FWO Mandaten 2025
Met een mandaat aspirant fundamenteel of strategisch basisonderzoek kunnen jonge onderzoekers zich voorbereiden op het behalen van een doctoraat (PhD), en zich zo bekwamen tot onafhankelijke kritische wetenschappers. Fundamenteel en strategisch basisonderzoek in de context van een doctoraatsbeurs houdt (doctoraatswaardig) uitdagend, vernieuwend en excellent onderzoek in. Het INBO wil graag kandidaten voor een FWO-PhD-beurs ondersteunen wanneer zij onderzoek willen uitvoeren op een voor het INBO belangrijk thema. Die staan beschreven in onze position paper. Het INBO treedt hierbij op als tweede gastinstelling, en begeleidt de doctorandi aan de hand van een co-promotor, opleidingen, ondersteunende diensten, enzovoort.
>> FWO-website: aspirant fundamenteel onderzoek
>> FWO-Website: aspirant strategisch basisonderzoek
>> FWO-website: INBO-FWO mandaten
Voor het financieren van een beperkt aantal mandaten werkt het FWO ook samen met het INBO. Ze zijn onderworpen aan de reglementen van toepassing op FWO-predoctorale mandaten.
Het INBO is nog op zoek naar doctorandi. Hieronder vindt u een korte beschrijving van de onderwerpen. Neem contact op met de vermelde INBO-wetenschapper als u interesse heeft in een van de onderwerpen:
Population genetic studies to assess the establishment and spread of forest soil fauna, with a particular emphasis on terrestrial isopods and fragmented forests
Contact: An Vanden Broeck & Karen Cox
Forest soil fauna's critical role in soil processes is increasingly recognized. However, the taxonomy and ecology of many soil fauna taxa, remains poorly understood. Additionally, limited information exists on the colonization patterns, dispersal potential, and invasiveness of native and non-native soil fauna. However, the past years a vast amount of research was done in Belgium and beyond on terrestrial isopods, a key taxa for many ecosystem functions. To the extent that they could be used a an ideal model taxa to study soil fauna. This study uses molecular genetic data to evaluate the current distribution of forest soil fauna, with a particular emphasis on terrestrial isopods. Population genetic analyses will offer insights into the establishment and colonization pathways of these organisms, mainly in old-growth forests. The findings will support species distribution modeling and enhance our understanding of the establishment and spread of important taxa of the forest soil fauna.
Exploring human dimensions of co-existence with large mammals in Flanders
Contact: Jim Casaer & Anneleen Rutten
The past Convention on Biological Diversity called for extra attention to focus on interactions between humans and animals to minimize potential conflicts. In Flanders, controversy and conflicts arise between different stakeholders, when dealing with species such as wild boar and wolves where coexistence is challenged by their impacts. At the same time, we see that the solutions used are often purely of technical nature, such as population management or preventive measures. They do not address the complex underlying processes that cause the conflicts between different interest groups. For several years now, INBO's Wildlife Management and Invasive Species team has been carrying out research in support of the presence of wild boar and its management. This research is done through periodic online surveys of the general public and target groups (hunters, farmers, nature conservationists). Until now, the surveys were processed in a quantitative way by using PCI (Potential for conflict index).
We are now looking for a doctoral student and a university department that would like to join us in doing more in-depth research using both quantitative and qualitative research techniques. We would like to analyze relationships between answers and conduct in depth interviews that should allow us to better understand the results of the surveys. We're therefore looking for a PhD-candidate with a strong knowlegde and experience of quantitative and qualitative social research methods.
We also want to extend the survey to questions about other species, including wolves.
Assisted migration of tree species to sustain functional forests in the future
Contact: An Vanden Broeck
This project focuses on exploring how functional assisted migration can help maintain ecosystem functions in forest ecosystems under climate change. Unlike traditional assisted migration strategies that prioritize the protection of threatened species, functional assisted migration addresses functional gaps anticipated from local species extinctions. We aim to develop a methodology that combines species distribution modeling and functional trait analysis to identify suitable tree species for functional assisted migration. These candidates will be chosen to sustain key ecosystem functions, including microclimate buffering, wood production, and biodiversity support. Using the mechanistic forest model iLand, we will simulate the introduction of these species into forest landscapes and assess their impact on the forest's response to climate change. The outcomes will provide insights into how assisted migration can preserve critical forest functions in a changing climate.
Voor de volgende onderwerpen zoeken we geen kandidaten meer:
- Global change impacts on species community metrics, distributions, and morphology within European saproxylic beetle communities: a citizen science data approach
- Mapping and monitoring Old Growth forests in Flanders in the light of the EU Biodiversity Strategy
- Enhancing Biodiversity and Flood Resilience through hydromorphological restoration of large rivers in Belgium
- Optimizing Dike Vegetation for Biodiversity Conservation and Erosion Resistance in the Scheldt Basin
- Understanding and managing biting midge (Culicoides) dynamics in the Scheldt Valley: ecological insights and mitigation strategies to support Nature-based Solutions
- Process-based approaches for invasive species management: population dynamics and management feasibility of ring-necked parakeets