3 postdoc positions in Arctic coastal biogeochemical cycling, fish communities and glacier dynamic
Applications are invited for three 2-years Post Doc fellowships within the Center for Ice-Free Arctic Research, at the Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Denmark.
The impact of freshening from melting land and sea ice is expected to transform the entire structure and functioning of Arctic coastal marine ecosystems. CIFAR is a research center that aims to unravel how the complex interplay between ice melt, runoff and ice formation across geographical scales and time affect coastal properties and ecosystem functioning. Here we call for three Post Doc positions to be filled in 2026.
Post doc 1:
Freshwater runoff from land affects coastal water quality and functioning, particularly in plumes near river outlets. This post doc project will rely on existing data as well as new field data of nutrients, carbon, and stable isotopes from riverine-coast systems in East Greenland, to investigate how catchment characteristics affect the transport and biogeochemical transformation of carbon and nutrients from land to sea. Experience with using C-N isotopic tracers and fluorescence Excitation Emission Matricies (EEM) are advantageous but not a requirement. Experience with fieldwork in remote areas is valued.
The position is available from April 2026 or as soon as possible hereafter. For more information contact Professor Tenna Riis (tenna.riis@bio.au.dk) or Assist. Prof. Johnna M. Holding (johnna@ecos.au.dk).
Post doc 2:
Glaciers are melting at an accelerating rate. In addition to releasing icebergs, they deliver large amounts of meltwater to fjords through rivers and subglacial discharge. The goal of this postdoc is to scale up observations of glacial plumes, surface temperatures, and calving events by combining ground-truth measurements with remote-sensing data. A new Earth-observing CubeSat mission, DISCO2, will launch in 2025 into a sun-synchronous polar orbit, passing near the poles about 15 times per day and regularly observing the CIFAR study region. Its payload - two optical cameras, a thermal camera, and onboard machine-learning capabilities - will allow high-resolution monitoring of glacier dynamics and surface temperatures, supporting broader regional upscaling.
The position is available from June 2026 or as soon as possible hereafter. For more information contact Professor Søren Rysgaard (rysgaard@au.dk) or Professor Tenna Riis (tenna.riis@bio.au.dk).
Post doc 3:
The geographic range of aquatic ectotherms is constrained by physiological performance. To investigate the ecophysiological consequences of an ice-free Arctic for marine fishes, the post-doc will estimate the field metabolic rates for a range of marine fish species using a novel otolith-based method and relate FMR to oceanographic and ecological conditions along north-south and fjord-offshore gradients in East Greenland. Experience with isotope analyses and arctic field work are assets.
The position is available from April 2026 or as soon as possible hereafter. For more information contact Professor Peter Grønkjær (Peter.Groenkjaer@bio.au.dk) or Professor Søren Rysgaard (rysgaard@au.dk)
Expected start date and duration of employment
These are 2–year positions from April 2026 or as soon possible thereafter.
Research area and project description
The impact of freshening from melting land and sea ice is expected to transform the entire structure and functioning of Arctic coastal marine ecosystems. CIFAR is a research center that aims to unravel how the complex interplay between ice melt, runoff and ice formation across geographical scales and time affect coastal properties and ecosystem functioning. Here we call for three Post Doc positions to be filled in 2026.Post doc 1:
Freshwater runoff from land affects coastal water quality and functioning, particularly in plumes near river outlets. This post doc project will rely on existing data as well as new field data of nutrients, carbon, and stable isotopes from riverine-coast systems in East Greenland, to investigate how catchment characteristics affect the transport and biogeochemical transformation of carbon and nutrients from land to sea. Experience with using C-N isotopic tracers and fluorescence Excitation Emission Matricies (EEM) are advantageous but not a requirement. Experience with fieldwork in remote areas is valued.
The position is available from April 2026 or as soon as possible hereafter. For more information contact Professor Tenna Riis (tenna.riis@bio.au.dk) or Assist. Prof. Johnna M. Holding (johnna@ecos.au.dk).
