Opportunities

Apply for a 4-year PhD position at the University of Tartu, Department of Geography!

Project “Advancing Nature-based Climate Solutions through Integrated Assessment and Implementation Strategies”

Supervisor: Dr. Kuno Kasak (Ecotechnology lab) and Prof. Ivika Ostonen-Märtin (Root Ecology lab)

Description

Terrestrial ecosystems play a crucial role in mitigating climate change, sequestering approximately a third of human-induced carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. These ecosystems are gaining more attention for their potential to actively enhance carbon (C) sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, there is a need for more precise C sequestration and storage estimations to accurately evaluate the actual C removals. Currently, most assessments rely on biometric soil and vegetation surveys, characterized by lengthy sampling intervals, and do not capture patterns of belowground C cycling and storage. Therefore, these methods may overlook significant C dynamics within the ecosystem, do not provide information about the methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, and fail to capture the broader biophysical implications on local water and energy cycles. Additionally, the use of direct measurements of ecosystem-scale C fluxes through techniques like eddy covariance is often limited. Therefore, the current PhD project will serve as the basis for building a link between different scales and comparing tower flux data with biometric surveys. The work will span from the plant and soil interface, with special attention to root-driven C fluxes in the rhizosphere to the ecosystem level using continuous eddy covariance flux measurements. The focus will be set on three ecosystem types: forests, grasslands, and wetlands, each with an eddy system. In each ecosystem, detailed ground measurements will be conducted that include chamber-based flux measurements (including CH₄ and N₂O) from soil and tree stems, vegetation inventories, above- and belowground pools and fluxes, and soil cores for chemical analyses. Additionally, the soil C flux partitioning will be applied to estimate what is the contribution of the different components (e.g., heterotrophic microbes, ground vegetation species, and mycorrhizal fungi) to the soil respiration and the total ecosystem C exchange.

The specific objectives of the PhD project are a) to understand the discrepancies between the total fluxes of the tower and different components of the flux, b) to reveal the biases between biometric survey data and the relatively more robust information from flux towers, c) investigating the impact of land management practices on C flux within different ecosystem types, including logging, grazing, and drainage, to provide insights into sustainable land management strategies for maximizing C sequestration potential.

The research is part of the projects “Center of Excellence in Sustainable Land Use“,

 “Optimising Wetland Restoration and Management Strategies for Carbon Uptake”, “Restoration of Wetlands to Minimise Emissions and Maximise Carbon Uptake – A Strategy for Long Term Climate Mitigation” research projects in the Department of Geography, University of Tartu led by the Ecotechnology lab and Root Ecology lab.

Requirements

Master’s degree in soil science, environmental science, ecology, environmental engineering, or closely related field.

The ideal candidate has proven experience in the following essential skills:

• Basic knowledge of ecology and soil science
• Basic knowledge of greenhouse gas measurements including data processing and interpretation.
• Ability to write code for data analyses in either MATLAB, R, or Python.
• Experience in fieldwork, data collection, and carrying out ancillary measurements.
• The candidate must be able to independently conduct fieldwork, which requires a Driver’s license.
• Confident in English language spoken and written. For English language proficiency see more info about language requirements https://ut.ee/en/sisu/phd-language-requirements

Desired knowledge and skills

• Experience with the use of eddy covariance technique to capture CO₂ and CH₄ emissions over ecosystems.
• Experience with geographic information systems (e.g., QGIS).
• Programming knowledge, especially in Python.
• Experience in soil chemical and physical analyses.
• Experience in large data analyses.

Funding and Health Insurance

The position is fully funded. Full-time PhD student will be on a junior researcher position with a monthly salary of 1840 EUR (gross). Living costs in Estonia are very reasonable and the allowance can cover your living costs.

All PhD students who receive a doctoral allowance are provided with Estonian national health insurance. Doctoral allowance can be paid out as soon as a temporary residence permit (non-EU students) or temporary right of residence (EU students) has been obtained. Health insurance coverage is available for the full nominal study period of PhD studies (4 years).

To apply

Candidate should submit the following materials via email to kuno.kasak@ut.ee in a single PDF document containing:

• A one-page cover letter explaining your motivation for applying for this position; how your prior research experience qualifies you for the position.
• A copy of your MSc diploma.
• A CV (including publication’s list if available and clear specification of relevant quantitative skills).
• Names and contact details for two references.
• Review of applications will start immediately until a suitable candidate has been found. Applicant must be available to start the position on 1st of September 2025.
• Receipt of your application will be confirmed by email and applicants selected for an interview will be contacted

Apply for a Postdoctoral position in our Ecotechnology lab at the University of Tartu, Department of Geography!

Project “Wetland Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics”

Description

Restoring degraded peat soils is an attractive, but largely untested climate change mitigation approach. Drained peat soils used for agriculture or for peat extraction are often large greenhouse gas sources. Restoring subsided peat soils to managed, impounded wetlands can turn these sources into carbon sinks. However, at present, the amount of scientific information available to guide such restoration decisions and assess the impact of these actions is still sparse and restoration outcome can be low carbon uptake and high methane emissions. Therefore, the overarching objective of this study is to provide an experimental and theoretical understanding how to restore wetlands with minimized methane emissions and maximized carbon uptake. The current study focuses on the spatial heterogeneity of methane and nitrous oxide emission from restored wetlands using micrometeorological and field-based techniques.

The research will be carried out in three restored wetland ecosystems in Estonia but with strong collaboration with international partners. The research is part of the “Optimizing Wetland Restoration and Management Strategies for Carbon Uptake” and “Restoration of Wetlands to Minimize Emissions and Maximize Carbon Uptake – A Strategy for Long Term Climate Mitigation” research projects in the Department of Geography, University of Tartu.

Postdoctoral Position

The candidate will be based in Tartu, Estonia, and supervised by Dr. Kuno Kasak at the University of Tartu. The responsibilities include scientific research, mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, and manuscript preparation. The postdoctoral researcher will assist with the maintenance of two eddy covariance flux tower sites, processing eddy covariance data from research sites, conducting original research using data collected from the towers, and publishing peer-reviewed manuscripts. 

Requirements

• A PhD in environmental technology, atmospheric science, ecology or a strongly related natural science field.
• A strong quantitative (including programming skills in R and/or Matlab) and technical background.
• Experience with installing and maintaining eddy covariance flux towers, and with processing eddy covariance data.
• A proven record of scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• The candidate must be able to independently conduct fieldworks, which requires Driver’s license.
• Be within 5 years of being awarded the PhD.

Desired Knowledge and Skills

• Experience working in wetland ecosystems.
• Experience in soil chemical and physical analyses.
• Experience with biogeochemical modelling.

To apply

Candidates should submit the following materials via email to kuno.kasak@ut.ee in a single PDF document containing:

• A one-page cover letter explaining your motivation for applying for this position; how your prior research experience qualifies you for the position; and your mentoring experience.
• A CV (including publication list and clear specification of relevant quantitative skills).
• Names and contact details for three references.

Review of applications will start immediately until a suitable candidate has been found. Applicant must be available to start the position as soon as possible.

Receipt of your application will be confirmed by email and applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.