Junior Researcher Desk study Mineral transport by large herbivores

At the department of Terrestrial Ecology (TE) at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), you will perform a desk study on the capacity of large herbivores to transport minerals towards and within demineralised soils of the Dutch Veluwe area.

What you will be doing

• Perform a literature study to establish the transport capacity of selected species of large herbivores that occur in the Veluwe area.
• Search for and collect data on the mineral status of Veluwe soils.
• Perform indicative calculations of the potential of large herbivores to supply these minerals and the densities needed to achieve this.
• Calculate scenarios of different combinations of mineral-poor and mineral-rich soils in the Veluwe area and the role of herbivores transporting minerals in the resulting landscape.
• Write a report in Dutch with the information in a style that is useful for policymakers.

What we are looking for

We are looking for a highly motivated researcher with a MSc degree in wildlife ecology or biogeochemistry, or a related discipline. You should be strong in open communication, work well with other researchers and nature managers and policymakers. Ability to work with incomplete datasets, good writing and presentation skills and fluency in Dutch are essential. Experience with nutrient cycling in ecosystems, knowledge of the Veluwe ecosystem, literature review and synthesis and data extraction from literature is an advantage.

What do we offer?

A 1.0 fte junior researcher position of 5.5 months. The preferred starting date is 15 July 2026. The department of Terrestrial Ecology (TE) and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) organise weekly seminars to stimulate scientific discussion and exchange ideas.

Your workplace

You will be based at the department of Terrestrial Ecology (TE) at NIOO-KNAW, consisting of a dynamic, interactive and collaborative group of researchers from diverse backgrounds. You will share an office space with other PhD and postdoc candidates in the department and join an active community of researchers, postdocs, PhDs, research assistants and internship students. In TE, we aim to understand, predict, and mitigate effects of climate change, biodiversity loss and land use change in terrestrial ecosystems. Our research focuses on interactions between plants, microbes, and (in)vertebrates, in the soil and aboveground. Our approach is conceptual-experimental, and ranges from evolutionary adaptation to community interactions and ecosystem processes. NIOO-KNAW has state-of-the-art research facilities.

About NIOO

The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO) is a national research institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). At NIOO we perform ecological research on biodiversity, climate change and sustainable use of land and water. We stimulate ecological research in the Netherlands and share our ecological knowledge with society. Everyone in our organisation is passionate about contributing to a sustainable world from their own area of expertise.