The SSSB is pleased to announce that the 2026 Day of the Young Soil Scientist will take place on Monday, April 27th, 2026, at the Academy of Sciences in Brussels in the Prigogine room and adjacent Patio area.
We look forward to seeing many of you again in person and warmly welcome ‘new faces’ into our Belgian soil science community. Use the link below to register and find more details on abstract submission.
A full day of talks and poster presentations by young soil scientists
A workshop tailored to needs of young researchers
Best oral presentation and best poster receive awards
Coffee breaks & sandwich lunch included in registration fee
When & where
Date: 27/03/2026, 8h30h-17h00
Venue: Royal Academy, Hertogstraat 1 – 1 Rue Ducale, Brussels – the Prigogine room (Oral presentations) & adjacent Patio (Posters & coffee)
Oral and poster presentations
During the Day of Young Soil Scientists, participants can actively engage in the program by delivering either oral or poster presentations. Oral presentations typically last about 15 minutes, while poster presenters have the opportunity to give a brief flash presentation of approximately 3 minutes. Both plenary discussions and informal, one-on-one exchanges are encouraged, fostering a relaxed and interactive atmosphere.
Abstracts
Submission: Use the below template and send your abstract to contact@soilbelgium.be with the following e-mail heading DYSS2026_FamilyName_GivenName.
Language: English – Format: max 300 words, use the below template
Indicate your preference for an oral or poster presentation. There is no limit to the number of poster presentations. MSc thesis students are strongly encouraged to create a poster based on their thesis work, with a particular focus on their research question and methodology.
Deadline for submitting abstracts is April 12th, 2026. A decision on acceptance for oral or poster presentation will be communicated to you by April 18th, 2026.
Registration
Register for the DYSS 2026 as presenter or regular attendee and meet your fellow soil scientists. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to exchange, learn and network. Price depends on member status. Registrations are open till April 15, 2026.
Continuing a valued tradition, the Belgian Soil Science Society is once again organizing the Day of Young Soil Scientists, providing a platform for early-career researchers in both fundamental and applied soil science. The event is open to young scientists—MSc and PhD students, as well as early-career postdocs—affiliated with a Belgian academic or research institution.
Following last year’s successful edition, we look forward to welcoming many familiar faces and, of course, meeting new participants. Use the link below to register and find more details on abstract submission.
Update: We welcome 43 participants. Full program and book of abstracts can be downloaded below. See you soon!
A full day of talks and poster presentations by young soil scientists
Best oral presentation and best poster receive awards
Coffee breaks & sandwich lunch included in registration fee
When & where
Date 26/03/2025: 8h30h-17h00
Venue: Royal Academy, Hertogstraat 1, Brussels – The Rubens room (Oral presentations) & The Atrium (Posters & coffee)
We welcome 43 participants on our DYSS2025! The program for oral and poster presentations, as well as the book of abstracts can be downloaded below.
Oral and poster presentations
During the Day of Young Soil Scientists, participants can actively engage in the program by delivering either oral or poster presentations. Oral presentations typically last about 15 minutes, while poster presenters have the opportunity to give a brief flash presentation of approximately 3 minutes. Both plenary discussions and informal, one-on-one exchanges are encouraged, fostering a relaxed and interactive atmosphere.
Abstracts
Indicate your preference for an oral or poster presentation. There is no limit to the number of poster presentations. MSc thesis students are strongly encouraged to create a poster based on their thesis work, with a particular focus on their research question and methodology.
Deadline for submitting abstracts is March 10th, 2025. UPDATE: extension of deadline till March 12, 2025.
Submission: send your abstract to contact@soilbelgium.be with the following e-mail heading DYSS2025_Name_Given Name
Format Language: English & max 300 words, Use the following template
A decision on acceptance for oral or poster presentation will be communicated to you by March 14th, 2025.
Registration
Register for the DYSS 2025 as presenter or regular attendee and meet your fellow soil scientists. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to exchange, learn and network. Price depends on member status. Registrations are open till March 14, 2025.
In good tradition the Belgian Soil Science Society is yet once more organizing its ‘Young Soil Scientist Day‘ where we offer a forum to starting researchers in both fundamental and applied soil science. Open to young (MSc & PhD-students and young post-docs) working at a Belgian Academic or Research Institute. Following last year’s successful edition we hope to see many of you back and welcome new faces of course as well. See the below link to register and find more info on abstract submission.
