Vrije Universiteit Brussel

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike.

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Homepage: https://www.vub.be/en

We are looking for a polyvalent and motivated PhD candidate to join us in our quest to find very old ice close to the Princess Elisabeth Station in Antarctica (Belgian Antarctic research station) within the BE COOL project, funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office.

Note that an Antarctic fieldwork mission is integrated in the PhD plan and that the PhD candidate will have the opportunity to join this fieldwork. However, the fieldwork component is not mandatory.

Efforts to find very old, continuous ice records (>1 Ma) have so far mostly focused on deep drilling (several kilometers) in the interior of Antarctica. An alternative approach is to collect ice records at shallow depths in so-called blue ice areas, where younger layers of snow and ice are removed, and the ice flow is redirected towards the surface of the ice sheet. Old ice is therefore easily accessible, but the mountainous regions typical for blue ice areas result in a complex stratigraphy at the surface and at depth.

In the BE COOL project, we want to understand the occurrence of very old ice in Antarctic blue ice areas and to identify a suitable drilling site to retrieve ice older than 1 million years. During a first geophysical survey in 2024–2025 we collected Ground Penetrating Radar data, surface ice samples, surface velocity data, and surface mass balance measurements within blue ice areas in the Sør Rondane Mountains, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. In following missions, more field data, including new ice samples, will be collected. As a PhD candidate, you would be at the center of this exciting interdisciplinary effort, by:

(i) Integrating and analyzing field measurements and remote sensing observations to enhance the understanding of blue ice areas in the Sør Rondane Mountains,

(ii) Developing a theoretical framework to better explain the formation of blue ice areas and the processes governing the capture and preservation of ancient ice within them,

(iii) Being involved in the preparation for a fieldwork mission in Antarctica, as well as in the coordination and processing of collected data and ice samples.

For more questions about the project or the position, please contact us at bglacier@vub.be

What are we looking for?

• An enthusiastic, inquisitive, and independent person, with good English and communication skills.
• MSc in geosciences, (geo)physics, or another related field. Background in programming, statistics, and remote sensing or modelling. Fieldwork experience (not mandatory).

What do we offer?

• A fully funded PhD position, with a competitive salary and other advantages (pension scheme, public transport to/from work, health insurance).
• A position at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels, Belgium), in the department of Water and Climate (bglacier research group, led by Prof. Dr. Harry Zekollari), a dynamic and international environment. The work will occur in direct collaboration with the Université libre de Bruxelles (Brussels, Belgium; Prof. Dr. François Fripiat).
• International collaborations with partners of the BE COOL project (France, USA, and Germany)

The starting date of the position is flexible, but ideally somewhere between March 2026 and May 2026.

Are you interested in joining us on this scientific journey? If so, please send your application before the 12th of December to bglacier@vub.be. This application should consist of a single PDF document that includes a (i) motivation/cover letter (max. 2 pages), (ii) contact details of two references, and (iii) your CV (including your experience in different programming languages and GIS or other software). Tentative timeline for applications: interview invitations in mid–late December; interviews in mid-January.

The BE COOL team: Veronica Tollenaar (veronica.tollenaar@vub.be), Etienne Legrain (etienne.legrain@vub.be), François Fripiat (francois.fripiat@ulb.be), Harry Zekollari (harry.zekollari@vub.be).