PhD position

The objective of SOPHIE is that it supports the realisation of qualified soil hydro-physics (SHP) data, highly needed in EU policy making, coming from EU-wide agreed, preferred, and innovated costeffective laboratory- and field methods, accomplished through international collaboration. Soil Hydro-Physics (SHP) properties are the properties that determine soil-water-interactions: (i) water flow and water retention, and (ii) with the water flow, the transport of dissolved compounds like nitrogen, phosphates, pesticides, antibiotics, organics, etc. As a result, SHP-properties play an important role in a variety of societal issues that depend on the soil-water condition: e.g. food security & agricultural development (drought and water damage, precision drainage, irrigation). However, based on different field data collection procedures and soil sample analysis techniques, SHP data might differ from one country or research unit to another. Hence probably also impacting research and studies depending on these SHP data. SOPHIE’s objective is to identify the impact of these different field and data analysis techniques on SHP data, and propose a more harmonized approach. The candidate’s PhD research will focus on the impact of SHP data variations on water-soil-plant modelling results.