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PhD vacancy in Assessing Urban Gully Erosion and its impacts

  • //applyindex.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/belgium.png Belgium
  • University/Institute Name KU Leuven
  • Attendance Type On Campus (Full Time)
  • Position DurationSee Position Description
  • Position Funding Type PhD Research Funding
  • Application deadlineJanuary 20, 2026
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Position Details (PhD Research Project)

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Division of Geography & Tourism at KU Leuven (Belgium) is seeking a full-time PhD candidate for 4 years in the context of a research project in collaboration with the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Belgium). As part of the Earth surface processes and climate research group, you will work on a PhD project monitoring and modelling the expansion dynamics of urban gullies in Central Africa.
The Earth surface processes and climate research group is a multi-facetted team focused on understanding the changing and complex relationships between society and nature in both Global North and South contexts. More specifically, the team of Prof. Matthias Vanmaercke explores how processes of global change (e.g. urbanization, land cover/use and climate change) affects geomorphic processes like gully erosion and what the societal impacts of these processes are.
This PhD project will be carried out in co-supervision with Dr. Antoine Dille and Dr. Olivier Dewitte from the Natural Hazards Unit at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA). The Natural Hazards Unit is an interdisciplinary team that contributes to addressing the challenges of disaster risk reduction related geo-hydrological hazards and risks in changing African environments. The team combines fundamental and applied research with capacity building and long-term collaborations with African institutions, and has developed recognized expertise in the use of satellite remote sensing to investigate geo-hydrological hazards.

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Project

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 they are often not considered in risk and disaster assessments, recent research led by our team showed that they are a severely underestimated geo-hydrological hazard. For example, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) alone, around 12,000 persons per year likely lose their house due to the formation and expansion of urban gullies. Over 3 million Congolese currently live in the potential expansion zone of urban gullies and are directly exposed to this risk.
Nevertheless, many questions remain poorly understood, especially with respect to the expansion dynamics of urban gullies. Within the context of the recently launched BELSPO STEREO IV project “HOMER” (Geo-hydrological Hazards in the changing African trOpics: sediments, dynaMics and intERactions) we are recruiting a PhD candidate to help addressing these knowledge gaps. Specifically, the PhD topic will focus on:
  1. the development and application of novel (satellite) remote sensing procedures that allow to track the expansion of urban gullies in the DRC at high temporal resolutions;
  2. the analysis of gully expansion time series to identify rainfall thresholds associated with expansion events and to develop applicable models that can predict the occurrence and magnitude of urban gully expansion.
  3. the application of this model, using current and future climate and land use scenarios to assess the current and projected impacts of urban gully erosion.
While the focus of this research will be on remote sensing and modelling, we foresee opportunities for a few field missions in DRC to better understand the context and validate the results obtained.

Profile

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate who meets the following criteria:
  • You hold a master’s degree in geography, bio-engineering, or another relevant discipline in environmental sciences.
  • You have obtained excellent academic results in your previous studies.
  • You have a strong interest in quantitative research methods and wish to have a positive impact on the world through academic research.
  • Experience with remote sensing, programming, geomorphic and/or geostatistical modelling is preferred.
  • Familiarity with gully erosion, geo-hydrological hazards, hydrology urban planning and/or disaster impact assessment are an advantage.
  • Fluency in English (spoken and written) is required.
  • Proficiency in Dutch or French are an advantage.
  • You are willing to relocate to Belgium
  • You are willing to conduct short fieldwork campaigns in a Global South context.
  • As a PhD student, you will assist in teaching activities and supervise master’s theses (a few hours per week on average)

Offer

  • A fully funded PhD scholarship for one year, extendable to 4 years after positive evaluation.
  • A dynamic and interdisciplinary research group within the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Division of Geography & Tourism at KU Leuven and the Royal Museum of Central Africa.
  • Office space at KU Leuven’s Arenberg campus and the Royal Museum of Central Africa.
Expected starting date: 1st of March 2026 (negotiable)

Interested?

To apply for this position, please submit: your CV, academic records (Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees), a motivation letter, and a letter of recommendation. In addition, provide the reference and abstract of any academic work (e.g. research article, book chapter) that you find inspiring. Linked to this, briefly explain (max. 250 words) why you find this work inspiring or interesting within 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 project proposal (including bibliography) prior to this interview.

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Matthias Vanmaercke, tel.: +32 16 37 21 67, mail: [emailprotected].

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.

Research Areas & Fields of Study involved in the position

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