Utrecht University, Department of Earth Sciences

Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth's core to its surface, including man's spatial and material utilisation of the Earth - always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With a population of 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Physical Geography, Sustainable Development, and Human Geography & Spatial Planning.

The Department of Earth Sciences conducts teaching and research across the full range of the solid Earth and environmental Earth sciences, with activities in almost all areas of geology, geochemistry, geophysics, biogeology and hydrogeology. Our key research themes are Earth & Planetary Processes, Sustainable Use of the Subsurface, Planetary Health & Environment, and Climate & Life. The department hosts a highly international tenured staff. We house or have access to a wide variety of world-class laboratories, among which are UU’s Electron Microscopy Centre, the Geolab, and the Earth Simulation Lab. We also have excellent High- Performance Computing facilities and organise a warm welcome for every new member.

About Utrecht

Utrecht is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands with a population of nearly 360,000 and forms a hub in the middle of the country. Its historical city centre and its modern central station can easily be reached from our campus in Utrecht Science Park by public transport or by a 15-minute bicycle ride. Utrecht boasts beautiful canals with extraordinary wharf cellars housing cafés and terraces by the water, as well as a broad variety of shops and boutiques.

Homepage: https://www.uu.nl/geo/aw/

The Department of Earth Sciences is looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate with an MSc background in Earth Sciences, Inorganic Chemistry, Material Sciences or other appropriate fields. You will work on the project Quantifying lithium partitioning between rock-forming minerals and silicate melt.

Lithium has various industrial applications, with the electrification of transport infrastructure driving rapid growth in demand. Today, batteries consume more than three-quarters of global lithium production, and according to the IEA forecasts this production will double by 2030. An integrated understanding of lithium mineral systems is clearly needed to support exploration efforts for this energy critical metal.

The PhD student will explore the geochemical behaviour of lithium in the Earth's crust as a function of variables such as composition, temperature, pressure, and oxygen fugacity. The candidate will focus on understanding and quantifying controls on the mobilisation, concentration and trapping of lithium to form pegmatite ore bodies. The project will utilise high-pressure high-temperature experimental equipment hosted by the UU Earth Simulation Laboratory, and the world-leading analytical facilities hosted at UU’s Electron Microscopy Centre.

Project description

Recent advances in thermodynamic phase equilibrium modelling facilitate the prediction of metal budgets of crustal magmatic systems (e.g., Weller et al., 2024 JPet, Soderman et al., 2025 Nat Geosci). Pseudosections, the bespoke phase diagrams generated by such models, can be used to explore equilibrium assemblages with respect to the proportion and composition of mineral, melt and fluid phases across a range of geologically-relevant pressure, temperature and composition. With constraints on the partitioning of trace elements among coexisting phases, one can model their distribution during magmatic processes, and crucially the locations within pegmatite mineral systems that are predisposed to form lithium mineralisation.

We currently have a patchy and discontinuous view of the behaviour of lithium in crustal magmatic systems. Most existing element distribution studies report discrete partitioning values applicable only at the pressure, temperature and composition conditions (P-T-X) directly explored by their experiments (e.g., Icenhower & London, 1995, AmMin). The proposed project will

1. compile existing element partitioning data between rock-forming minerals and melt in granite pegmatite systems;
2. identify the key phases that may dominate the lithium budgets of these magmas (e.g., muscovite, cordierite, garnet);
3. conduct HP-HT crystallisation experiments designed to cover underrepresented P-T-X space relevant for lithium pegmatite genesis; and
4. calibrate empirical expressions that describe the partitioning of lithium between major mineral phases and silicate melt (e.g., Beard et al., 2019, 2020, in review).

The empirical partitioning expressions generated in this work, when integrated with the phase equilibrium models described above, have potential to provide a unified and quantitative understanding of lithium distribution in crustal magmatic systems. Consequently, this project has the long-term potential to revolutionise approaches to critical metal exploration in magmatic settings.

Training

A personalised training programme will be set up, reflecting your training needs and career objectives. About 20% of your time will be dedicated to this training component, which includes following courses/workshops as well as training on the job in assisting in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes of the department at Utrecht University.

Qualifications:

We seek candidates who are motivated by the proposed research, take initiative to develop ideas, are self-driven and can work independently and within a team. Applicants should hold a MSc degree in Earth Sciences, Chemistry, Material Sciences, or a related discipline by the time the position starts. Furthermore, it is favourable to have:

• Experience designing and conducting experiments and processing geological samples
• A theoretical background in thermodynamics, mineralogy, petrology and economic geology;
• Statistics and coding experience;
• A willingness to experiment with new data collection methods;
• A flair for written, graphical and oral communication;
• And above all, creativity and curiosity.

Due to the international character of our research, good command of spoken and written English is essential. We highly encourage applicants from all members of our community and of diverse backgrounds to join us.

Terms of employment:

You will be offered a full-time PhD position, initially for one year with extension to four years in total upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period. The gross monthly salary starts with € 3,059 in the first year and increases to € 3,881 in the fourth year of employment with a full-time appointment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8,3% per year. A pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions are based on the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities.

In addition to the collective employment conditions, Utrecht University has a number of its own arrangements. These include agreements on professional development, leave arrangements, sports and cultural schemes, and you get discounts on software and other IT products. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment through the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This is how we encourage you to grow. For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University.

For informal questions (not applications), please contact Dr Charles Beard at c.d.beard@uu.nl.

To apply, please use this link to go to the advertisement on UU’s own website and follow the guidelines mentioned there. We aim for a quick selection procedure after the deadline of October 20^th, 2025. We aim to start the position by January 1^st, 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Note that international candidates that need a visa/work permit for the Netherlands require at least four months processing time after selection and acceptance. This will be arranged with help of the International Service Desk (ISD) of our university. Finding appropriate housing in or near Utrecht is your own responsibility and, unfortunately, we must warn that it is a tight market at the moment. In case of general questions about working and living in The Netherlands, please consult the Dutch Mobility Portal.

Online screening may be part of the selection. Commercial response to this ad is not appreciated.