PhD in Microclimate CFD Modeling for Greenhouse Horticulture — TU Delft

Key details

• Host institution: Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
• Location: Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Mekelweg 2, Delft, Netherlands
• Application deadline: July 15, 2026

Funding

Not funded by a EU programme

Funding level (from listing): partial or not via EU framework — confirm on the official call.

How to apply

• Apply by email to [email protected] (subject line and attachments per the official instructions).
• Full vacancy text and updates: Euraxess listing.

About the position

We are seeking a PhD candidate to help solve a key challenge in greenhouse horticulture: designing high-resolution microclimate observation networks to enable energy savings by optimizing the growth microclimate for greenhouse crops.

Job Description

Crop microclimate plays a vital role in optimizing the productivity of greenhouse crops, yet accurate knowledge of variations in greenhouse microclimates remains limited. In particular, understanding the interactions between crop vegetation structure and their microclimate environment remains a challenge.

In this PhD research, you will develop CFD models at different scales, from 2D and 3D techniques resolving plant structure and flows at the leaf-to-plant scale, to multi-layered plant-climate models resolving canopy-scale fluxes, to porous media models representing airflow and fluxes at the full greenhouse or vertical farm scale. An important challenge in connecting these models lies in a proper representation of aerodynamic and flux resistances and plant-climate interactions at each hierarchical scale.

Your research will focus on numerical CFD modeling using adaptive grids to represent leaf-plant-canopy climate gradients and fluxes for improved prediction of crop-climate interactions. You will start by implementing a geometrically idealized plant model in the CFD model to represent plant structure and study the impact of airflows on turbulence and aerodynamic resistance inside the canopy, as well as on heat diffusion and temperature penetration in response to radiation. Results will be compared with experimental data collected by another PhD researcher in the same project. A next step will be to extend the CFD model with mass fluxes of CO2 and water vapor and study the impact of airflows and sensible heat flux on mass fluxes and their associated source and sink terms from the vegetation. Based on these findings, you will develop conceptual representations using resistance analogies to transfer the identified relationships to a multi-layer model structure that can be used at the greenhouse scale.

In this project, you will work in close collaboration with a team of PhD researchers and postdocs, as well as project partners from industry and the horticulture sector. Therefore, communication skills and proven ability to work productively in a team are very important. You will work closely with two supervisors – Marie-Claire ten Veldhuis (experimental expertise) and Bas van de Wiel (theoretical expertise) – and a dedicated technician. This team-oriented supervision approach has proven effective in previous projects, with weekly joint whiteboard sessions.

You will be hosted by the Geoscience & Remote Sensing Department in the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences at TU Delft. As part of our diverse and dedicated team of professors, lecturers, PhD and postdoc researchers, you will have the opportunity to work closely with leading experts and industry partners at the national and international level. Our unique facilities provide an ideal environment for experimental research and innovation. Here, you will receive all the support and coaching you need to further develop your career.

Job Requirements

• You hold an MSc in applied physics, atmospheric science, or a related field.
• You have proven relevant project/thesis experience with complex CFD simulations.
• You are a team player and enjoy interdisciplinary collaboration.
• You have a good command of written and spoken English.

Conditions of Employment

• Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts: an initial 1.5-year contract with an official go/no-go progress assessment within 15 months, followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.
• Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €3,059 to €3,881 gross per month from the first to the fourth year based on a full-time contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• As a PhD candidate, you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School, which provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff, and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related, and research skills.
• TU Delft offers a customizable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.
• Relocation support is available through the Coming to Delft Service, including a Dual Career Programme to support an accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional Information

For more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Bas van de Wiel via [email protected].

Application Procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 15 July 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV
• Motivational letter

You can address your application to Bas van de Wiel.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details, please check the Graduate School’s Admission Requirements.

Please note: You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.