The Danish Pioneer Center for Landscape Research in Sustainable Agricultural Futures, Land-CRAFT, based at the Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark, is looking for a researcher at assistant professor level with proven experience in the development and testing of innovative methods and sensors to identify and potentially improve the quantification of the underlying physico-chemical and microbial processes of soil N2O fluxes and to investigate indicators of environmental N losses from farmers’ fields using e.g. hyperspectral sensors (fixed or mobile installation) with crop performance and leaf N content as target parameters or new types of other soil environmental sensors. The vision is to identify a simplified methodological approach to quantify N2O and environmental N losses at lower cost and with higher accuracy compared to current standard methods, such as EC or chamber measurements. Special attention should be given to spatio-temporal patterns of GHG fluxes as influenced by land use, management and changes in environmental conditions at scales from farms to catchments (<150 km2). The position is offered for three years at Assistant Professor level. The position is full-time and will start on August 1, 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.
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 spatial and temporal scales. The Pioneer Center Land-CRAFT (https://land-craft.dk/) 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. The Center was established in June 2022 to undertake fundamental and applied research that will address these societal challenges. Digital technologies, including biogeochemical modelling and remote sensing, as well as interactions with stakeholders, are key components of Land-CRAFT.
This position will focus on the integration of nutrient cycling and N2O fluxes of agricultural landscapes, including interactions between different ecosystems (e.g., forests, wetlands, lakes). The candidate will explore the use of soil incubations using a fully automated mesocosm system, isotopomer signals of emitted N2O, and 15N tracing approaches to disentangle the different processes involved in N2O production and consumption from laboratory incubations to field scale. In addition, the candidate may also investigate field-scale sensors of soil moisture (e.g., cosmic rays) or plant performance and photosynthesis (e.g. solar induced fluorescence) for their utility in better understanding field-scale variability in N2O fluxes in the context of the SmartField project (https://www.smartfield.dk/). A solid background in microbial ecology in combination with sensor techniques and micrometeorology can be a very valuable asset to approach this complex topic.
We expect that you will be an important part of the international climate change impact research community and that you will contribute positively to the social working environment. We also expect that you will take part in our teaching activities and that your research is reported in high-impact scientific journals.

WHO WE ARE

At the Department of Agroecology, of which Land-CRAFT is part, 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. We aim to enhance fundamental knowledge and the development of sustainable production systems through innovative research, contracted policy advice, 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 researcher network. The department consists of eight research sections with around 360 highly motivated employees, of which approximately 50% are scientific staff. More information can be found here
The position is closely linked to activities within the SmartField project (https://www.smartfield.dk), and it is envisaged that the described activities will be extended beyond Denmark to Europe or even globally.

What we offer

• An informal and multicultural research environment with high professionalism, where responsibility, engagement, collaborative approach, 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

FURTHER INFORMATION

Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact Professor Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, phone: +45 93508238, e-mail: klaus.butterbach-bahl@agro.au.dk

Please refer the Job description for details