Research co-ordinator for Silva Nova

Research coordinator for project on Afforestation and Forest Soil Restoration (Silva Nova), Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management (IGN).

The project ‘Silva Nova - Restoring soil biology and soil functions to gain multiple benefits in new forests’ hosted by the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management (IGN) seeks an innovative candidate for a position as an academic and administrative employee for a fixed-term position. The position is scheduled to start 1 September 2025 or soon after and will be available until the end of 2027.

About us

The Dept. of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management (IGN) has > 400 employees and 25 full professors. It has a broad basis in natural science with 20 research groups covering topics within geography, geology, landscape architecture and forest and nature to provide knowledge and education to help solve the big societal challenges, such as climate change and increased pressure on natural resources.

The current position will be affiliated to Section of Forest and Landscape Ecology and specifically to the research groups Biogeochemistry and Ecology and Nature Management, which have a strong research focus on forest and nature management, biodiversity, biogeochemistry, land-use change, climate and environment. We work with basic as well as applied research, teaching and supervision.

Silva Nova is an international research project on ecosystem- and landscape-scale afforestation that started in 2021 granted by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The aim of the project is to provide basic understanding of ecosystem succession on former agricultural soil and to develop strategies that support forest productivity and resilience, improve forest-related species diversity and increase benefits from ecosystem services (clean water, C-sequestration, GHG emission reduction) on afforested land. We offer a lively and international environment within the project, which includes 6-8 senior scientists, 5 post docs and 5 PhD’s and a number of MSc- and BSc-students.

What we are looking for

We are looking for a talented, highly motivated and experienced person with strong organizational skills and academic background within terrestrial ecology. You will have a central administrative and scientific role in supporting and facilitating the research in the project. The work tasks include administration, coordination and communication of the project and its results in collaboration with a steering committee. Further tasks include support for data management, student supervision and other project related tasks.

The successful candidate should possess excellent communication skills in English and sufficient Danish for internal and external communication. As an academic employee, the candidate must have experience with field and laboratory work related to eDNA or other focal research areas of the project.

Formal requirements
Applicants should hold a MSc degree in ecology, biogeochemistry, microbiology or similar and excellent proficiency in spoken and written English. As criteria for the assessment of your qualifications, emphasis will also be on relevant work experience and publication record.

Key criteria for the assessment of candidates:

• A MSc degree in ecology, biogeochemistry, microbiology or similar. Experience with above- and belowground processes is an advantage.
• Experience with organizational work
• Experience with organizing and conducting field work
• Experience with laboratory work is an advantage (e.g. one or more among the following: DNA extraction and qPCR, soil chemistry and processes, gas flux measurements, insect identification)
• Experience and knowledge of data management incl. FAIR data
• Good language and cooperation skills plus networking capacity

Terms of employment

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

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

Application Procedure

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

Please include

• Cover Letter, detailing your motivation, qualifications and background for applying
• CV
• Diplomas and transcripts of records (BSc , MSc)
• List of publications (if any)
• Full contact details (Name, address, telephone & email) of 1-3 professional references

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

The deadline for applications is 17.08.2025, 23:59 GMT +1. Applications received after the deadline for applications will not be considered.

After the expiration of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Interview Committee. Afterwards an assessment committee will be appointed to evaluate the selected applications. The applicants will be notified of the composition of the committee, and the final selection of a successful candidate will be made by the Head of Section, based on the recommendations of the assessment committee and the interview committee.

Further information

For further information about the position, please contact Professor Per Gundersen, pgu@ign.ku.dk, Direct Phone: 35331678 or  Head of Section, Professor Inger Kappel Schmidt, iks@ign.ku.dk, Direct Phone: 35331668, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management

General information about IGN and Section for Forest and Landscape Ecology at SCIENCE is available at https://ign.ku.dk/english/.