Postdoc Position: Ecosystem Size Spectra Analysis

Radboud University is a denominational university originally established in 1923 as the Catholic University of Nijmegen.

Are you eager to investigate how the impact of environmental stressors on ecosystems is related to the size of organisms and communities? Then join the ERC Advanced Grant project ’The Power of Size’ to find out, make a difference and boost your academic career!

The overall aim of ’The Power of Size’ is to establish relationships describing the emission, fate and effects of pollutants as a function of size. We intend to derive overarching scaling principles that apply across multiple disciplines, including hydrology, socioeconomics, toxicology and ecology.

To achieve this goal, you will collect data from databases, reviews, articles and reports. You will then derive and compare statistical and mechanistic relationships. As the lead author, you will publish your results in scientific journals and present your main findings at international conferences.

This vacancy involves Task 3.1 of ‘The Power of Size’ project, which is aimed at deriving theoretical and empirical scaling relationships linking species richness, trophic level productivity and community biomass to size spectra under stress. Merging existing and new relationships on specific indicators for these quantities, you will obtain a set of equations that describe ecosystem structure and functioning as a function of size and other relevant properties. You will test the theoretical framework developed on empirical data currently collected independently in the project. Examples of the approach can be found in Ecological Modelling 205: 196‑208 and Ecological Indicators 79: 114‑121. You will be part of the WP3 team consisting of Prof. Jan Hendriks, Dr Wilco Verberk, Dr Aafke Schipper and one PhD candidate, and also collaborate with the PhD candidates and post‑doctoral researchers of WP1 and WP2.

Your work will be theory‑and‑data‑driven, contributing to both fundamental research and regulatory applications. Given the empirical background of our research group, you will add essential skills to the team. On the one hand, you will help improve the understanding of the dominant role size plays in system functioning. On the other hand, the relationships you develop will support urgent risk assessment for over 1,000 substances, across more than 1,000 species (including humans) and 1,000 sites worldwide.

To further improve your research and assessment skills as a post‑doctoral researcher, you may attend courses offered by the Graduate School of the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science. You will supervise students and assist in teaching courses at the BSc/MSc level, which may take up to 10% of your working time (usually less).

• You hold a PhD degree in ecology, environmental science or another field related to the topic.
• You have experience in systematic data collection, statistical analysis with appropriate software, and, in particular, describing complex systems by simple equations.
• You have a good command of spoken and written English at the C1 level.
• You like collaborating with other people in a cross‑disciplinary setting.

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of one year with the prospect of an extension for 2 years (1.0 FTE) or 2.75 years/33 months (0.8 FTE).
• Your salary within salary scale 10 depends on your previous education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38‑hour working week.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end‑of‑year bonus.
• You will receive extra days off. With full‑time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

You will be based at the Department of Environmental Science of the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES) within the Faculty of Science. The mission of the Department of Environmental Science is to provide high‑quality scientific knowledge that can help the world move towards greater sustainability. To achieve this, we aim to understand and predict the impact of anthropogenic pressures on ecosystems and humans, and use the knowledge obtained to identify solutions for a more sustainable society. Our group currently consists of around 75 people, offering an open, inclusive and supportive work environment with regular social activities.

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Prof. Jan Hendriks. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

Applications will be reviewed, and interviews scheduled during the recruitment period. Therefore, you will receive feedback and information about a possible follow‑up process shortly. If a suitable candidate is found before the closing date, the vacancy will be closed, and further applications will no longer be possible. The interview slots will be scheduled in consultation with the shortlisted applicants.

You will start your employment as soon as possible, but no later than 1 September 2026.