3-Year postdoctoral position in Modeling Ecosystem Dynamics and Atmospheric Feedback

A post doc position is available within the Center for Volatile Interactions (VOLT), at the Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen. The appointment is for 3 years, and the starting date is May 1st, 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Scientific environment
The successful candidate will join Jing Tang’s research group at the Department of Biology and will be based at the Center for Volatile Interactions (VOLT), a Centre of Excellence funded by The Danish National Research Foundation, led by Prof. Riikka Rinnan. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic, collaborative, and international research environment. Tang’s group focuses on understanding ecosystem dynamics and associated feedbacks under changing climate, primarily based on the integration of process-based modeling with observations. The center staff consists of ecosystem modelers, vegetation remote-sensing specialists, as well as ecosystem and microbial ecologists. The center is housed at the North Campus in Copenhagen, where we have laboratory facilities and state-of-the-art instrumentation for measuring volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The center has collected a range of unique in-situ environmental and gas flux datasets which can be used for modeling purposes. The center has access to supercomputing resources to process large datasets and run regional and global process-based ecosystem models. Tang’s group also has access to servers which have deployed earth system models.

Main tasks and responsibilities
The postdoc will lead data upscaling and large-scale modeling activities in the center and mainly focus on implementing observation-based VOC emission patterns from different sources into the dynamic vegetation model, LPJ-GUESS and an Earth System Model, EC-Earth. The postdoc will start by integrating the observed emission and uptake patterns of plant and soil VOCs into the LPJ-GUESS. Further, the postdoc will collaborate with microbial traits, freshwater and ocean modelers and experimentalists to integrate these ignored but important VOC sources in the large-scale model. Integration of these novel emission sources and sinks will further lead to the assessment and re-evaluation of the importance of global biogenic VOC emissions on atmospheric composition and the climate. The work will encompass data analysis, model development and model application. The successful candidate will be responsible for lead-writing and co-authoring scientific publications. The candidate will also have the opportunity to supervise BSc and MSc students.

Qualifications
We seek an ambitious and highly motivated candidate with a PhD in natural sciences with strong expertise in ecosystem modeling, atmosphere chemistry modeling, earth system modeling, or similar. A demonstrated coding experience with languages such as Python, C++, or fortran could be a plus. Some experience with and knowledge of ecosystem-level VOC emissions or atmospheric chemistry is also a plus. Fluency in written and spoken English is a requirement, as well as excellent writing skills demonstrated by the publication record. An ideal candidate is comfortable working in teams and has a collaborative mindset.

For enquiries about the position, please contact Assistant Professor Jing Tang (Jing.Tang@bio.ku.dk;  +46 35334606) or Professor Riikka Rinnan (riikkar@bio.ku.dk; +45 51827039).

Foreign applicants may find these resources useful: http://www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility).

How to apply

Applications must be in English, submitted electronically by clicking ‘Apply now’ below, and include:

·     A cover letter describing the motivation to apply for the position

·     Curriculum vitae (max 2 pages)

·     Complete list of publications

·     Research plan – description of current and future research plans related to the advertised position

·     Pdf files of the three most relevant publications

·     Diplomas (Master and PhD degree or equivalent)

·     Contact details (name, address, telephone & email) of 2 professional referees

The deadline for applications is December 8, 2024, 23:59 CET.

Procedures
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Interview Committee.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Terms of employment
The position is covered by the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff.

Terms of appointment and payment according to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State.

Negotiation for salary supplement is possible.

The application, in English, must be submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.