Dear All,
the soil science group at TU München has one position available for a
Phd student with earliest starting date 1st of April 2013, with subject
to final approval by the funding agency. Feel free to get in touch with
me if you have questions about it. Please also note the deadline in January.
Best wishes,
Carsten
*PhD position in Soil Science / "**Organic matter composition in the
subsoil: Contribution of root litter and microbial-derived compounds"***
We advertize a PhD student position in Soil Science with subject to
final approval of funding at the Technische Universität München
(Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde, www.soil-science.com). The earliest starting
date is April 1^st 2013. Salary is TV-L E13 (65%) according to the
German TV-L system (Tarifvertrag für den Öffentlichen Dienst der
Länder). This position gives a 3-year opportunity to combine fieldwork
and new conceptual applications with state of the art analytical
techniques in a lab focusing on the fate and stabilization of soil
organic matter. The group (Prof. I. Kögel-Knabner) is located at
Freising-Weihenstephan, nearby Munich in southern Bavaria.
*Description: *
Although over 50% of the global terrestrial organic carbon pool is found
in soils below 30 cm depth, the subsoil below the A-horizon is generally
not considered in carbon turnover models and has received far less
scientific attention than the topsoil, largely because subsoil processes
related to carbon storage and turnover have been underrated in the past.
One main reason is that the investigation of subsoil phenomena and
processes poses major methodological, instrumental and analytical
challenges. This project will face these challenges with a
trans-disciplinary team of soil scientists applying innovative
approaches and considering the magnitude, chemical and isotopic
composition and ^14 C-content of all relevant subsoil C-flux components
and C-fractions.
The main aim will be to separate the main sources of subsoil organic
carbon (root; litter, microbes) by determining its composition at
different distances to a tree. For the very first time, micro-scale
processes in the subsoil will be tracked in intact soil compartments.
The student will be trained and work with a variety of cutting edge
analytical methods, as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and
nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS).
*Required experience:*
A diploma/master's degree in forest science, agronomy, geosciences,
geoecology, environmental sciences or a related discipline is required.
Fieldwork experience in geological and/or ecological sciences and
laboratory research experience in geochemistry or biogeochemistry would
be a desirable foundation. The candidate should be highly motivated,
team-oriented and willing to work with advanced analytical techniques,
such as gas-chromatography (GC-MS) NMR spectroscopy (NMR) and NanoSIMS.
*Applications:*
Applications for this position will be accepted immediately (between
December 10^th and January20^th ), via email to: Dr. Carsten W. Müller
([email protected]).
*Start Date: *subject to final approval,anticipated earliest date 1^st
of April 2013
Dr. Carsten W. Müller
Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde
Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan für Ernährung, Landnutzung und Umwelt
TU München
85350 Freising-Weihenstephan
Phone: +49-(0)8161-714423
e-mail:[email protected]
http://www.soil-science.com/
