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 1 October 2023 or later.
Title: Re-advertisement PhD position on the benefits of multispecies grassland leys in crop rotations. Research area and project description: Grassland leys have long been an important element of crop rotations, maintaining soil fertility and carbon storage, compared to arable monocropping. Including legumes and herbs decreases external inputs and increases yield stability.
Yet, while many benefits of diversified grassland leys within the grassland stage are identified, the benefits for following arable crops in the crop rotations are currently underexplored.The PhD position is a part of the Doctoral Network “LegumeLegacy”.
It will aim to understand particularly the impact of species diversity on nitrogen fluxes from the grassland stage to the follow-on crop, including a modelling approach, as well as to determine the dynamics in interspecies competition or facilitation above- and belowground to identify suitable species compositions. The PhD project includes research stays abroad, offering the successful candidate the possibility to establish a strong research profile and network.
We are looking for open minded, curious persons that either have an interest in modelling soil processes, or in agronomy and agro-ecological processes.LegumeLegacy is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network and funded under the Horizon-MSCA-DN-2021 programme. The role of multi-species grassland mixtures within crop rotations will be investigated in the search for solutions to develop lower nitrogen farming systems that will promote sustainable farming practices.
LegumeLegacy is a highly interdisciplinary collaboration bringing together experts in ecology, agronomy, plant breeding, animal nutrition and statistics. The LegumeLegacy Doctoral Researchers will carry out their own individual research projects and collaborate on a multi-site experiment conducted across the network.
The Doctoral Researchers will undertake a world-class training programme developed and implemented by the LegumeLegacy collaborating experts and will meet twice per year to participate in joint training events. 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.
Salary, holiday payment, pension contributions and the like include all employer and employee’s taxes and contributions. Thus, figures are before taxes are paid, and taxes may differ depending on individual circumstances. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement, and salary is depending on seniority.
Salary includes a non-pensionable PhD supplement. The allowances mentioned in the EU work programme (living allowance, mobility allowance and, if applicable, family allowance) will be part of the salary. Allowance rates can be found in the relevant EU Work Programme (under MSCA doctoral network – Applicable unit contributions), and country correction coefficient can be found in the same document.
Qualifications and specific competences:
The applicant must have a M.Sc. degree (120 ECTS) in Soil Science, Agronomy, Environmental Science, Ecology or closely related fields. Demonstrated oral and written communication skills in English are required. Basic knowledge of nitrogen dynamics in soils is an advantage.
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.In addition to the standard documents.
EU eligibility requirements in Marie Curie Doctoral Networks
- Supported researchers must be doctoral candidates, i.e., not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible.
- Recruited researchers can be of any nationality and must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.
- Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent by the researcher as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention75 are not taken into account.
Place of employment and place of work: The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele, Denmark.
Contacts: Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:
- Jørgen Eriksen, jorgen.eriksen@agro.au.dk
- Carsten Stefan Malisch, cmalisch@agro.au.dk
How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application. Application deadline is 31 August 2023 at 23:59 CEST. Preferred starting date is 1 October 2023 or later.For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments.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.