How does nitrogen move through ecological systems, and how can stable-isotope tracing help us resolve the processes controlling its transformation, transfer, retention and loss? This two-year postdoctoral position at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) will develop and apply 15N-based approaches and Orbitrap isotopologue and isotopomer analyses to advance mechanistic understanding of nitrogen cycling across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Nitrogen cycling connects plants, microorganisms, animals, soils, sediments and aquatic systems, yet many of the processes controlling the fate of nitrogen remain difficult to quantify. Stable-isotope tracing offers a powerful way to follow nitrogen through organisms and environmental compartments and to disentangle the mechanisms underlying nitrogen uptake, transformation, trophic transfer and loss.

At NIOO-KNAW, we have unique facilities and expertise for isotope-based ecological research. We are now seeking a postdoctoral researcher who help us further develop stable-isotope approaches for nitrogen-cycle research, with particular emphasis on 15N experiments, quantitative analysis of nitrogen transformations, and Orbitrap-based isotopologue and isotopomer measurements and analytical workflows.

The position will work across ecological disciplines and research departments at NIOO. Research questions may include, for example, nitrogen transfer through food webs, microbial interaction networks involved in nitrogen transformations, zoogeochemistry and nutrient cycling mediated by soil animals, plant nitrogen acquisition and traits such as leaf nitrogen, and nitrogen transformations and losses in terrestrial and aquatic systems.

What you will be doing

• Design and conduct ^15N stable-isotope tracing experiments to quantify nitrogen transformations, transfer and fate
• Develop and validate Orbitrap-based isotopologue and isotopomer approaches
• Establish workflows for isotope enrichment, natural-abundance correction, isotope mass balance and nitrogen-flux analysis
• Apply isotope approaches across plant, soil, microbial and aquatic systems
• Support ongoing and upcoming isotope-based research projects at NIOO
• Develop standard protocols, quality-control procedures and reproducible data-analysis pipelines
• Train and support PhD candidates, postdocs, scientists and technicians in isotope methods and data analysis
• Contribute to scientific publications, presentations and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Your workplace

• You will be based at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) in Wageningen and work across different research departments and ecological disciplines.
• The position will contribute to building long-term expertise in stable-isotope nitrogen research at NIOO by strengthening experimental methods, analytical workflows, training and laboratory. capabilities.

What you will be contributing

We are looking for an enthusiastic, collaborative and scientifically curious researcher with strong hands-on experience in stable-isotope tracing, preferably involving 15N, and an interest in analytical-method development. You have:

• A completed PhD in biogeochemistry, ecology, analytical chemistry or a related discipline
• Hands-on experience with 15N stable-isotope tracer experiments
• Experience with experimental design and quantitative interpretation of isotope-labelled experiments
• Knowledge of nitrogen-cycle processes
• Experience with isotope enrichment calculations, isotope mass balance and/or quantification of nitrogen fluxes
• Strong quantitative and statistical skills
• Experience with computational analysis of isotope or mass-spectrometry datasets, preferably using R and/or Python
• The capacity to work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment
• A good command of written and spoken English.

We consider it a plus if you have experience with high-resolution mass spectrometry, particularly Orbitrap-based analyses; isotopologue and/or isotopomer analysis; development or optimisation of mass-spectrometry methods; nitrogen biogeochemistry; stable-isotope application in plant, soil, microbial or aquatic ecology; development of reproducible analytical pipelines and standard operating procedures.

We do not expect candidates to already have expertise in all these areas. We particularly welcome candidates with strong stable-isotope expertise who are motivated to develop new Orbitrap-based approaches for ecological nitrogen research.

What do we offer?

We offer a dynamic and inspiring interdisciplinary research environment with excellent facilities for ecological experimentation, stable-isotope research and analytical development.

The position is for two years, from January 2027 until December 2028.

A central aim of the position is not only to conduct research, but also to strengthen stable-isotope nitrogen expertise across the institute. You will have the opportunity to help shape new experimental and analytical approaches and to contribute to the longer-term development of NIOO's isotope facilities.

More information

For more information please contact:

Prof. Eiko Kuramae
(Senior Scientist of the Department of Microbial Ecology)
Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW)
e.kuramae@nioo.knaw.nl

Application procedure

Please send us a motivation letter and your complete and up-to-date curriculum vitae, including at least two references.

We particularly encourage applicants to describe their previous hands-on experience with stable-isotope experiments, quantitative isotope analysis and/or mass-spectrometry method development, and to explain how they would contribute to developing stable-isotope nitrogen research across ecological disciplines at NIOO.

You can apply up to and including 7 November 2026. The first job interviews are expected to take place shortly after the application deadline.