We are looking for a PhD Candidate to join the Sustainability in Biosystems Programme , based at IRTA Torre Marimon (Caldes de Montbui, Catalonia, Spain). We offer the opportunity to be part of an international research environment with a dynamic and collaborative team focused on scientific excellence, innovation, and professional development.
The selected candidate will join the CARBON-PLAST project (Microplastic effects on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling and greenhouse gas emissions in Mediterranean agriculture) funded by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI). The project aims to understand how microplastics affect soil health by altering carbon and nitrogen dynamics, greenhouse gas emissions, and microbial communities under Mediterranean agricultural conditions. The research combines laboratory microcosm experiments with field studies in IRTA's long-term experimental sites, using state-of-the-art analytical techniques, including LDIR and FTIR spectroscopy, molecular microbiology methods, greenhouse gas monitoring, and life cycle assessment.
Key researchers for the position
- Dr.



Gemma Burón (Principal Investigator)
- Dr. Belén Fernández
- Dr. Francesc Prenafeta
- Dr. Marta Ruiz

Tasks and Responsibilities:
- Develop, together with the supervisory team, a doctoral research plan addressing the effects of microplastics on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling and greenhouse gas emissions.
- Design and carry out laboratory and field experiments related to the doctoral project, progressively developing scientific independence under the guidance of the supervisory team.
- Conduct field sampling campaigns at IRTA's long-term experimental sites, including soil sampling and greenhouse gas monitoring, and preparation for physicochemical, microbiological and microplastic analyses.
- Perform soil microcosm incubation experiments to study interactions among microplastics, soil microbial communities, and carbon and nitrogen cycling.
- Determine relevant soil carbon and nitrogen

📌 PhD Candidate in Soil Microplastics, Carbon and Nitrogen... (España)
🏢 IRTA
📍 España