21 Mar 2026
Job Information
- Organisation/Company
KU LEUVEN- Department
Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen- Research Field
Agricultural sciences » Soil science- Researcher Profile
First Stage Researcher (R1)- Application Deadline
3 Apr 2026 - 23:59 (UTC)- Country
Belgium- Type of Contract
Temporary- Job Status
Full-time- Offer Starting Date
1 Aug 2026- Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?
Not funded by a EU programme- Reference Number
BAP-2026-205- Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?
No
Offer Description
The Congo River drains the World’s second largest river basin, and its role in the global carbon cycle has received increasing attention over the past 2 decades, in particular since the first quantification of the vast peatlands located in the Cuvette Centrale. Despite this, many aspects of the role of the river network in transporting and processing organic matter, and the role of the Cuvette Centrale in the overall C and greenhouse gas budget remain unresolved. This PhD project wil combined longer-term monitoring data and new sampling campaigns for field measurements and sample collection to improve our quantitative understanding of carbon fluxes in the Congo Basin. You will be responsible for managing the continuation of sample collection near Kisangani (in collaboration with a team from the Université de Kisangani), data interpretation and scientific publications based on a large dataset collected over the past decade by the host research group and partners, and initiate dedicated sampling campaigns to address gaps in current knowledge.
The PhD candidate tasks will include:
- organizing logistics for regular river sampling by local teams: shipment of materials and samples, establish new collaborations with other partners in the Congo Basin.
- organizing and conducting new sampling campaigns in collaboration with local partners in the Congo Basin
- field measurements of river discharge, physico-chemical parameters and greenhouse gas concentrations and fluxes
- field sampling for a wide range of biogeochemical proxies, sample preservation for analyses in Belgium.
- laboratory analysis of samples (quantification and stable isotope analyses of diffferent carbon pools, nutrient analyses and greenhouse gas analysis, …)
- dissemination of results at scientific conferences and in interational, peer-reviewed journals.
- you will be expected to contribute to educational tasks depending on opportunities and your own interests, and assist in coaching MSc thesis students.
- opportunitities exist to make your own contribution to the research objectives depending on personal interests and in collaboration with other research teams.
Applicants should have obtained a MSc degree (with at least a grade of distinction) in a relevant scientific field (Bioscience or Water Resources Engineering, Earth or Environmental Sciences, Hydrology, …) by the time of appointment, and have a keen interest in interdisciplinary sciences. Excellent knowledge of English is must, a good knowledge of French would be a strong asset to facilitate field activities. Applicants will be expected to work intensively in the Congo basin region with local scientists, and have strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills. Demonstrated field sampling and/or analytical laboratory experience are also considered a strong plus.
- We offer a competitive full-time PhD scholarship for 1 year (renewable for another 3 years) in accordance with KU Leuven's doctoral salary scale.
- KU Leuven offers additional benefits in terms of health insurance, public transport at reduced rates, free bicycle use, access to university sports facilities, childcare opportunities – among others. You can find more information on working conditions at KU Leuven on the below-mentioned website.
- KU Leuven offers opportunities to follow academic, skills and career training courses.
- We offer a dynamic and multicultural work environment.
- A starting date for this position would be possible from August 2026.
For more information please contact Prof. dr. ir. Steven Bouillon, mail: steven.bouillon@kuleuven.be.To apply, please submit a detailed curiculum vitae which addresses the profile requirements, along with a motivation letter.
Where to apply
- Website
- https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60645345?hl=en
Requirements
- Research Field
- Agricultural sciences
- Education Level
- Master Degree or equivalent
- Languages
- ENGLISH
- Level
- Excellent
- Research Field
- Agricultural sciences » Soil science
- Years of Research Experience
- None
Additional Information
Benefits
- We offer a competitive full-time PhD scholarship for 1 year (renewable for another 3 years) in accordance with KU Leuven's doctoral salary scale.
- KU Leuven offers additional benefits in terms of health insurance, public transport at reduced rates, free bicycle use, access to university sports facilities, childcare opportunities – among others. You can find more information on working conditions at KU Leuven on the below-mentioned website.
- KU Leuven offers opportunities to follow academic, skills and career training courses.
- We offer a dynamic and multicultural work environment.
- A starting date for this position would be possible from August 2026.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants should have obtained a MSc degree (with at least a grade of distinction) in a relevant scientific field (Bioscience or Water Resources Engineering, Earth or Environmental Sciences, Hydrology, …) by the time of appointment, and have a keen interest in interdisciplinary sciences. Excellent knowledge of English is must, a good knowledge of French would be a strong asset to facilitate field activities. Applicants will be expected to work intensively in the Congo basin region with local scientists, and have strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills. Demonstrated field sampling and/or analytical laboratory experience are also considered a strong plus.
Selection process
For more information please contact Prof. dr. ir. Steven Bouillon, mail: steven.bouillon@kuleuven.be.To apply, please submit a detailed curiculum vitae which addresses the profile requirements, along with a motivation letter.
- Website for additional job details
https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60645345?hl=en
Work Location(s)
- Number of offers available
- 1
- Company/Institute
- KU LEUVEN
- Country
- Belgium
- City
- Leuven
- Geofield
Contact
- City
Leuven
STATUS: EXPIRED
- X (formerly Twitter)
More share options- Viadeo
- Gmail
- Blogger
- Qzone
- YahooMail
Similar Positions
-
Junior/Senior Research Technician To Support The Holstege Lab, VIB, Belgium, 14 days ago
Duration: Temporary replacement contract (minimum 6 months) l Start date: asap About us The VIB-KU Leuven Center for Neuroscience is part of the VIB Life Sciences Institute and is embedded within ...
-
Doctoral Fellow, Ghent University, Belgium, about 6 hours ago
ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY Ghent University consistently ranks among the best 100 universities in the world. It has 11 faculties and more than 85 departments, which offer high-quality, research-suppor...
-
Ngs Bioinformatics Expert – Vib Nucleomics Core, VIB, Belgium, 17 days ago
VIB (Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie) is a renowned life sciences research institute in Belgium, committed to conducting groundbreaking research in life sciences and biotechnology with an exc...
-
Business Developer Flemish Supercomputer Centre, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium, 6 days ago
The VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Centre ) supports the HPC (high performance computing) activities in all Flemish university and university associations for more than 10 years. Within the Vrije Uni...
-
Student Assistant For Project On Structured Data Extraction, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, about 4 hours ago
KU – Centre for Digital and Computational Humanities 2300 København S The Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, is seeking thorough student to join a research project titled “FREE”. The...
-
Research Scientist For The Project “Argo With Extended Suite Of Optical And Nutrient Measurements (Awesome)”, Leibniz, Germany, about 9 hours ago
The Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) is an independent marine research institute of the Leibniz Association, which is committed to equal opportunities, family friendlines...