The Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, Denmark, is offering a postdoctoral position in agricultural micrometeorology and greenhouse gas emissions, starting 1 November 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. This is a full-time position for a 3-year period, with the possibility to extend it for another year.

Job description

Agriculture is a large source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural systems are rapidly needed to achieve net-zero production, while maintaining yields, avoiding pollution swapping, and promoting farmer’s engagement to adopt mitigation measures. This role contributes to the SmartField project, which seeks to develop a research and development platform renowned worldwide for its advanced monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions, especially nitrous oxide.

The chosen applicant will join efforts with a diverse, multidisciplinary team aiming to lower greenhouse gas outputs in Danish agricultural crop production. The chosen applicant will have the responsibility of focusing on micrometeorological and chamber-based measurements of greenhouse gases. The focus of the position will be on (i) the analysis of large biogeochemical datasets with the aim to assess mitigation measures of greenhouse gas emissions, and (ii) the management of research activities at a highly monitored experimental field site.

In addition, the chosen applicant will take part in teaching or supervision activities and report research results in high-impact scientific journals and conferences. The chosen applicant will be an important part of the department’s research environment and contribute positively to the social working environment.

Your profile

We are searching for highly motivated young-career scientists with the following academic profile:

• A PhD in environmental sciences, agriculture, engineering or a related field.
• Working experience with large datasets, especially spatial and time series analyses.
• A proven history of scholarly work in micrometeorology or greenhouse gas measurements, as shown by a substantial list of published studies.
• Skilled to work autonomously in their field of expertise and in experimental planning.
• Ability and motivation to work in field experiments.

Further, applicants are preferably:

• Enthusiastic about working in an international and interdisciplinary academic environment.
• Experienced in supervision at the BSc or MSc level.
• Motivated to pursue a scientific career with proficient communication skills, both oral and written.
• Experienced in setting up, maintaining, and troubleshoot micrometerological or weather stations or other sensor systems.

Who we are

At the Department of Agroecology, our main goal is to contribute to sustainable solutions within the area of soil, plant, and environmental sciences. We want to make a difference by contributing to fundamental and applied knowledge generation and the attainment of sustainable production systems via innovative research, contracted policy advice, and education. We offer professional laboratories, greenhouses, semi-field, and field-scale research facilities, advanced computing capacities as well as an extensive national and international researcher network. The department consists of eight research sections with around 320 highly dedicated employees, of which approximately 50% are scientific staff. More information can be found here.

We believe in encouraging inclusion, acceptance, and understanding by employing staff who bring unique perspectives to our department. To ensure a broad range of perspectives, applications from women and those belonging to underrepresented groups are especially encouraged.

What we offer

• Working with an advanced sensor setup for micrometeorological and greenhouse gas measurements as well as ancillary soil-plant-atmospheric data.
• The opportunity and guidance to gain core experience for a scientific career, including opportunities in supervision and teaching, publication in peer-reviewed journals, and application for third-party funding.
• An informal and multicultural research environment with high professionalism, where accountability, commitment, helpfulness, flexibility, and close collaboration are a prerequisite solving the core tasks.
• A good social environment with activities and routines that make it possible to talk across and strengthen the inclusive relationship, and where mutual trust, respect, kindness, and professional sparring are emphasized.
• A flexible workplace with a good work-life balance.
• A workplace where we work actively on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• An exciting and varied working environment, where two days rarely resemble each other. We work creatively for solutions to societal challenges.
• Please find more information about working at Aarhus University and living in Denmark here.

Special benefits when working in Denmark

• 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.

Place of Work

The place of work is Aarhus University, AU Viborg, Blicher Allé 20, 8830 Tjele. The affiliation will be with the Department of Agroecology in the Soil Fertility Section. More information can be obtained here.

More information can be obtained from Christian Dold, c.dold@agro.au.dk.

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.

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.