The resilience of soil to anthropogenic changes depends primarily on soil quality and soil organic

carbon (SOC). The loss of carbon from the soil during the last few decades challenges food and

fibre production and other ecosystem services; a challenge expected to increase with accelerated

climate change. Thus, it is critical to consider how soil physical, chemical, and biological

properties, in unison rather than in isolation, drive soil carbon storage – the primary driver of soil

resilience. The threat of losing soil functions in the face of extreme climate conditions is growing

due to the large amount of CO2 (4.3 billion tonnes per year) and other greenhouse gases emitted

to the atmosphere. Current technologies to improve the capacity of soil to sequester and store

SOC focus on reducing soil disturbance and enhancing soil carbon input (e.g., green manuring,

crop residue incorporation and crop rotation). Soil microbial communities are primarily

responsible for the degradation and stabilization of carbon as soil organic matter. The soil

microbiome is therefore crucial to understanding the soil carbon cycle, and can be used as a

climate change resilience indicator. It is critical to utilize an interdisciplinary methodology that

integrates the soil microbiome and soil physicochemical properties to identify drivers of soil

resilience in a changing climate.

The purpose of this PhD project is to (i) identify how soil microbial communities and their

habitats are influenced by soil management and climate conditions and (ii) define the minimum

physicochemical conditions required for the development of the soil microbial communities

which are critical for carbon sequestration. The PhD project will involve experimental field

work, laboratory analyses, and modelling.

The 3-year PhD position is a core part of the project “Biophysical drivers of soil resilience in a

changing climate” funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark. The prospective

candidate will be part of the Soil Physics and Hydropedology research group at the Department
of Agroecology and will be an integral part of field work and collaborations with Rothamsted

Research, UK and the University of California, Davis.