PhD Position: Thermal Ecology, Ecophysiology or Invasion Biology (two openings)

1. Introduction

Do you have a recent MSc degree in the field of thermal ecology, animal ecophysiology, invasion biology, or a related field, and do you want to make a difference, boosting your academic career? If so, help us study how warming will affect marine life in Antarctica as part of a project entitled ’How will the unique aquatic ectotherm communities in Antarctica cope with warming and bioinvasions?’ financed by the NWO Netherlands Polar Programme.

2. Job description

The aim of the project is to predict effects of the dual threats of climatic warming and the invasion of non-native species on Antarctica's distinctive marine biodiversity, which includes many endemic species. The project is a collaboration involving leaders in the field of polar marine ecology, thermal ecophysiology and theoretical ecology from Radboud University (RU), the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC). Your efforts will both benefit fundamental research and inform management to prevent bioinvasions.

You and the other PhD candidate will be expected to collaborate closely, focusing on the same set of molluscan and crustacean species, but working on different aspects: PhD 1 will quantify thermal tolerance and metabolism, while PhD 2 will measure growth and competitive interactions. Your work will involve field and laboratory studies in remote locations (Southern Chile, Antarctica) as well as lab work in the Netherlands and Cambridge. Furthermore, you will analyse the data, publish the outcomes as lead author in scientific journals and present the main findings at international conferences.

Your teaching load may be up to 10% of your working time.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate. 

3. Profile

• You hold a recent MSc in thermal ecology, ecophysiology, invasion biology or another relevant field.
• You have an affinity with setting up and performing experiments.
• You are resilient, not easily thrown off course, able to work independently and have a natural focus on finding solutions.
• You are comfortable to work abroad in small communities for extended periods.
• You have a good command of spoken and written English at C1 level.
• You like collaborating with other people in a cross-disciplinary setting.

4. We are

You will be based at the Department of Ecology of the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES) within the Faculty of Science of Radboud University (RU), but will work for extended periods abroad in Chile (PUC), Antarctica and the UK (BAS). You will receive training and supervision from different experts, including Dr Wilco Verberk (RU), Prof. Lloyd Peck (BAS) and Dr Enrico Rezende (PUC).

The mission of the Department of Ecology is to preserve and pursue ecosystem health. Our department unites aquatic and terrestrial ecologists focusing on plants, animals, microorganisms and their interactions in a changing world. We aim to unravel the causes and consequences of biodiversity change, including global warming. Our department currently consists of around 50 people, including 20 PhDs and 10 PDs, offering an open, inclusive and supportive work environment (with regular social activities).

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).     
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,881 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• We offer Dual Career Coaching. The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. 
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Wilco Verberk. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application. We look forward to receiving your application.

The first interviews will take place on Thursday 23 October. You will preferably start your employment on 1 December 2025.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.