Post doc 2:
Glaciers are melting at an accelerating rate. In addition to releasing icebergs, they deliver large amounts of meltwater to fjords through rivers and subglacial discharge. The goal of this postdoc is to scale up observations of glacial plumes, surface temperatures, and calving events by combining ground-truth measurements with remote-sensing data. A new Earth-observing CubeSat mission, DISCO2, will launch in 2025 into a sun-synchronous polar orbit, passing near the poles about 15 times per day and regularly observing the CIFAR study region. Its payload - two optical cameras, a thermal camera, and onboard machine-learning capabilities - will allow high-resolution monitoring of glacier dynamics and surface temperatures, supporting broader regional upscaling.
The position is available from June 2026 or as soon as possible hereafter. For more information contact Professor Søren Rysgaard (rysgaard@au.dk) or Professor Tenna Riis (tenna.riis@bio.au.dk).
Post doc 3:
The geographic range of aquatic ectotherms is constrained by physiological performance. To investigate the ecophysiological consequences of an ice-free Arctic for marine fishes, the post-doc will estimate the field metabolic rates for a range of marine fish species using a novel otolith-based method and relate FMR to oceanographic and ecological conditions along north-south and fjord-offshore gradients in East Greenland. Experience with isotope analyses and arctic field work are assets.
The position is available from April 2026 or as soon as possible hereafter. For more information contact Professor Peter Grønkjær (Peter.Groenkjaer@bio.au.dk) or Professor Søren Rysgaard (rysgaard@au.dk)
Applicants must have a relevant PhD degree in biology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, glaciology, oceanography, geoscience or physics.
Field experience, data analysis and programming (e.g., python, matlab, R) will be advantageous for all fellowships. We seek candidates that are team players who can play active scientific and social roles in a diverse and international lab setting. Strong communication skills orally and in writing are mandatory.
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Biology, Ny Munkegade 114-116, 8000 Aarhus C Denmark.
Field experience, data analysis and programming (e.g., python, matlab, R) will be advantageous for all fellowships. We seek candidates that are team players who can play active scientific and social roles in a diverse and international lab setting. Strong communication skills orally and in writing are mandatory.
Who we are
All post doc fellows will be part of Center for Ice-Free Arctic Research (CIFAR). You can find more about the center here: https://bio.au.dk/forskning/forskningscentre/cifar
Place of work and area of employment
All post doc fellows will be part of Center for Ice-Free Arctic Research (CIFAR). You can find more about the center here: https://bio.au.dk/forskning/forskningscentre/cifarThe place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Biology, Ny Munkegade 114-116, 8000 Aarhus C Denmark.
Contact information
Professor Tenna Riis (tenna.riis@bio.au.dk), Assist. Prof. Johnna M. Holding (johnna@ecos.au.dk), Professor Peter Grønkjær (Peter.Groenkjaer@bio.au.dk) or Professor Søren Rysgaard (rysgaard@au.dk)
Deadline
Applications must be received no later than 13 February 2026.
Please make sure to indicate which of the three post doc positions you apply for. In the application, you must elaborate on the project description given under the specific Post Doc you apply for as well as a motivation letter.
Please make sure to indicate which of the three post doc positions you apply for. In the application, you must elaborate on the project description given under the specific Post Doc you apply for as well as a motivation letter.
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
Natural 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.
At the Faculty of Natural Science at Aarhus University, we strive to support our scientific staff in their career development. We focus on competency development and career clarification and want to make your opportunities transparent. On our website, you can find information on all types of scientific positions, as well as the entry criteria we use when assessing candidates. You can also read more about how we can assist you in your career planning and development.
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/
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Deadline: 13 February 2026
Academic contact person:
Søren Rysgaard
Professor
rysgaard@bio.au.dk
+4524643206
Vacant positions: 3
Hours per week: 37
Number of months: 24
Expected date of accession: 01 April 2026