The global biological carbon pump mediates the cycling and storage of carbon in our ocean and helps to regulate Earth’s climate. Arctic waters are undergoing record changes in temperature, sea-ice cover, and acidification. However, our understanding of climate-change impacts on the size of the Arctic carbon pump and speed of flows remains incomplete, due to the limited capacity to analyse existing data and absence of carbon flux measurements at the seafloor.

Therefore, the main aim in C-CONNECT is to perform plumbing to the Arctic biological carbon pump by connecting important missing parts, e.g., shelled zooplankton and benthic faunal communities to the carbon cycle! C-CONNECT will improve the ability to project how future Arctic carbon cycling evolves under continued climate change and will provide essential information on Arctic ecosystem services to aid (policy and management) decision making.

In this PhD project, you will combine fieldwork, laboratory work and data analysis: On the basis of a unique 26 years time-series of environmental, sediment and megafaunal benthic community data from AWI's "Hausgarten" Observatory in Fram Strait connecting to the Arctic, you will combine empirical findings with new and unique benthic field experiments on carbon uptake and metabolism, involving state-of-the-art sample analyses in the laboratory. You will present the results of your work in scientific publications forming the basis of your PhD-thesis, at international conferences and in the media. 

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Prepare, organize, and participate in multi-week fieldwork expeditions;
• Collect, preserve and analyze field samples;
• Analyze large data sets;
• Publish and present the results in scientific publications and at conferences, synthesize your findings in a PhD thesis;
• Participate in the supervision of Bachelor and Master students and in our educational programs.

You have a strong passion for the ocean, especially the deep-sea. You are open-minded and (hopefully) not going to be sea-sick… You are a team-player and when it gets busy, you keep it cool!

Your experience and profile:

• You have a Master degree in ecology, biology, or biogeochemistry and preferably water-science related;
• You have experience in both fieldwork and lab;
• You have good scientific skills, such as data analysis, statistics and writing;
• You are a team player;
• You speak and write fluently in English. 

A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students. The starting date is as soon as possible in early 2027, preferably January 1st.

For this position the University Job Classification profile “Promovendus” (PhD candidate) applies. Your salary will be €3,204 gross per month in the first year and will increase to €4,051 in the final year, based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week. In addition, you will receive a 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end allowance.  

The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• a complete educational program for PhD students;
• multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
• multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• partly paid parental leave;
• the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• help with registration at UvA- Housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad. 

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.