.
• Class B driving license.

Language skills

• Good level both written and spoken English.
• French speaking is an asset but not mandatory.