PhD position to explore the potential and sustainability of rice cultivation in NW Europe

Current agricultural use of peatlands in north-west Europe is unsustainable and drives significant greenhouse gas emissions as well as land subsidence. Raising water levels could reverse these trends, but farmers needs viable alternatives for wetland agriculture. You will work in a project with the title “Rice: a sustainable future for peatland in north-west Europe?”. Within this project, you will address three research questions:

1. Can rice be produced in NW Europe?
2. What is the impact on greenhouse gas emissions and hydrology?
3. Can paludiculture with rice help transform agriculture on peatlands?

In order to address these challenges, you will develop and test hypotheses related to rice cultivation as a means to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions of peatlands and improve circularity of current food systems. To this end, you will set-up field experiments to test and determine best agronomic practises; and measure CO2, methane and nitrous oxide emissions to evaluate effects of changes in redox potentials and crop nutrition on both rice production and net greenhouse gas emissions. You will screen, select and test rice cultivars in greenhouse and climate chamber experiments and test their performance in field experiments. Together with our partners, farmers and other stakeholders you will identify hurdles and entry-points for transforming the current farming system. The work will be done in close collaboration with a field manager and a PhD candidate at Leiden University, who will focus on impacts of rice cultivation with and without fish on emissions and biodiversity.
As PhD, you are responsible for the field experiments and GHG measurements in the experimental field at the Veenweide Innovation Centre, Zegveld. You will participate in workshops with farmers and project partners in the area. You are formally part of the PPS chair group and contribute to our tasks and participate in our group activities.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Plan and conduct experiments to identify best suited cultivars and agronomic practices for rice cultivation in NW Europe;
• Assess and evaluate impacts of rice production on nutrient dynamics and GHG emissions across peatland types using statistical and dynamic models;
• Collaborate with academic and non-academic project partners;
• Communicate results to academic and non-academic audiences;
• Assist with education and supervision of MSc thesis students.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chairs of Plant Production Systems, and Soil Geography and Landscape. You will be supervised by Dr A.G.T. Schut, Dr Julian Helfenstein and Prof. Ken E. Giller and work within a larger team, collaborating with a PhD student at Leiden University.

Requirements:

You are:

• A good communicator;
• Able to communicate in Dutch and English;
• Tech-savvy and solution-oriented;
• Motivated to tackle a major sustainability issue;
• Willing to travel on a regular basis (to the field).

You also possess:

• A successfully completed MSc degree in Plant Sciences, Biology, Soil Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Environmental Sciences or equivalent;
• Experience with quantitative approaches, such as dynamic modelling, optimization techniques, advanced statistical analysis;
• Knowledge of climate change, emission pathways under aerobic and anaerobic conditions;
• Affinity with agriculture and knowledge of Dutch farming systems or rice cultivation.

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

Salary Benefits:

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• Partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 2.901,- per month rising to € 3.707,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. We can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

38 hours per week

Droevendaalsesteeg