Doctoral position on-Origin and fate of dissolved organic matter in the subsoil

2/29784
label Burse autorenew 2025-09-29, 17:01 history_edu Maria Dumitru
PhD position for 3 years, starting June 1st, 2013 salary scale TV-L 13 (65%). Although about 60% of the global terrestrial C pool is stored in subsoils below 30 cm depth, little is known about its origin, turnover, and stabilization mechanisms. To close the knowledge gap, the German Research Foundation funds a Research Unit "The forgotten part of carbon cycling: Soil organic matter storage and turnover in subsoils (SUBSOM)", where this doctoral position is being integrated.


Objectives
In close collaboration with another doctoral student affiliated with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the candidate will investigate the impact of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) input, transport, and transformation to organic carbon (OC) storage in the subsoil environment. Differences in organic matter accumulation and transformation in bulk soil and along preferential flow paths will be revealed by combining DOC flux measurements with the analysis of DOC composition and different measures for the age and turnover of DOC. Most of the research will be performed in subsoil observatories, where a large-scale 13C labelling experiment will be carried out.