PhD-position: "Deciphering the chemical complexity of the biological pump''

The department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry at the Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research (NIOZ) is looking for a highly motivated PhD student with a background in biogeochemistry to investigate the working of the biological pump on a molecular level in coastal marine systems. Your research will be part of the Dutch EMBRACER consortium.

ROYAL NIOZ

NWO-NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research is the Dutch national oceanographic institute and principally performs academically excellent multidisciplinary, fundamental, and frontier applied marine research addressing important scientific and societal questions pertinent to the functioning of the ocean and seas. NIOZ includes the National Marine research Facilities (NMF) department that operates a fleet of research vessels and the national pool of large seagoing equipment, and supports excellence in multidisciplinary marine research, education, and policy development. 

THE DEPARTEMENT
The Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry (MMB) investigates the composition and functioning of microbial communities in environments ranging from the deep sea to large lake systems. Within this department a subgroup of organic geochemists is developing novel (analytical) tools to analyze the (isotopic) composition of fossilized molecules as information carriers of past climates and environments.

THE PROJECT

The oceanic biological pump transfers carbon from the biosphere to the geosphere and plays a major role in the Earth’s climate. A large part of this carbon consists of organic matter with a complex chemical composition. In coastal systems this picture is further complicated by the input of organic matter coming from land with a different chemical composition. This chemical complexity has limited advances in our understanding of what the ultimate fate is of terrestrial and marine organic matter deposited in coastal marine systems. In this project we will take advantage of recent analytical advances in high-resolution mass spectrometry which enables untargeted lipidomic analysis of organic matter. With this we will constrain the fate of terrestrial and marine organic matter when sinking through the water column and during deposition in surface sediments. This will give us a better understanding of carbon sequestration efficiency in coastal marine sediments.

ABOUT EMBRACER

At EMBRACER we work at the very frontiers of knowledge on climate change, Earth’s climate system and climate feedbacks. Within its 10-year research programme, funded by NWO, EMBRACER brings together a wide range of world-leading climate experts with the aim to address existing uncertainties about climate feedbacks at the boundaries between oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere. Our interdisciplinary approach and state-of-the-art infrastructure will bring us forward in our understanding of the impact of climate feedbacks emerging over the next decades to centuries.

THE CANDIDATE

Should have completed an MSc in Earth, Marine, Environmental Sciences, Geochemistry, or a related discipline prior to the starting date of the project. Preferably, you also have:

• Documented skills in writing within set deadlines.

• A strong background in or affinity with (analytical) geochemistry

• Problem-solving capacities in dealing with project challenges.

• Motivation to (co)operate in a diverse and multidisciplinary research team.

• Strong social and communication skills, and the ability to deal with the geographically isolated nature of the host institute.

Due to the international character of our research, good command of spoken and written English is essential. We highly encourage applicants from all members of our community and of diverse backgrounds to join us.

CONDITIONS

• Employment of this full-time position at Royal NIOZ is by NWO-I, for a total duration of 4 years.  You start with an appointment for the duration of 1 year, that, after a positive evaluation in the 9th month (Go-No go), will be extended to the full period of 4 years.

• Salary compliant with scales for PhD candidate (OIOs) CAO-WVOI (Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Research Institutes). 

• An appointment at NIOZ as a PhD candidate means working and learning simultaneously conform the NIOZ PhD policy.  

• 338 annualized holiday hours for a full-time 40-hour work week.

• Pension scheme via ABP, 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.33%. 

• 2nd class public transportation travel is reimbursed 100%.

• Employment benefits plan to exchange a portion of your salary for days off or vice versa, or can be used to purchase a bicycle with tax benefits.

• We offer relocation expenses for employees coming from abroad and support with finding accommodation.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about this vacancy, please contact Stefan Schouten (stefan.schouten@nioz.nl) or Francien Peterse (f.peterse@uu.nl). For additional information about the procedure, please send an e-mail to working@nioz.nl 

Closing date for applications: February 2nd. 2026. Online pre-interviews are foreseen for the 2nd week of February 2026, and selected candidates will be invited for in-person interviews at NIOZ on Texel in 1st week of March 2026.