The Institute of Environmental Sciences (Faculty of Science at Leiden University) is looking for: 2 PhD candidateS Steering soil microbiomes for better crop quality: The holy grail to improve human health:
1 – PhD steering soil microbiomes for crop quality:
Project: Are you a motivated researcher who is excited to implement novel methods and work in an interdisciplinary consortium with experts in human health, governance and biology? Do you have a MSc degree in soil science, ecology, microbial ecology or a related field? And do you like variation in your activities with laboratory, field, and analytical work? Then this could be the ideal PhD position for you!
We are hiring two PhD students who will work on a project that is an interdisciplinary collaboration between several institutes within Leiden University, University of Groningen, NIOO-KNAW, LUMC, van Hall Larenstein and Maastricht University. The PhDs, one of which will be situated at the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) and the other one at the Institute of Biology (IBL), will work at the interface of soil microbiomes and soil ecology, plant health, and in collaboration with LUMC.
The major overarching goals of the project are to 1) identify ways to manage and steer soil biodiversity to create high quality crops with diverse microbiomes while sustaining soil health and fertility within the limits of environmental boundaries and 2) to decipher how crop quality and plant-associated microbiomes impact the human gut microbiome, gut health and human health. This will be achieved by working in the field, with farmers, growing crops experimentally and by analysing microbiomes and plant metabolomes in the lab.
The appointed student at the Institute of Environmental Sciences (this position) will focus on major questions related to soil and food production and will work in close collaboration with researchers at NIOO-KNAW. In this part of the project the relationship between agricultural practices and soil microbial diversity and function will be studied. The candidate will explore the possibilities to steer soil microbiomes to improve plant quality and the environmental and climate performance of agriculture. Further experiments on microbiome transfer between soils and plants will be performed to gain mechanistic understanding of the system.
For this PhD project knowledge on soil ecology and microbiomes and associated molecular methods is an advantage. The appointed student located at the Institute of Biology will focus on major questions related to plant quality, plant microbiomes and how they are affected by soil microbiomes and management. This PhD will also link to research on human health as the plants will be consumed by humans to understand how qualitative differences in vegetable crops affect human gut health and functioning (together with LUMC). Further, together with the other PhD they will focus on steering quality and crop taste.
For this PhD project knowledge on plant metabolomics (chemical profiling of plant metabolites), microbiome analysis and quality assessment is an advantage. Both PhDs will collaborate closely with each other and with other project partners. They will also gain skills and knowledge on all aspects of the larger project. Preferred starting date is December 1st 2023.
Selection criteria:
- a team player with a collaborative attitude and ability to work within a multidisciplinary team;
- a completed (or about to be completed) MSc degree in soil science, plant sciences, ecology, microbial ecology or a related field;
- hands-on experience in, or strong affinity with, at least two of following topics: field experiments, laboratory (manipulative) experiments, molecular laboratory analyses (including molecular analyses, 13C tracing techniques), plant quality analyses, (multivariate) statistical analyses;
- excellent English language proficiency;
- we value experience with scientific writing.
Terms of employment We offer a 1-year position with the possibility of extension to 4 years based on performance and following the pay scale P in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
Salary ranges from € 2.514.- gross per month in the first year to € 3.247 gross per month in the fourth year based on a full-time position. Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. For international spouses we have set up a dual career programme. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.
Diversity: Leiden University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups.
Coming from abroad: Leiden University is an international work place. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, known as the 30% ruling. Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family. Our Service center for international staff will help you on the way and make you feel welcome to Leiden.
Applications: To apply for the vacancy at Institute of Environmental Sciences Leiden. Please use the button below. Please ensure that you upload the following additional documents quoting the vacancy number: 13965. Note that we strongly recommend to apply to only one of the positions and we will consider strong candidates also for the other position.
To apply you have to upload a cover letter (max 1 page) outlining both your motivation and your suitability for the project, and your CV (max 2 pages) including names and contact details of two potential references. Please do not upload any other documents. This vacancy will be listed up to and including Sunday 3 September 2023. Interviews will be scheduled in end of September 2023.
For more information:
For more information about these position please contact Dr. Emilia Hannula s.e.hannula@cml.leidenuniv.nl (for PhD position at CML) and/or Prof. Martijn Bezemer t.m.bezemer@biology.leidenuniv.nl (for PhD position at IBL).