An update: 42 registrants & program provided below. Find the book of abstracts here below!
Register for the DYSS 2024 as presenter or regular attendee and meet your fellow soil scientists. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to exchange, learn and network. Price depends on member status.
Give your preference of oral or poster presentation. There is no limit to the number of poster presentations. MSc. thesis students are warmly encouraged to make a poster on their actual thesis work, with special attention to the research question they are trying to answer + the methods of their research.
Deadline for submitting abstracts is February 26nd 2024.
Submission: send your abstract to Ann.Verdoodt@UGent.be with the following your e-mail heading DYSS2024_Name_Given Name
Format Language: English & max 300 words, Use the following template
In good tradition the Belgian Soil Science Society is yet once more organizing its ‘Young Soil Scientist Day‘ where we offer a forum to starting researchers in both fundamental and applied soil science. Open to young (MSc & PhD-students and young post-docs) working at a Belgian Academic or Research Institute. Following last year’s successful edition we hope to see many of you back and welcome new faces of course as well. See the below link to register and find more info on abstract submission.
What
A full day of talks and poster presentations by young soil scientists
Best oral presentation and best poster receive awards
Keynote speaker Karen Vancampenhout (KULeuven)
Coffee breaks & sandwich lunch included in registration fee
Final program here below + download the book of abstracts
Welcome Prof. Jeroen Meersmans (ULiège) – President of SSSB
9.10-10.30
Oral presentations – 9.10 – 9.30: Boito Lucilla – Silicates rock! Steps towards application of silicate rocks to mitigate climate change – 9.30 – 9.50: Arthur Vienne – Insights from a basalt mesocosm experiment. Do earthworms stimulate carbon sequestration through enhanced weathering? – 9:50 – 10.10: Nicolas Kovacs – Converting grassland to a bamboo plantation affects soil organic carbon stock and dynamics – 10:10 – 10.30: Kelly Wittemans – Digital mapping of soil properties in Flanders using the DOV soil database
10.30-11.30
Coffee Break + Posters (incl. poster tour start@10.40)
11.30-12.30
Workshop “Research ethic and misconduct: a focus on scientific publication”
12.30-13.30
Lunch Break + Posters (incl. poster tour start@12.45)
13.30-14.10
Key Note Presentation Prof. Karen Vancampenhout (KU Leuven) – Former president of SSSB The ways of the dead – finding a nexus between biotic and abiotic drivers of soil carbon cycling
14.10-14.30
Oral presentations – 14.10 – 14.30: Marie Dincher – Major element residence times in humus from a beech forest: the role of element forms and recycling
14.30-15.30
Coffee Break + Posters (incl. poster tour start@14.40)
15.30-16.30
Oral presentations – 15.30 – 15.50: Astrid Francoys – Assessing capillary rise in a laboratory set-up: impact of contrasting groundwater depths on topsoil moisture and mineralization of added plant material – 15.50 – 16.10: Florian Lauryssen – Phosphorus reference conditions in lowland streams: survey in old forests and anaerobic sediment release – 16.10 – 16.30: Yixian Chen – Data-driven prediction of gully densities at the global scale
16.30-17.00
Closing and Drink
When & Where?
Date 24/03/2023: 8h30h-17h00
Venue: Royal Academy, Hertogstraat 1, Brussels – The Ockeghem room (Oral presentations) & The Atrium (Posters & coffee)
Registration
Register for the DYSS 2023 as presenter or regular attendee and meet your fellow soil scientists. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to exchange, learn and network. Price depends on member status.
Give your preference of oral or poster presentation. There is no limit to the number of poster presentations. MSc. thesis students are warmly encouraged to make a poster on their actual thesis work, with special attention to the research question they are trying to answer + the methods of their research.
Deadline for submitting abstracts is March 6th 2023.
Submission: send your abstract to Ann.Verdoodt@UGent.be with the following your e-mail heading DYSS2023_Name_Given Name
Format Language: English & max 300 words, Use the following template
The DYSS was a success with 37 participants and 14 new members! In total 14 oral presentations and 15 posters, accompanied by flash presentations and lively discussion in interaction with the audience.
Mr. Jacques Kilelawho was awarded for the best oral presentation, entitled “Effect of organic amendment on the physicochemical characteristics of tailing and root development of tree species, fifteen years after planting”.
