River valleys in the Anthropocene: Quantifying human impact on geomorphic processes in two contrasting environments

This position is part of an interdisciplinary project combining expertise from the Division of Geography and Tourism at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences with expertise at the Interfaculty Centre for Agrarian History (ICAG) KU Leuven. Research at the Division of Geography and Tourism focuses on spatial patterns of physical and human-induced phenomena at the earth’s surface and on the interactions between society and the environment. The research group has longstanding expertise in soil erosion and biogeochemistry studies at various spatial and temporal scales, including the quantification of sediment and carbon fluxes at Holocene timescales.
The Interfaculty Centre for Agrarian History aims to support, stimulate and launch ongoing and new scientific research on agricultural and rural development and the food system in Belgium, in its national and international context. ICAG gives priority to comparative multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research that sheds new light on history, heritage and current transformations in the agricultural sector, the food system and the countryside as a result of the interaction between soil, landscape, spatial planning, agricultural science and technology, demography, economy, government policy, public opinion, ideologies, social movements, etc. ICAG works closely together with the heritage Centre for Agrarian History (CAG).

Website unit

Project

This is one of two interdisciplinary PhD positions within a project that aims at providing a long-term reconstruction of human-environment interactions in floodplains in Flanders. The Anthropocene is often considered to be a new geological period in which humans have altered the landscape significantly. Whilst global assessments on how important humans have been as geomorphic agents do exist, these are very crude and based on limited data. Furthermore, little is known about the beginnings and evolution of humans as landscape architects at regional and local scales, making it impossible to understand how anthropogenic current landscapes are. This research project aims to unravel, analyze and improve our understanding of the long-term landscape development of two contrasting regions and their floodplains in particular (Dijle and Grote Nete), representative for the European Loess and Coversand Belts. Both were shaped profoundly by human impact but at different times, at different rates and with different outcomes. This project combines geomorphological and landscape-historical analyses, quantifying soil mobilization over 10,000 years and examining human-environment relations since the eighteenth century. The project's outcomes are expected to inform governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in rural and floodplain management, while also exploring the potential contribution of cultural heritage to sustainable landscape management. 

This PhD position will focus on the quantification of soil mobilisation rates over the last few millennia. It includes an assessment of soil erosion rates by water and wind combining soil erosion model approaches with pollen-based land cover reconstructions and field-based data on historic soil erosion and sedimentation for model validation. Furthermore, rates of direct anthropogenic impact through sand, loess and peat mining will be made combining historical maps, archival records, soil coring and analysis of high-resolution LIDAR data. 

The interdisciplinary PhD in Geography & History will collaborate with an interdisciplinary PhD in History & Geography, under the supervision of both promoters of the project (Yves Segers, History and Gert Verstraeten, Geography).

Profile

Applicants are expected to have the following qualifications and attitudes:

• An MSc in Geography, Geology, Geosciences or related disciplines with demonstrable interest for and/or experience in History.
• Expertise with soil coring and sampling, and willingness to perform field work.
• Demonstrable experience with GIS and numerical modelling.
• Collaborative attitude; ability to work independently; ability to contribute creatively to the project.
• Skilled in academic writing, oral communication of research results, present research in international conferences and intermediate publications, strong analytical skills.

Offer

We offer:

• A full-time PhD position for a period of 1 year that can be extended up to 4 years after positive evaluations following the regulations of the Arenberg Doctoral School
• A doctoral scholarship with a net salary equal to that of an assistant (for more info see https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/en/phd/phd-information#working-conditions)
• S/he will receive all regular provisions for PhD fellows at KU Leuven, allocated office space, a PC or laptop and additional funding for research activities like attending conferences abroad.

The successful candidate will be asked to provide (limited) assistance with teaching, student supervision and data management.

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Gert Verstraeten, tel.: +32 16 32 64 11, mail: gert.verstraeten@kuleuven.be or Prof. dr. Yves Segers, tel.: +32 16 32 35 43, mail: yves.segers@kuleuven.be. 

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.