We are seeking applicants for a 2-year postdoc working with development of new model approaches to assess the dispersal and impact of hazardous substances on the marine environment. The position seeks to strengthen the marine modelling group with new competencies within integrated pollution assessment. The position is at the Department of ECOSCIENCE located near Roskilde. The department’s research and advisory activities are project-based with a solid tradition in cross-disciplinary research and international collaboration.

Expected start date and duration of employment
This is a 2–year position from 1. October 2024 or as soon as possible.
This is a fixed-term position to end on 30. September 2026.

Job description
In recent years, it has become apparent that hazardous substances, e.g. PFAS and metals, have reached the marine environment to a larger extend than previously thought. However, the spreading and consequences for the environment is currently not well understood.
The aim of the overall project is to develop a new concept including several tools for assessing distribution and effects of hazardous substances discharged from several point sources on land and from ships to marine waters. You will be responsible for the development of a process-based pollution model and for coupling it to the 3D FlexSem model system FlexSem (au.dk) for inner Danish waters. You will use the model to investigate the spatial dispersal, fate, and impacts of hazardous substances such as heavy metals, PFAS, etc. and investigate solutions for obtaining a good chemical status according to the Water Framework Directive. The position is funded by the NewSea  NewSea (au.dk) and MAT-fuel Marine Transition Fuels (au.dk) projects.

You will be a part of the marine group that covers research and advisory tasks across the marine environment mainly related to Danish and Arctic waters. The activities will be conducted in close collaboration with the marine modelling and ecotoxicology group and other colleagues at the department as well as international partners. It is expected that you can collaborate broadly with stakeholders in the design of scenarios and for management purposes.

Applicants should hold a PhD in oceanography, marine ecology, environmental sciences, engineering, or similar. We expect that you have:
 

• Experience with process-based models applied to marine life and ecosystems
• Knowledge about harmful substances (e.g. heavy metals, PFAS, drugs, PAHs, methanol) is an advantage
• Very good skills in scientific programming and analyzing tools (e.g., Python, R)
• Publications in high-ranking journals
• Good collaboration skills and ability to work in an interdisciplinary team within marine science
• Very good knowledge of English (written and oral)
• Good communication skills (scientific community, the public, stakeholders, and managers)
• Experience in data analysis and statistical tools
• Preferable experience with advisory work

Who we are
The Department of Ecoscience is engaged in research programs and advisory work covering the major biological subdisciplines. We conduct world-class research in the areas of aquatic biology and ecology, Arctic environment and ecosystems, biodiversity, conservation biology and wildlife management. The Department currently employs approximately 300 academic and technical staff, as well as many PhD students.

The successful candidate will work in a dynamic and internationally engaged scientific environment at the Section for Applied Marine Ecology and Modelling (for more information see: https://ecos.au.dk/en/researchconsultancy/research-areas/applied-marine-ecology-and-modelling).

The department is, and wishes to continue to be, an active, dynamic and inspiring workplace with exciting challenges, enthusiastic colleagues and academic opportunities for development. The department wishes to support employees in creating a good balance between their work and home lives and to maintain and attract talented and committed staff, where freedom, creativity and respect for the long-term perspective are core values. For more information on the Department see: http://ecos.au.dk/en/.

What we offer
The department offers:

• a well-developed research infrastructure, laboratories and access to shared equipment
• an exciting interdisciplinary environment with many national, international, and industrial collaborators
• a research climate encouraging lively, open and critical discussion within and across different fields of research
• a workplace characterised by professionalism, equality, and a healthy work-life balance.

Place of work and area of employment
The Department of Ecoscience (https://ecos.au.dk/en/) is organized under the Faculty of Technical Sciences and studies life in all respects. We provide consultancy and research in life; ranging from bacteria to whales, over genes to ecosystems, and from basic research to applied biology in nature management and biotechnology. The Department has approximately 300 staff members, just over 100 working in Roskilde. The applicant will join the Department of Ecoscience in Roskilde (Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde). 

Contact information
For further information, please contact Head of Section, Professor Marie Maar, mam@ecos.au.dk +45 21 73 07 11
 

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.

Formalities and salary range

Technical 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.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.