We are: Research at our faculty: Both institutes are positioned in the Faculty of Science which is a world-class faculty where staff and students work together in a dynamic international environment. It is a faculty where personal and academic development are top priorities. Our people are committed to expand fundamental knowledge by curiosity and to look beyond the borders of their own discipline; their aim is to benefit science, and to make a contribution to addressing the major societal challenges of the future.
The research carried out at the Faculty of Science is very diverse, ranging from mathematics, information science, astronomy, physics, chemistry and bio-pharmaceutical sciences to biology and environmental sciences. The research activities are organised in eight institutes. These institutes offer eight bachelor’s and twelve master’s programmes. The faculty has grown strongly in recent years and now has almost 2,800 staff and over 6,000 students. We are located at the heart of Leiden’s Bio Science Park, one of Europe’s biggest science parks, where university and business life come together.
Institute of Environmental Sciences, Department of Environmental Biology, Leiden University
The core focus of the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) is to perform research and education in the interdisciplinary field of Environmental Sciences. Our people are driven by curiosity to expand fundamental knowledge and to look beyond the borders of their own discipline; their aim is to benefit science, and to contribute to addressing the major societal challenges of the future.
CML focuses on the sustainable use of natural resources and preservation of natural capital and biodiversity. CML has a culture of mutual support and collaboration between researchers both within and between institutes. Presently, about 140 fte (including postdocs and PhDs) are employed at CML. The CML has facilities to work with soil, water, microbes, and plants including growth chambers, large field experiments and molecular labs.
Institute of Biology, Leiden University: The research within the Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL) aims to work on the science base of biodiversity and health, which is reflected in our leading principle Harnessing Biodiversity for Health. We perform innovative curiosity-driven research to answer fundamental questions, and solutions-driven research to help solving major societal challenges.
The latter include protecting nature’s biodiversity, creating sustainable biotechnology and agriculture and increasing good health. Our research focuses on four Research Themes: Bioactive Molecules, Host-Microbe Interactions, Development & Disease and Evolution & Biodiversity. IBL offers an exciting, internationally oriented and inclusive place to work and study.
2 – PhD Candidate Soil:
The Institute of Biology (Faculty of Science at Leiden University) is looking for: 1 PhD candidate: Note: this is an advertisement for one PhD student that will work at Institute of Biology in close collaborations with another PhD student advertised by Institute of Environmental Sciences. Students will be working together on a larger project on ‘Steering soil microbiomes for better crop quality: The holy grail to improve human health’;
Project: Are you a motivated researcher who is excited to implement novel methods and work in an interdisciplinary consortium with experts in human health, governance and biology? Do you have a MSc degree in plant sciences, ecology, microbial ecology or a related field? And do you like variation in your activities with laboratory, field, and analytical work? Then these could be the ideal PhD positions for you!
We are hiring two PhD students who will work on a project that is an interdisciplinary collaboration between several institutes within Leiden University, University of Groningen, NIOO-KNAW, LUMC, van Hall Larenstein and Maastricht University. The PhDs, one of which will be situated at the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) and the other one at the Institute of Biology (IBL), will work at the interface of soil microbiomes and soil ecology, plant health, and in collaboration with LUMC.
The major overarching goals of the project are to 1) identify ways to manage and steer soil biodiversity to create high quality crops with diverse microbiomes while sustaining soil health and fertility within the limits of environmental boundaries and 2) to decipher how crop quality and plant-associated microbiomes impact the human gut microbiome, gut health and human health. This will be achieved by working in the field, with farmers, growing crops experimentally and by analysing microbiomes and plant metabolomes in the lab.
The appointed student located at the Institute of Biology (this position) will focus on major questions related to plant quality, plant microbiomes and how they are affected by soil microbiomes and management. This PhD will also link to research on human health as the plants will be consumed by humans to understand how qualitative differences in vegetable crops affect human gut health and functioning (together with LUMC).
Further, together with the other PhD they will focus on steering quality and crop taste. For this PhD project knowledge on plant metabolomics (chemical profiling of plant metabolites), microbiome analysis and quality assessment is an advantage. The appointed student at the Institute of Environmental Sciences will focus on major questions related to soil and food production and will work in close collaboration with researchers at NIOO-KNAW.
