Doctoral Student in Environmental Science
Linnéuniversitetet / Högskolejobb / Kalmar
2025-09-16
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hela Sverige Welcome to Linnaeus University! Here you'll meet 2 200 staff members and 40 000 students, all united in following the vision to set knowledge in motion for a sustainable societal development. With us, research and education are conducted with an eye towards the future. Our proximity to the business world, both locally and globally, gives us a wide reach and the ability to create change that makes an impact. All that's needed is a place where ideas have the space to meet and grow. That's what we've created - and you are invited.
Change starts here!
The Department of Biology and Environment (BOM) is part of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. The research activities of this interdisciplinary department cover areas such as aquatic ecology, cell and organismal biology, evolutionary biology, microbiology, environmental science, animal welfare and zoonotic ecology.
Subject area for the position: Environmental science
Location until further notice: Kalmar
Term and hours: The doctoral studentship is limited in time in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 5, Section 7). The studentship is full-time.
Starting date: Starting date according to agreement but ideally in January/February 2026.
Job description
On coastal plains worldwide, patches of agricultural and forest land are underlain by acid sulfate soils. These soils form in fine-grained, calcite-poor sediments containing pyrite and/or metastable iron sulfides, and arise when artificial drainage lowers the groundwater table, causing oxidation of the sulfide minerals to sulfuric acid. As a result, these soils typically exhibit very low pH values (2.5-4.0). While abundant surface liming allows productive crop cultivation, the subsoil remains strongly acidic, and many potentially toxic metals (e.g., Al, Mn, Ni, Cd, Be) are highly soluble and mobile in these horizons. Consequently, low pH values and elevated concentrations of metals and sulfur have been observed in drained water and in affected recipients such as creeks, estuarine suspended particulate matter, and benthic sediments. These conditions have repeatedly caused detrimental impacts on ecosystems, including fish kills.
Despite substantial evidence of metal mobilisation from acid sulfate soils, several critical questions remain unanswered. These include:
1. To what extent are individuals residing on or near these soils exposed to potentially toxic metals mobilised within the soil?
2. Do acid sulfate soils in small catchments of southern Sweden negatively influence stream-water chemistry to the same degree as observed in northern regions such as Västerbotten, Norrbotten, and Österbotten?
3. Are the leached potentially toxic metals primarily derived from sulfide minerals, and if so, do they originate from pyrite or metastable iron sulfides that differ markedly in oxidation rates and associated metal release?
4. What are the differences in microbial communities and biogeochemical controls between sulfide soils that develop into acid sulfate soils and carbonate-rich sulfide soils that do not acidify upon drainage?
5. Which gases are released from mineral acid sulfate soils and organic acid sulfate soils, and in what quantities?
The Environmental Research group at Linnaeus University, linked through the research excellence center CENWIN, comprises six professors and associate professors with expertise in geochemistry, geology, microbiology, and risk analyses. Our group has conducted long-term studies on acid sulfate soils, building a strong knowledge base on their formation, chemical composition, and microbiology. In forthcoming research, we will build on this foundation to investigate questions 1-5, with the PhD student involved.
We are now seeking a motivated PhD candidate to join our multidisciplinary research environment. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to understanding the biogeochemical complexities and impacts of acid sulfate soils, including how soil mineralogy and microbiology influence acidity formation, metal release and gas emissions, and the potential links of toxic-metal mobilisation to human exposure and environmental risks. You will gain hands-on experience in field sampling, laboratory analyses, and risk assessment, while collaborating across geochemistry, microbiology, human exposure research, and environmental risk analysis.
The Higher Education Ordinance states that anyone who is employed as a doctoral student shall primarily devote themselves to their own studies, although they may, to a limited extent, also work with education, research, and administration. Before a doctorate has been awarded, such work may not exceed 20% of full-time work.
Eligibility
A person fulfils the general entry requirements if they:
• have been awarded a degree on second-cycle level, completed the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits, of which 60 credits on second-cycle level, or in another way, in Sweden or abroad, has acquired principally equivalent knowledge.
Specific entry requirements
• Have completed a minimum of 90 credits in courses in geochemistry and risk analyses, or other relevant fields (e.g., environmental chemistry, soil contamination, epidemiology, human exposure studies), or other closely related fields, of which at least 30 credits are at the second-cycle level, or equivalent knowledge acquired in some other way in Sweden or abroad.
Assessment criteria
The assessment will focus on the applicant's ability to successfully complete the doctoral programme. Particular weight will be given to the candidate's motivation, capacity for doctoral studies, and the breadth and composition of their prior education. It will also be an advantage if you can demonstrate:
• A high proficiency in written and spoken English, with strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively within a research team.
• Completed courses in microbiology.
• Documented knowledge and experience of fieldwork (sampling of water, soil, sediments, and biota) and laboratory work.
• Experience of scientific writing, data management, and statistical analysis.
Welcome with your application no later than 2025-10-08.
If you want to read the full version of the advertisement you can go to Linnaeus university website. Press here.
Ersättning Lön enligt lönestege
Så ansöker du Sista dag att ansöka är 2025-10-08
Klicka på denna länk för att göra din ansökan Omfattning Detta är ett heltidsjobb.
Arbetsgivare Linnéuniversitetet (org.nr 202100-6271),
http://www.lnu.se Jobbnummer 9510460