PhD student (M/F) in biogeochemical monitoring of Nature-based Solutions

Job Description

Thesis Subject

Impacts of Nature-Based Solutions on the Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles

Your Work Environment

1 Context
Climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation are interconnected threats that pose serious risks to the integrity of the biosphere and the well-being of current and future human societies. Nature-based solutions (NbS) and their co-benefits for biodiversity and landscape resilience could play a key role in mitigating climate change and preserving resources. When applied to agricultural landscapes, NbS play a crucial role in regulating carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles while promoting biodiversity. By implementing innovative management practices within or around cultivated fields (such as plant diversification, hedgerows, agroforestry, and grass strips), natural ecosystems promote agricultural production while limiting the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides and supporting ecosystem processes that improve yields. Furthermore, the protection, restoration, and sustainable management of natural ecosystems, such as forests, wetlands, and grasslands, promote carbon sequestration through biomass growth and soil enrichment. These ecosystems also act as natural filters by intercepting various molecules and regulating biogeochemical cycles, thereby improving soil and water quality through processes such as reducing nitrogen runoff from agricultural sources, increasing biological nitrogen fixation, and promoting denitrification.
Despite the growing interest in NbS, the underlying ecological processes and their long-term effects on the C and N cycles remain poorly understood.
2 Thesis Objectives and Methodology
The Centre for Research on Biodiversity and the Environment (CRBE), through the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research), is leading the project "Evaluation and Modeling of the Impact of Nature-Based Solutions on Ecosystems and C and N Cycles in the Watersheds of Southwest France" (EcoCN; https://www.pepr-solubiod.fr/appels/). This project aims to better understand the benefits of Nature-Based Solutions on the dynamics of biogeochemical cycles (C, N) and ecosystems.
This project proposes an integrated approach, combining field monitoring, low-cost equipment (from the TERRA FORMA project), collaborative workshops, and modeling at different spatial and temporal scales within the Garonne River watershed. The Gascogne Living Lab (SOLU-BIOD Living Lab), the Lèze Valley (European Living Lab), the Auradé watershed (National Critical Zone Observatory), the Garonne-Ariège confluence regional nature reserve, and the Garonne alluvial plain constitute a coherent territory facing significant environmental, agricultural, and socio-economic challenges. It also offers a diversity of soil and climate conditions, as well as agricultural systems, along an upstream-downstream gradient.
This proposed thesis will focus on carbon-nitrogen interactions in the different study sites through various research questions:
- How does the implementation of multiple landscape-scale ecosystem services influence carbon and nitrogen fluxes in soils, rivers, and to the atmosphere (greenhouse gas emissions)?
- What are the effects of restoring permanent grasslands and wetlands on coupled carbon-nitrogen dynamics (stocks, greenhouse gas emissions, denitrification, leaching, biodiversity) in soils and surface waters?
- What are the synergies and antagonisms between carbon storage and nitrogen retention or export in restored landscapes?
3 Framework
The PhD will be conducted at the Centre for Research on Biodiversity and the Environment (CRBE) UMR 5300 (CNRS, University of Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, Toulouse INP, IRD), located on the Agro-Toulouse campus in Castanet Tolosan. This laboratory, with approximately 250 members, studies the influence of environmental changes and their interactions on living soils, as well as the feedback loops of socio-ecological systems on these changes.
The successful candidate will work at the Agro-Toulouse campus within the Biogeochemistry and Ecosystems (BIOECO) team. They will be supervised by José Miguel Sánchez-Pérez, CNRS Research Director, and Clément Fabre, CNRS Postdoctoral Researcher, in collaboration with other researchers from the BIOECO team, as well as several French and European partners working at the various study sites.
4 Skills
• Strong interest in biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and interactions with hydrological structures
• Data analysis skills (R, Python or equivalent, GIS) are a plus
• English: B2 to C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
• Proficiency in standard computer applications (Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Soft skills:
• Autonomy and versatility
• Scientific rigour, analytical skills, and strong writing abilities
• Ability to anticipate and manage priorities
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in a team

Constraints and risks

Regular field work

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2300 € gross monthly

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

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