2-year postdoc on establishing the drivers and vulnerability of multi-taxa, multi-facet, and multi-scale biodiversity patterns

The Department of Biology, Aarhus University, invites applications for a 2-year postdoc position on establishing the drivers and vulnerability of multi-taxa, multi-facet, and multi-scale biodiversity patterns.
This postdoc project is part of the BIODIVERSA+ project (INTEGRADIV) funded by the Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD) and the EU. The INTEGRADIV project aims to develop an integrative and innovative approach to support the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems.
With a focus on Mediterranean forests and using a multi-taxon (trees, birds, butterflies), multi-facet (functional, phylogenetic and taxonomic) and multi-scale (local to regional) perspective, INTEGRADIV focuses on establishing the drivers and vulnerability of multidimensional biodiversity patterns.

INTEGRADIV is a three-year partnership between French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Danish, and Dutch institutions, funded by the BIODIVERSA+ 2021 call on the development of decision support tools for the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems across land and sea.

The position is for 2 years, with a possibility of a third year funded by the Natural History Museum of Aarhus (NHMA). Start date is June 1st, 2023, or soon thereafter.

This postdoc project will be part of the INTEGRADIV consortia and be hosted at the Section of Ecoinformatics and biodiversity (ECOINF) and the newly formed Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO). You will also be affiliated with the Natural History of Aarhus (NHMA).
This is a macroecological position focused on disentangling the processes behind biodiversity patterns, assessing its vulnerability to global changes, and predicting future trajectories and possible mitigations.
The study area is Mediterranean forests, and the study organisms are trees, birds, and butterflies. The position will address five critical questions:
1) What is the relative importance of past vs current environmental conditions in determining Euro-Mediterranean spatiotemporal biotic richness and evenness (which could cover tax/funct/phylo dimensions) for different taxa of organisms?
2) Determine if biotic interactions are more important than environmental factors as drivers of biodiversity and equitability patterns?
3) Is top-down or bottom-up forcing the strongest biological driver of diversity changes, or are these effects complementary?
4) How can we expect the Euro-Mediterranean biodiversity of trees, birds, and butterflies to change under alternative socio-economic change pathways?
5) What is the functional and phylogenetic vulnerability of trees, birds, and butterflies’ communities to land use and climate changes?

The postdoc is expected to contribute ideas and concepts to the project and lead at least two high-quality papers in this research area. It is also expected that the postdoc contributes to the project’s public outreach and teaching and collaborates with other team members within AU and the broader consortia, including students, sharing skills, and helping to solve problems in her/his area of expertise.

Applicants must have a PhD degree in ecology, geography, or equivalent; and have submitted their PhD thesis for assessment before the application deadline. Expertise in macroecology is expected, combined with solid geospatial/statistical modelling, and data architecture/management skills. The project will cover plants, insects, and vertebrates, so experience with the ecology of these groups is an advantage. Expertise in the geographic area of the project Mediterranean Forests) is also an advantage. The successful candidate is expected to have strong collaborative skills, proven abilities to publish at a high international level, and good English command. International applicants who do not have English as their first language must demonstrate excellent English language writing skills and fluency.

The application must be in English and include motivation letter including a 1-page outline of your ideas for the postdoc research project, 2-page CV (including number of citations and H-index from Google Scholar), full list of publications, as well as educational documentation (copies of diplomas for Master and PhD degrees, in English or Danish).

Assistant professor Alejandro Ordonez will be the main supervisor, with Professor & ECONOVO director Jens-Christian Svenning (Aarhus University) and Scientific Director Kent Olsen (Aarhus Natural History Museum) as co-supervisors. The postdoc will join both the ECOINF and ECONOVO team at the Department of Biology at Aarhus University.

ECOINF harbours strong expertise in macroecology, remote sensing, multitaxon ecology, and broadly in ecology and biodiversity. ECONOVO is a DNRF Center of Excellence focused on improving our insights into emerging novel ecological conditions and how to steer these conditions towards the most positive outcome possible. ECOINF and ECONOVO constitute an ambitious, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and highly international research community. Multiple local and international collaborators will be included where relevant. Postdocs and PhD students are encouraged to collaborate within the group, across departments, and with other universities.

The successful candidate is offered:

• an ambitious, creative and friendly research environment, inviting lively, open and critical discussion within and across different fields of research
• a working environment with teamwork, close working relations, network activities among young scientists and social activities
• a workplace characterized by professionalism, equality, and a healthy work-life balance.
• access to a well-developed research infrastructure 
• office space, shared equipment. 

The place of employment and work is the Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity (ECOINF) and Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), both located at the Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
You will also work on close collaboration with our partner at the Natural history Museum of Aarhus and other members of the INTEGRADIV consortia.

The Department of Biology hosts research programs and teaching curricula that cover all major biological sub-disciplines. The Department currently employs approximately 140 academic and technical staff and 40 PhD students. The Department hosts BSc and MSc study programs in Biology with about 400 students enrolled as well as a PhD program. The Department offer a vibrant and informal research environment with a long-standing tradition for collaboration with international university partners in the absolute elite. 

The working language is English, and we welcome applications from all genders of all backgrounds. Read about the Danish work-life balance, special opportunities for junior researchers, and the services available when relocating to Aarhus University here . The campus of Aarhus University is located in a beautiful park close to the city center (population 300.000).

Life quality and time allocation to family life in Denmark is high, and international investigations usually report that no other nationality score higher in terms of life satisfaction.

You can read more about the Department of Biology here .

Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:  Assistant professor Alejandro Ordonez, phone  +4587154347, e-mail:

March 27th, 2023.