Ms. Andrea Cecere was awarded best poster presentation, entitled “Impacts of soil conductivity on plant transpiration regulation under drought”
Congratulations to both and to all other high quality presentations. A few more impressions of the day below and we hope to see many of you all next year!
Venue: Royal Academy, Hertogstraat 1, Brussels – The Rubens auditorium (Oral presentations) & The Atrium (Posters & coffee)
Registration
Register for the DYSS 2022 and meet your fellow soil scientists. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to exchange, learn and network.
A full day of talks and poster presentations by young soil scientists
Keynote speaker Jean-Thomas Cornelis – “Pedology, a key discipline if we are to harness all the complexity of soil-root-plant interactions to build resilient ecosystem”
Best oral presentation and best poster receive awards and a priceless 😉 SSSB-knife!
Coffee breaks & sandwich lunch incl. in registration fee
Extra workshop (to be confirmed) on work/life balance
Program: SSSB – Day of the Young Soil Scientists
* 8.30 onwards — Doors Open
* 8.45 – 9.00 — Registration
* 9.00 – 9.15—Welkom
– Prof. Karen Vancampenhout (KU Leuven) – President of SSSB
* 9.15 – 10.30 — Oral Presentations
– 9.15 – 9.30 : Marie Dincher – Importance of particles in the input-output budget of major elements in humus of a beech forest
– 9.30 – 9.45 : Lin Wang – Effects of treated wastewater irrigation on soil quality
– 9:45 – 10:00 : Klara Dvorakova – Improving soil organic carbon predictions from Sentinel 2 soil composites by assessing surface conditions and uncertainties
– 10:00 – 10.15 : Florence Tan – Evaluating the large-scale applicability of hillslope sediment connectivity models
– 10.15 – 10.30 : Mekonnen Getahun – Soils and vegetation of the Afro-Alpine vegetation belts of East African rift valley system: a literature review
– 11.15 – 11.30 : Philippe Roux – Influence of warming on ecosystem elemental budget, an Ecotron experiment.
– 11.30 – 11.45 : Haichao Li – Soil textural control on moisture distribution at the microscale and its effect on organic matter mineralization
– 11.45 – 12.00 : Ine Rosier – Modelling the effects of vegetated landscape elements on the rainfall-runoff behaviour of agricultural catchments
– 12.00 – 12.15 : Jacques Kilela – Effect of organic amendment on the physicochemical characteristics of tailing and root development of tree species, fifteen years after planting
– Prof. Jean Thomas Cornelis (University of British Columbia) – Former president of SSSB
Pedology, a key discipline if we are to harness all the complexity of soil-root-plant interactions to build resilient ecosystems
* 13.45 – 15.00 — Oral Presentations
– 13.45 – 14.00 : Ioanna Panagea – Can we reverse the negative effects on topsoil structure and organic carbon caused by inversion tillage? Analysis of long-term experiments in Europe
– 14.00 – 14.15 : Junwei Hu – Do belowground herbivorous and bacterivorous microfauna influence plant growth independently?
– 14.15 – 14.30 : Lin Lin – Visual assessment of soil structural quality across soil textures and compaction levels – examination of profile walls vs. intact soil cores
– 14.30 – 14.45 : Zimmin Li – Aggregation reduces the release of bioavailable silicon from allophane and phytolith
– 14.45 – 15.00 : Florian Lauryssen – Estimation of the natural background of phosphate in a lowland river using tidal marsh sediment cores
* 15.00 – 15.30 — Coffee Break + Posters
* 15.30 – 16.30 — Workshop : Mental Health
– Merel Ackx – Career Development Advisor KU Leuven
* 16.30 – 17.00 — Closing & Drink
Abstract submission – closed
Scope Any contribution related to soil science Add future challenges dealing with your field of expertise at the end of both your abstract and presentation and present your perspectives
There is no limit to the number of poster presentations! M.Sc. thesis students are warmly encouraged to make a poster on their actual thesis work, with special attention to the research question they are trying to answer + the methods of their research.
Format Title, Authors , Abstract max 400 words – use this template Communication preference (Poster/Oral) Language: English
Deadline: 11/03/2022
Submission: send your abstract to jeroen.meersmans@uliege.be use the following template:
