PhD position: Nutrient export dynamics across spatial scales in current and future climatic conditions

PhD position within Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Network “BEYOND” 

This fully funded PhD position is available under the recently launched Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Doctoral Networks (DN) project “BEYOND” Beyond the current: Improving European flowing waters in an era of global change. BEYOND will train the next generation of water professionals who will deliver scientific and technological innovation across disciplines, institutions and countries needed to solve European water quality problems in an era of global change.  

The aim of this PhD position is to investigate  

1. How nutrient export dynamics (i.e. long-term trend, seasonal variations, and storm responses) vary across spatial scales from small headwater catchments (<10 km²) to mesoscale catchments (50-500 km²);  

1. How hydro-climatic extremes (droughts, heatwaves, extreme precipitation events) differentially influence water quality according to catchment size and stream order.  

The research work hypothesizes that the land-to-water delivery signal dominates nutrient export dynamics in the smaller catchments, while the influence of in-stream processes and point sources increases in larger catchments. This project will rely on high-resolution water quality monitoring data from research catchments in Sweden, Germany, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom, complemented by an analysis of public water surveillance data across the EU. In addition to the analysis of these long-term environmental observation data, you will implement a 2-year water quality monitoring downstream of one of the research catchments (Agrhys in western France https://eng-agrhys.rennes.hub.inrae.fr/, 5km²) to study how the water chemistry signal observed by current monitoring propagates downstream. Data analysis methods will include statistical analysis of spatial and temporal data, and parsimonious modelling. As part of this PhD position, you will have an opportunity to take part in short visits and secondments to BEYOND partners for additional training and knowledge exchange.  

The project will be supervised by  and Ophélie Fovet (INRAE, France), and co-supervised by Magdalena Bieroza (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) and Per-Erik Mellander (Teagasc, republic of Ireland). Miriam Glendell (James Hutton Institute, UK) and Michael Rode (UFZ, Germany) will be advisors of PhD. 

The position duration is three years. You will be based in the joint research unit SAS https://eng-umrsas.rennes.hub.inrae.fr/ in Rennes, France. 

More information on BEYOND project and PhD selection process can be found at the following websites: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101169293 and https://www.slu.se/beyond  

Qualifications 

The candidates must have a MSc (or an equivalent) degree in environmental sciences, with knowledge in hydrology and/or biogeochemistry. A solid background in statistical data analysis is an important asset.  

• Have potential for conducting outstanding research, as demonstrated by scientific accomplishments (in particular quality of MSc thesis, but also e.g. code repositories, conference presentations, outreach activities, or publications). 

• Be interested in working in a multidisciplinary and international research environment. 

• Have excellent communication skills in English, verbally as well as in scientific writing. 

• Be willing to undertake international travel for training and research activities of BEYOND and project-specific short-visits and secondments at partner institutions. 

Eligibility criteria 

Candidates must also meet the following criteria:  

1) be of any nationality, but must not have resided or carried out main activity in France, for more than 12 months in the last 36 months;  

2) have not yet been awarded a PhD degree. 

All interested candidates irrespective of age, nationality, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. 

Selection process 

The applications must be received by 15^th of March 2025 including the following documents (all strictly in PDF format): 

• Curriculum vitae, 

• Master [alternatively, the expected graduation date of Master degree] and Bachelor diplomas (in a single PDF file), 

• Master and Bachelor grades’ transcripts (in a single PDF file), 

• Motivation letter stating your specific interest, motivation and qualifications for the project in question (max 1 A4 page), 

• A research statement describing how your expertise and previous experience align with the PhD project objectives (200 words),  

• The names of at least two reference persons (provide names and contact details) who can provide information on your research performance. 

Applications through https://amethis.doctorat.org/amethis-client/prd/consulter/offre/917 and remi.dupas@inrae.fr

Salary 

The monthly gross salary consists of a country-dependent living allowance, a mobility allowance, and, if applicable, a family allowance. In France, monthly living allowance is 3958€. 

Timeline 

The expected start date for this position is between 1^st of July and 30^th of September 2025.  

Candidates selected for interviews will be contacted within 1 month from the closing date.