PhD Full Scholarship in Agroecosystem Modelling for Climate-smart Agriculture at Aarhus University in Denmark; Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Agroecology programme. The position is available from 01 August 2024 or later. You can submit your application via the link under ‘how to apply’. Title: Agroecosystem Modelling for Climate-smart Agriculture
Research area and project description: Climate-smart agriculture aims to provide innovative solutions to improve crop production, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen the resilience of agricultural systems to climate extremes. Agroecosystem modelling offers a powerful tool for understanding the complex interactions between climate, agricultural practices, and agroecosystem dynamics, thereby supporting the development of climate-smart agriculture strategies. This project aims to develop and apply agroecosystem models to inform climate-smart agriculture practices and policies for the Danish and EU wheat cropping systems. In this project, the PhD student will work on the following tasks:
- To apply and develop spatially-explicit agroecosystem models that integrate climate data, agronomic practices, and ecosystem processes to simulate the dynamics of agricultural systems under current and future climate scenarios.
- To assess the potential impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity, resource use efficiency, and ecosystem services at different spatial and temporal scales.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of climate-smart agriculture practices, such as precision nitrogen fertilization, cover crop adoption, and conservation tillage practices in enhancing the resilience and sustainability of agricultural systems under climate change.
- To identify optimal strategies for adapting agricultural systems to climate change while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts.
- To collaborate with stakeholders, including farmers, policymakers, and researchers, to co-design and co-implement climate-smart agriculture interventions based on model predictions and scenario analyses.
This Ph.D. position offers an opportunity to collaborate inter-disciplinary with other scientists on cutting-edge research in agroecosystem modelling to enhance agroecosystem resilience to climate change and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Project description. For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.
Qualifications and specific competences: We are searching for a highly motivated candidate who has an M.Sc. degree in agriculture, environmental sciences, data sciences, geography, ecology, or closely related fields. Demonstrated oral and written communication skills in English are required. The applicant must be able to present results at international conferences and publish in international peer-reviewed journals. The applicant should be enthusiastic about working in an international and interdisciplinary academic environment. Applications from women and people from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged. Further, we will prefer candidates with some of the following qualifications:
- Good scientific and technical writing skills
- Experience in ecosystem modelling for greenhouse gas emissions and crop yield
- Strong skills in Python programming, large-scale data processing, and machine learning
Place of employment and place of work: The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Agroecology, Forsøgsvej 1, DK-4200 Slagelse.
Contacts: Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:
- René Gislum, rg@agro.au.dk (main supervisor)
- Sheng Wang, swan@agro.au.dk (co-supervisor)
- Jørgen Eivind Olesen, jeo@agro.au.dk (co-supervisor)
How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.
Application deadline is 15 May 2024 at 23:59 CEST.
Preferred starting date is 01 August 2024.
Please note:
- Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
- The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
- Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.
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. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.
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