Doctoral Researcher in Mathematical and Computational Modelling of Tree-Soil Interactions

The University of Luxembourg invites applications for a fully funded doctoral position in mathematical and computational modelling within the framework of the doctoral training unit Forest Function Under Stress (FORFUS).

Forests are essential to climate regulation, water cycling, biodiversity and human wellbeing. Yet increasing drought, heatwaves and environmental pressures threaten their resilience. While much attention is given to visible canopy decline, the long-term stability of forests is strongly determined by processes occurring below ground. Trees allocate a substantial proportion of their carbon below the surface to sustain roots and symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi, forming a dynamic exchange network that governs water and nutrient uptake. Despite its importance, this underground system remains insufficiently understood from a mechanistic and modelling perspective.

This PhD project aims to develop innovative mathematical and computational models that describe how trees exchange carbon, water and nutrients with the soil through adaptive root and fungal networks. The successful candidate will design and implement a modelling framework based on Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) to represent the coupled dynamics of roots, mycorrhizal fungi and soil resources under varying environmental conditions. The work will integrate concepts from applied mathematics, computational mechanics and biological network modelling, contributing to a new generation of mechanistic tree and ecosystem models.

The position offers the opportunity to work at the interface of mathematics and environmental science in a highly interdisciplinary research environment. The doctoral researcher will collaborate closely with experimental soil scientists, ecologists and forest modellers within the FORFUS consortium, and will be embedded in the Doctoral Programme in Complex Systems Science at the University of Luxembourg. The modelling approaches developed in this project share conceptual similarities with adaptive network and multiscale modelling strategies used in other domains within the computational mechanics group of Prof. Stéphane Bordas (www.legato‐team.eu, www.uni.lu), offering broad methodological training and transferable expertise.

Your Responsibilities:

• Conduct research in the field of Multiscale Computational Methods for novel metamaterials as described above
• Develop theories, methods and computational tools
• Participate in project meetings / secondments
• Collaborate with external industrial and academic partners
• Disseminate research findings through publications and conference presentations

For further information please contact Prof. Stéphane Bordas (stephane.bordas@uni.lu ) with CC to Dr. Jakub Lengiewicz (jakub.lengiewicz@uni.lu ).