Currently available two full funded projects:
1) “Advancing Nature-based Climate Solutions through Integrated Assessment and Implementation Strategies”
Supervisor: Prof. Kuno Kasak (Environmental Technology 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.
2) “Optimizing Forested Peatland Management for Carbon Sequestration, Biodiversity, and Water Quality”
Supervisor: Prof. Kuno Kasak (Environmental Technology Lab)
Description
Peatlands, predominantly found in Northern Europe, particularly Finland and Sweden, are vital carbon sinks, storing nearly 30% of global soil carbon while covering only 3% of Earth’s surface. In Europe, they hold five times more carbon than forests. However, widespread drainage, land conversion, and peat extraction have degraded these ecosystems, turning them into carbon sources due to altered hydrology and accelerated organic matter decomposition. Sustainable management of forested peatlands requires addressing variability in nutrient status, peat depth, and hydrology while balancing trade-offs between carbon storage, biodiversity, and economic uses such as timber production or paludiculture. This project seeks to optimize the environmental, climatic, and economic performance of forest peatlands by enhancing vegetation, soil, and water management while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient loss, and biodiversity impacts. It aims to address pressing climate and biodiversity challenges by highlighting the role of peatlands as carbon sinks and emphasizing effective water level management to mitigate drought risks in drained peatlands.
The research will focus on a drained peatland forest in western Estonia, with the primary goal of assessing C sequestration benefits under different management scenarios. Key objectives include:
The successful candidate will contribute to this research project, starting at a new site to be established in summer 2025. Key responsibilities include:
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:
Desired knowledge and skills
Additional information
Funding and Health Insurance
The position is fully funded. Full-time PhD student will be on a junior researcher position. Living costs in Estonia are very reasonable and the monthly salary can cover your living costs. Annual increase is salary expected based on achievements.
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:
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 candidate will be based in Tartu, Estonia, and supervised by Prof. 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 three 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 / Matlab / Pyton) 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 conduct fieldworks, which requires Driver’s license.
• Be within 5 years of being awarded the PhD.
Desired Knowledge and Skills
To apply
Candidates should submit the following materials via email to kuno.kasak@ut.ee in a single PDF document containing:
Review of applications will start immediately until a suitable candidate has been found. Applicant must be available to start the position within 6 months.
Receipt of your application will be confirmed by email and applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.
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