University of Leuven (KU Leuven) - Division of Geography and Tourism

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at KU Leuven (Belgium), within the Science and Technology Group at KU Leuven, is a department with 38 full-time professors, about 240 researchers and 24 full-time administrative and technical staff.

The main mission of the Department is to conduct high quality scientific research on the functioning of geo- and ecosystems at different temporal and spatial scales, including human-environment interactions and the sustainable management of natural resources.

The members of the Department provide high quality education in the fields of bioengineering, geography, geology and tourism. The Department aims to play a major role in societal issues such as:

• environmental pollution
• food production
• climate change
• forest, green and nature management
• soil and water management
• subsoil exploitation
• urban and rural issues
• development cooperation
• tourism

Homepage: https://ees.kuleuven.be/en/index.html

PhD Vacancy: Urban Gullies in the Global South

Urban gullies are a rapidly growing concern in many cities of the tropical Global South. They typically result from inappropriate urban planning and insufficient infrastructure to safely store and evacuate rainfall in environments that are already highly sensitive to soil erosion.

While often not considered in risk and disaster assessments, recent research by our team showed they are a severely underestimated geohydrological hazard. For example:

• In the Democratic Republic of Congo alone, ~12,000 people per year likely lose their house due to the formation and expansion of urban gullies.
• Over 3 million Congolese currently live in potential urban gully expansion zones.

Despite significant prior research, many questions remain. Depending on the candidate’s profile and interests, and the outcome of other complementary projects, this PhD will focus on one or more of the following research themes:

1. Understanding spatial patterns of urban gully occurrence and its impacts at a global scale.
2. Developing (semi-)automatic remote sensing methods to detect gully formation and expansion events at high temporal resolution.
3. Developing data-driven and/or geomorphic models to predict location and timing of gully events at high resolution.
4. Assessing how urban planning and built environment characteristics interact with urban gully formation and expansion.

Alternative or complementary themes may be discussed.

Profile

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate who meets the following criteria:

• Holds a Master’s degree in geography, bio-engineering, or a related environmental science field.
• Excellent academic performance.
• Strong interest in quantitative research methods and academic research with societal impact.
• Experience with programming, remote sensing, geomorphic and/or geostatistical modelling is preferred.
• Familiarity with gully erosion, geohydrological hazards, hydrology, urban planning, and/or disaster impact assessment is an advantage.
• Fluency in English (spoken and written) is required.
• Proficiency in Dutch, French, and/or Portuguese is a plus.
• Willing to relocate to Belgium.
• Willing to conduct fieldwork, depending on project direction.
• Willing to assist in teaching and supervise Master’s theses (a few hours per week).

Offer

• A fully funded PhD scholarship for one year, renewable up to 4 years upon positive evaluation.
• A dynamic and interdisciplinary research group within the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Division of Geography & Tourism.
• Office space at KU Leuven’s Arenberg campus.
• Expected starting date: October 1, 2025 (negotiable).

Interested?

To apply, please submit:

• Your CV
• Academic records (Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees)
• A motivation letter
• A letter of recommendation
• A reference and abstract of any academic work (e.g. article, book chapter) that you find inspiring, along with a short (max. 250 words) explanation of why you find it inspiring in the context of this PhD project.

Application Process

Only pre-selected candidates will be invited for an interview. Pre-selected candidates will be asked to submit a three-page research proposal (with bibliography) prior to the interview.

For more information, contact:
Prof. Dr. Matthias Vanmaercke
T: +32 16 37 21 67
E: matthias.vanmaercke@kuleuven.be

You can apply no later than August 4, 2025 via the online application tool available here: https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60503555?lang=en