Postdoc in Ecological Data Science

SustainScapes – Center for Sustainable Landscapes under Global Change at Department of Biology and Center for Ecological Genetics (Ecogenetics), Aarhus University, advertises a postdoc position within Ecological Data Science. Start date as soon as possible and end date 31st of December 2028.

SustainScapes focuses on providing the scientific basis for rethinking landscapes for restoring biodiversity in a world with increasing resource needs and a changing climate. Ecogenetics focuses on understanding patterns of genetic diversity within and among species across fragmented landscapes. The centers are funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and led by Prof. Signe Normand and Prof. Trine Bilde, Department of Biology, Aarhus University.

Expected start date and duration of employment
The position is expected to start 1st of February 2026 or as soon as possible and will end 31st of December 2028.

Job description
The postdoc position is focused on understanding spatiotemporal current patterns of biodiversity and model the potential future biodiversity recovery given during land use transformation and restoration in Denmark. This involves spatial and temporal optimisation and prioritisation of land for biodiversity, as well as analyses of past and current land use configurations for multiple facets of biodiversity, i.e. species, functional, phylogenetic, and genetic diversity.

The tasks will encompass:

• Conceptualisation and theoretical development of spatiotemporal optimisation of biodiversity dynamics during recovery.
• Synthesising and modelling and species pools and biodiversity patterns given different restoration measures.
• Prioritisation and optimisation of land for biodiversity, relative to other societal challenges, in particular climate change.
• Geospatial analyses of past and current land use patterns of importance for changes in effective populations sizes and genetic diversity patterns.

Qualifications
Ideally you have a PhD in natural sciences with a strong research background and several years of work experience in data science for ecological studies of multiple facets of biodiversity, i.e. species and genetic diversity.

Specifically, we look for the following qualifications:

• PhD in biology, ecology, environmental science with several years and proven experience in one or several of those research fields including expertise in macroecology and systematic conservation planning.
• Proven expertise in temporal and geospatial analyses of biodiversity patterns, and their drivers. Including the conceptualisation and development of new methodological approaches.
• Strong documented skills in advanced optimisation and prioritisation of biodiversity, e.g. in AMPL, prioritizr.
• Proven skills in deriving landscape metrics of relevance for understanding patterns of genetic diversity, e.g. fragmentation and connectivity.
• Proven skills in the implementation of species distribution models and the modelling of species pools across natural and agricultural landscapes under transformation.
• Proven capabilities of acquiring, downloading, handling, and synthesising big data geospatial data sets from various data sources.
• Cutting-edge expertise in advanced statistical analyses of large data sets and strong knowledge of programming languages (e.g., R, Python).
• Proven ability to publish at a high international level. It is a prerequisite that you are good at communicating in English.
• Strong collaborative skills and good collaboration skills across different groups of employees.

At SustainScapes and Ecogenetics we emphasize a good relationship between colleagues and students. It is therefore important that you have a positive and open personality.

The Department of Biology
The Department of Biology (http://bio.au.dk/) provides a framework for research and teaching in all major biological subdisciplines. The department is especially known for its research contribution in biodiversity, global change and conservation biology, aquatic biology and ecology, arctic environment and ecosystems, genetics and evolution, microbiology and zoophysiology. The department currently encompasses approximately 200 academic and technical staff and 45 PhD students while 400 students follow the BSc and MSc programs offered by the institute.

The department offers a vibrant and informal research environment with a long-standing tradition of collaboration with international university partners. Much of the internal communication is in English and we welcome international applicants.

What we offer

• an exciting interdisciplinary environment with many national, international and industrial collaborators
• a work environment encouraging lively, open and critical discussion
• a work environment with close working relationships, networking and social activities
• a workplace characterised by professionalism, equality and a healthy work-life balance

Place of work and area of employment
The place of employment is Aarhus University, Department of Biology, Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity (ECOINF), Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with affiliated institutions.

The work involves some periods of field work away from Aarhus.

Contact information
For further information, please contact: Prof. Signe Normand, +45 93 52 28 77, [email protected].

Deadline
Applications must be received no later than January 7, 2026.

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: [email protected]

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/

Department: Center for Sustainable Landscapes/Center for Sustainable Landscapes

Deadline: 07 January 2026

Location: Aarhus C Ny Munkegade 116