In this part of the project the relationship between agricultural practices and soil microbial diversity and function will be studied. The candidate will explore the possibilities to steer soil microbiomes to improve plant quality and the environmental and climate performance of agriculture. Further experiments on microbiome transfer between soils and plants will be performed to gain mechanistic understanding of the system.
For this PhD project knowledge on soil ecology and microbiomes and associated molecular methods is an advantage. Both PhDs will collaborate closely with each other and with other project partners. They will also gain skills and knowledge on all aspects of the larger project. Preferred starting date is December 1st 2023.
Selection criteria:
- a team player with a collaborative attitude and ability to work within a multidisciplinary team;
- a completed (or about to be completed) MSc degree in soil science, plant sciences, ecology, microbial ecology or a related field;
- hands-on experience in, or strong affinity with, at least two of following topics: field experiments, laboratory (manipulative) experiments, molecular laboratory analyses (including molecular analyses, 13C tracing techniques), plant quality analyses, (multivariate) statistical analyses;
- excellent English language proficiency;
- we value experience with scientific writing.
Terms of employment:
We offer a 1-year position with the possibility of extension to 4 years based on performance and following the pay scale P in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. Salary ranges from € 2.514.- gross per month in the first year to € 3.247 gross per month in the fourth year based on a full-time position. Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave.
Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. For international spouses we have set up a dual career programme. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.
Diversity: Leiden University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups.
Coming from abroad: Leiden University is an international work place. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, known as the 30% ruling. Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family. Our Service center for international staff will help you on the way and make you feel welcome to Leiden.
Applications: Note that we strongly recommend to apply to only one of the positions and we will consider strong candidates also for the other position.
To apply you have to upload a cover letter (max 1 page) outlining both your motivation and your suitability for the project, and your CV (max 2 pages) including names and contact details of two potential references. Please do not upload any other documents. This vacancy will be listed up to and including Sunday 3 September 2023. Interviews will be scheduled in end of September 2023.
For more information:
For more information about these position please contact Dr. Emilia Hannula s.e.hannula@cml.leidenuniv.nl (for PhD position at CML) and/or Prof. Martijn Bezemer t.m.bezemer@biology.leidenuniv.nl (for PhD position at IBL).
We are; Research at our faculty: Both institutes are positioned in the Faculty of Science which is a world-class faculty where staff and students work together in a dynamic international environment. It is a faculty where personal and academic development are top priorities. Our people are committed to expand fundamental knowledge by curiosity and to look beyond the borders of their own discipline; their aim is to benefit science, and to make a contribution to addressing the major societal challenges of the future.
The research carried out at the Faculty of Science is very diverse, ranging from mathematics, information science, astronomy, physics, chemistry and bio-pharmaceutical sciences to biology and environmental sciences. The research activities are organised in eight institutes. These institutes offer eight bachelor’s and twelve master’s programmes. The faculty has grown strongly in recent years and now has almost 2,800 staff and over 6,000 students. We are located at the heart of Leiden’s Bio Science Park, one of Europe’s biggest science parks, where university and business life come together.
Institute of Biology, Leiden University: The research within the Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL) aims to work on the science base of biodiversity and health, which is reflected in our leading principle Harnessing Biodiversity for Health. We perform innovative curiosity-driven research to answer fundamental questions, and solutions-driven research to help solving major societal challenges.
The latter include protecting nature’s biodiversity, creating sustainable biotechnology and agriculture and increasing good health. Our research focuses on four Research Themes: Bioactive Molecules, Host-Microbe Interactions, Development & Disease and Evolution & Biodiversity. IBL offers an exciting, internationally oriented and inclusive place to work and study.
Institute of Environmental Sciences, Department of Environmental Biology, Leiden University: The core focus of the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) is to perform research and education in the interdisciplinary field of Environmental Sciences. Our people are driven by curiosity to expand fundamental knowledge and to look beyond the borders of their own discipline; their aim is to benefit science, and to contribute to addressing the major societal challenges of the future.
CML focuses on the sustainable use of natural resources and preservation of natural capital and biodiversity. CML has a culture of mutual support and collaboration between researchers both within and between institutes. Presently, about 140 fte (including postdocs and PhDs) are employed at CML. The CML has facilities to work with soil, water, microbes, and plants including growth chambers, large field experiments and molecular labs