Postdoc in Farm Scale Modelling within a Landscape Context

The Pioneer Center for Landscape Research in Sustainable Agricultural Futures, Land-CRAFT, at the Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, Denmark, is offering a postdoctoral position in farm-scale modelling of nutrient flows.

Food security, climate change and loss of biodiversity represent three of today’s major societal challenges. Finding solutions for all these challenges requires studies that extend across multiple scales. The Pioneer Center Land-CRAFT was established in June 2022 to undertake fundamental and applied research from field to landscape scales that will address these societal challenges. The Center brings together experts on climate impact research and landscape analyses with backgrounds in biogeochemistry, agronomy, biology, geography, and social sciences from Aarhus University and University of Copenhagen, as well as our international partners: Colorado State University/NREL and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology/IMK-IFU. Digital technologies, including biogeochemical modelling and remote sensing, as well as interactions with stakeholders are key components of Land-CRAFT.

We have a team of researchers working at field, farm and landscape scales. The researcher for farm modelling will focus on integrating the nitrogen cycle and GHG fluxes at the field and farm scales, thereby improving our understanding of how different management practices influence the landscape. Your work will aim at a better understanding and representation of coupled C, N and water cycles and associated exchange of greenhouse gases (GHGs) between the land surface and the atmosphere. Specific focus will be given to seamlessly integrating an ecosystem model (LandscapeDNDC) and a farm model (to be developed, based on components from the FarmAC and other relevant models from previous and ongoing research and development projects). The candidate will implement a simulation framework to explore different configurations of management practices to reduce the impact of agricultural systems on the environment, identifying possible trade-off pathways and policy feasibility of the proposed mitigation strategies. The position is closely linked to activities such as the PREMIS project on Primary Farm Activity Emissions data in Denmark, and the starting SmartField project, and it is envisioned that these activities will be expanded beyond Denmark to Europe or even globally.

We expect that you will be an engaged part of the research environment across campus sites and universities and that you will contribute positively to the social working environment. Moreover, you will contribute to dissemination and teaching, and to reporting research results in high-impact scientific journals.

Job description

The postdoctoral researcher will:

• Develop and conduct research on farm-scale material flows across the landscape, with an emphasis on nitrogen and carbon, particularly ammonia volatilisation and leaching
• Be a central and innovative part of our “Farmscape” framework development, by integrating an ecosystem model with a farm model
• Run scenario analysis to identify management practices with the largest mitigation potential, both spatially and temporally
• Coordinate and contribute to dissemination of publications in high-ranking international peer-reviewed journals
• Contribute to public dissemination of policy and management relevant knowledge
• Participate in network building activities both internationally and across disciplines within the Pioneer Center Land-CRAFT 
• Contribute to development of teaching and PhD supervision activities in the Dept. of Agroecology or other departments at AU with which we cooperate on teaching

Your profile

We are searching for a highly motivated candidate who has:

• A PhD in agronomy, engineering, biology, technical oriented sciences or similar
• Research experience on process-based and farm models with a focus on biogeochemical and hydrogeological fluxes. Knowledge of greenhouse gas inventories (methane, ammonia, nitrous oxide)
• Proficient skills with scripting (R, Python) and low-level programming (C# and possibly C++) languages
• An ability to collaborate within teams and across disciplines
• An ability to take initiative, develop and manage research activities
• An ability to communicate effectively in English
• Good scientific and technical writing skills
• Documented experience of publishing in peer-reviewed scientific journals

Further, we will prefer candidates with some of the following qualifications:

• Teaching and supervision experience at the BSc and MSc level, and defined interest in the development and co-supervision of PhD students
• Interest and experience in developing competitive national and international research applications
• Experience in object-oriented programming
• Experience in farm scale modelling within a landscape context
• Insight into the societal challenges for a green transition of agricultural production landscapes, and the related ecosystem services
• Experience with digital technologies in relation to site-specific environmental, technical and socio-economic data, including remote sensing

Who we are

At the Department of Agroecology, our main goal is to contribute to sustainable solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems within the areas of soil, plants, animals, humans, and the environment. Our aim is to enhance fundamental knowledge and promote the development of sustainable production systems through innovative research, policy guidance, and education. We offer modern laboratories, greenhouses, semi-field, and field-scale research facilities, advanced computing capacities as well as an extensive national and international research network.  The department consists of seven research sections with around 350 highly dedicated employees, of which approximately 50% are scientific staff. More information can be found here.

What we offer

• An informal and multicultural research environment with high professionalism, where accountability, involvement, helpfulness, flexibility, and close collaboration is a prerequisite for solving the core tasks
• A good social environment with activities and routines that make it possible to talk across and enhance the collegial relationship, and where mutual trust, respect, kindness, and professional sparring are emphasized
• A flexible workplace with a good work-life balance
• An exciting and varied working environment, where two days rarely resemble each other. We are often busy, and we work creatively for solutions to societal challenges
• Subsidized preschool childcare and a free education system from primary school up to university level
• Universal health insurance as a resident of Denmark, including family members officially residing in Denmark
• Five weeks paid holiday per year
• In connection with childbirth: the right to have a total of 52 weeks shared maternal/paternal leave with full or partial salary pay

Start date and duration of employment

Prefered start date is 15 December 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position will be available for a period of 2,5 years.

Place of Work

The place of work is Aarhus University, Ole Worms Alle 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C.  The affiliation will be with the Department of Agroecology.
More information can be obtained from Professor Tommy Dalgaard (tommy.dalgaard@agro.au.dk, phone +45 20706132).
 

Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.

Letter of reference

If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.

If you wish to add a referee after you have submitted your application, you must send this person’s details (name, job title, place of work, and email address) as well as the name of the position you have applied for to: HR.Nattech@au.dk

Formalities and salary range

Technical Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.

 

Aarhus University

Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/