Postdoc in crop physiology and sustainable production of field-grown vegetables at Aarhus University, Denmark

The Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Denmark, invites applications for a two-year Post doc position within sustainable production and crop physiology of vegetables.

We are looking for a successful candidate with a strong research profile within plant responses to agro-ecological conditions, who would like to work with a highly engaged and motivated staff in a dynamic working environment. The position is available from 15. May, 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The position

The position is offered for a two-year period of employment. We are specifically interested in a candidate who has expertise within sustainable production and crop physiology of field-grown vegetables or other food crops. Development of this research area is a focal point and the candidate’s scientific competences are expected to contribute to further strengthening the research activities within the Department of Food Science. The position is aligned to the Science Team of Plant, Food & Sustainability. Current research is focused on field-grown vegetable physiology and management practices, including plant growth and soil fertility, fertilisation strategies, compost, cover crops and cropping systems, including conventional and organic farming, using measures such as root growth, nutrient use efficiency and soil enzyme activity. The Science Team activities also focus on sustainable fruit and legume production.

The successful candidate should have documented experience within plant physiology and production of field-grown vegetables or agricultural crops, and master state-of-the-art experimental and analytical methods in plant physiology and agro-ecological research.

You are expected to have research experience within two or more of the following areas:

• Growth and development of  vegetable crops
• Climate and environmental responses in plants
• Development of future crops, cultivars, genotypes
• Plant nutrition
• Water uptake and irrigation strategies
• Soil fertility
• Conventional and/or organic production systems

Collaboration with industry, growers and advisory services, and the Danish Government is a natural part of the position.

Qualifications

• PhD degree in Plant, Horticultural or Agricultural Science, postdoc experience is preferred
• A proven publication record in international peer-reviewed journals
• Experience in international research collaboration and networking
• Write and speak English fluently
• Experience in planning and conducting experiments in agro- or natural ecosystems is an advantage
• A driving license is an advantage

The candidate will work with other staff members in the Science team of Plant, Food and Sustainability mainly on current research projects, and contribute to tasks for the Danish Ministries in vegetable production.

The Department of Food Science

The Department of Food Science is part of the Faculty of Technology, Aarhus University and includes research across the food value chain within the areas of Plant Production Systems, Biofunctional Food, Systems Biology, Food Chemistry and Technology, Food Quality, and Sensory and Consumer Science. The Department currently employs approx. 60 full time research staff and 80 PhD students and Postdocs, with an additional approx. 60 Master and Bachelor thesis-based students and visiting researchers, who together contribute to an international research environment where English is the preferred language in the laboratory, at meetings and at seminars.

We offer a challenging and independent job opportunity in an ambitious and inspiring research and education environment with an informal atmosphere. We are looking for a dynamic employee who is able to work independently and maintain an overview during periods of high workload. We expect that you are efficient at planning your time and organizing major tasks. You enjoy interaction with both scientific staff, students and technical-administrative staff and you have a flair for establishing collaborative relationships. The Department works in teams and therefore self-leadership, clear and open communication, success in mentoring, supervising and teaching are important qualities needed to be successful in the Department. In addition, the Department has a strong culture that is based on openness, equality, consultation and inclusion, and contributing to the Department strategy and working environment is viewed as important.

The Department is responsible for a Master’s programme in Molecular Nutrition and Food Technology, taught at AU, Denmark, and a Master’s programme in Food and Health at the Sino-Danish Center in Beijing, China. In addition, Department staff contribute to several other key interdisciplinary educations, including Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in Agrobiology, and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering in Food Technology, Aarhus University. Staff also teach on a number of other educations offered at other Universities in Denmark and China.
The Department also conducts research-based advice of the Danish Government in the areas of plant production and food quality.

Please refer to http://food.au.dk/ for further information about The Department of Food Science and to https://tech.au.dk/en/and http://www.au.dk/en/ for information on Faculty of Technical Sciences and Aarhus University, respectively.

Place of Work and further information

The place of work is Agro Food Park 48, 8200 Aarhus North, Denmark.

For further information contact Science Team Leader Hanne Lakkenborg Kristensen, phone: +45 20698054, e-mail: [email protected]

Living in Aarhus / Denmark

Please visit the International Centre website (

http://www.au.dk/en/internationalcentre/

) for information about arriving, working and living in Denmark.

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.