We are seeking a 36-month PDRA to work on a joint NERC-NSF funded project ‘Sensors Under Snow: Seasonal Processes in the Evolution of Arctic Soils (SUN SPEARS)’. The PDRA will develop a novel microbial-biogeochemical model for Arctic soils. The overall aim is to improve the understanding of how seasonal processes contribute to the long-term development of Arctic soils, by linking soil biogeochemical, microbial, geophysical and hydrogeological processes in a mechanistic model. The model will address how soils form following glacier retreat, quantify ecosystem and biogeochemical dynamics, and simulate the future fate of Arctic soils following large-scale ice retreat and climate warming. These activities are linked to the main SUN SPEARS project, which will monitor High-Arctic glacier forefield soils year-round via geophysical sensors and measurement of soil microbial and biogeochemical processes. Model development and calibration will make use of field datasets that will be collected during fieldwork campaigns throughout 2021 and 2022. The PDRA will therefore work within a multidisciplinary team (biogeochemistry, modelling, geomicrobiology, geophysics) and thus develop an interdisciplinary skill set. There may be opportunities for the PDRA to participate in fieldwork in Svalbard. The closing date for applications is January 15, 2021.