Location: Agricultural University of Iceland (AUI).

The student can be loated in the campus in Reykjavík.

Application deadline: April 5th, 2026

Temporary position, 100%

About AUI:

The Agricultural University of Iceland plays a key role in developing societal issues related to environment and climate, agriculture, sustaiable use of natural resources, and planning, as well as issues concerning the society and economy as a whole.

In relation to the infrastructure for the project: AUI has one of the best equipped soil laboratories in Iceland, laboratories for DNA extractions, instrumentation for conducting elemental analyzis, infrared gas analyzers, and unmanned aherial vehicles and image software to monitor surface cover, properties and fucntion. Also, at AUI we have land with ideal conditions for experimentation in ecosystem restoration, including Mið-Fossar.

This infrastructure, together with the expertise of AUI scientists and partners in areas such as biocrusts, plant-soil-microbes interactions, and ecological restoration, places us in a unique and privileged position to test the potential of inoculating biocrust-forming organisms for restoration purposes.

More information about AUI is available at lbhi.is.

Project descriptions and work tasks

Biological soil crust (biocrust) is a community of diverse organisms on the soil surface that can play an important role in the recovery of degraded ecosystems. In Iceland, biocrusts that develop following revegetation and other restoration interventions stabilize the soil surface and facilitate colonization of many native plant species, including birch and willows.

Assisting the development of biocrust thus has great potential for restoration of native woodlands and other key ecosystems. It remains unknown, however, what types of biocrust developed under these conditions, what are effective methods to assist biocrust development, and what features of the biocrusts make them effective at performing desired ecosystem restoration functions.

The selected PhD student will contribute to the following taks:

Conduct a systematic literature review on the assisted development of biocrust for ecosystem restoration in cold environments.

Build capacity at AUI and project partners for assisting and assessing the development of biocrust for ecosystem restoration.

Lead the set-up and monitoring of mesocoms and field experiments.

Specific aims of the experimental research include:

Assess the potential of using cyanobacterial and moss inoculants for initiating biocrust development for ecosystem restoration in Iceland.

Identify compositional and functional differences in biocrusts developed after fertilization, cyanobacterial inoculation or moss cultivation.

​​​Classify artificially developed biocrusts based on their capacity to stabilize soil, sequester C and N, and favor seed establishment and germination.

Collaborative research environment

The selected PhD student will collaborate with another PhD student and, during the first year, with an MSc student conducting research on related topics at AUI. All work will be carried out within the framework of a large project and a long-term research agenda. The selected PhD student will also have multiple opportunities to interact with graduate students and senior researchers at AUI and partner universities, both within Iceland, including the University of Iceland and the University of Akureyri; and internationally, including the University of Almería, Spain, and Northern Arizona University, USA.

Project impact

The proposed research can contribute to ecosystem restoration in Iceland, particularly to the government’s goal of restoring birch woodlands on 350,000 ha, and to restore 70,000 ha of degraded rangelands.

At the international scale, we expect to generate base-line data and knowledge applicable to comparable cold ecosystems, and overall to contribute to goals of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Application requirements and instructions:

Infromation regarding the requirements, fees, etc., to apply for a PhD position at AUI can be found at:

https://ugla.lbhi.is/namsumsoknir 

In addition to fulfill the minimum requirements to be admistted as a PhD student at AUI, to be eligible for the advertised PhD position, the applicant also needs to have:

• Knowledge of biocrusts, soil biological processes, and/or ecological restoration

• Skills and interest in laboratory and fieldwork

• Programming skills, preferably in R

• Experience conducting statistical analyses

• Interest in scientific writing

• English proficiency (minimum IELTS score of 6.5 or TOEFL iBT score of 92 for non-native speakers)

• A valid driver’s license

Funding and terms of employment

The selected PhD student will be employed for three years, starting in May, 2026 (negotiable). The student’s salary and all research expenses will be covered with funds from the Rannís project no. 2612293-051.

How to apply

Application portal: https://ugla.lbhi.is/namsumsoknir 

Natural and Environmental Sciences (Náttúru- og umhverfisfræði), Ph.D. 180 ECTS

Applications must be written in English and include:

• A short (max. 2 pages) statement describing your interest in and suitability for the position
• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Certified copies of diplomas and transcripts
• Copies of publications or thesis (if available)
• Proof of English language proficiency (IELTS or TOEFL for non-native speakers)
• Names and contact information of two referees
• All documents must be submitted in PDF format.

If you have any questions about the position, feel free to contact Dr. Alejandro Salazar, [email protected]