Postdoc in Satellite Remote Sensing and Land-Use Modeling of Grassland Management

Department of Environmental Science - Atmospheric Emissions & Modelling - Faculty: Technical Sciences

Postdoc in Satellite Remote Sensing and Land-Use Modeling of Grassland Management

Deadline 10 Apr 23:59 CEST

Expected start 1 Jun

• Department of Environmental Science - Atmospheric Emissions & Modelling Frederiksborgvej 399 4000 Roskilde
  
  
• Fixed term full-time position 1 Jun 2026 - 31 May 2028 ID: 20481
  
  

The Department of Environmental Science at Aarhus University (AU-ENVS), Roskilde, invites applications for a 2-year position as postdoc in satellite remote sensing and land-use modeling of grassland management. The position is to be filled by 1 June 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Expected start date and duration of employment

The position is available from 1 June 2026 and is a 2-year (24-month) appointment.

Description of the position

The position is part of the Biodiversa+/Danish Innofond ActSustainably project, which explores how institutions, social norms, and plural values of biodiversity can foster transformative change toward sustainable grassland use in Eurasia. The project focuses on the assessment of grassland-use dynamics, grassland governance in Eurasia across Austria/South Tyrol, Denmark, Hungary, and Kazakhstan, examining how cooperative rules, collective action, and policy arrangements support the sustainable use of natural resources across different institutional and development contexts.

The postdoc’s research will focus on comparative, interdisciplinary research on grassland-use dynamics within a social-ecological systems framework, in collaboration with international partners:

• Reconstruction of grassland-use dynamics in multifunctional landscapes using public Landsat, Sentinel-1, and Sentinel-2 data, public aerial photographs, and commercial PlanetScope imagery
• Critical assessment of the determinants of land-use change, including analysis of reconstructed grassland-use dynamics
• Publication of findings in international peer-reviewed journals and presentation of results at scientific conferences
• Close collaboration with international partners in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Switzerland

Assistance with the collection of relevant project data in Denmark

Qualifications

You are a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following competencies and experience:

• A Ph.D. in geoinformatics, environmental science, geography, or similar
• Expertise in the analysis of satellite remote sensing products, preferably with a focus on grasslands and evaluation of land-use intensity,
• Expertise in classification with machine-learning methods, statistics, spatial analysis and land-use modeling,
• Experience and interest in conducting fieldwork,
• Skills in Python, R, GEE, or other relevant programming environments in the satellite remote sensing field,
• Experience working with high-resolution imagery and aerial photos,
• Skills in academic writing and publishing,
• Ability to work independently and with an international team, including routine updates,
• Excellent English skills, written and spoken.

Application

Please see below for guidance and formalities regarding the application procedure. By default, the application system requires the upload of:

• Cover letter - please state your reasons for applying and your relevant qualifications
• Curriculum vitae
• Degree certificate
• Complete list of publications
• Statement of research plans and research activities - please indicate your previous research and your intentions and visions with regard to carrying out the work involved in the position

Teaching portfolio - please be aware, however, that apart from possible supervision and outreach activities, teaching is not planned for this position.

Department of Environmental Science

The Department of Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary unit within the Faculty of Technical Sciences at Aarhus University. Our research covers topics addressing global challenges,Öland and water management, biodiversity protection, climate change, physics, chemistry, microbiology, social sciences, geography, and environmental economics. The department also provides expert advisory services to ministries and authorities. While we do not run a master’s program in environmental science, there are some opportunities for teaching and supervision. We value equality, diversity, and a balanced work-life approach. Currently, about 140 staff, postdocs, and PhD candidates work in the department.

The selected candidate will join the Section for Atmospheric Emissions and Modelling , working with a variety of research topics related to sustainable land use.

• Appropriate supervision and a stimulating international setting
• Joint work on analysis and publications
• Relevant computational resources
• Support in the development of a personal career path

Work location

The place of work will be at Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark (Risø Campus), and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments. The city of Roskilde (?url=www.roskilde.dk&module=jobs&id=3214515" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">?url=www.roskilde.dk&module=jobs&id=3214515" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.roskilde.dk) is just approx. 30 km from Copenhagen. The area provides immediate access to a wealth of cultural and recreational pursuits.

International candidates may find information concerning living and working in Denmark at ?url=www.workindenmark.dk&module=jobs&id=3214515" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">?url=www.workindenmark.dk&module=jobs&id=3214515" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.workindenmark.dk. AU International Center offers a full range of services to make your transition to Denmark as smooth as possible (?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.au.dk%2Fen%2Finternationalcentre%2Fias%2F&module=jobs&id=3214515" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.au.dk%2Fen%2Finternationalcentre%2Fias%2F&module=jobs&id=3214515" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.au.dk/en/internationalcentre/ias/), and the department will assist foreign candidates with finding a suitable place to live.

Contact information

Further information may be obtained by contacting Professor of Land System Science Alexander Prishchepov, [email protected] , +4520816815

Deadline

Applications must be received no later than 10 April 2026.

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.

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.

If you wish to add a referee after you have submitted your application, you must send this person’s details (name, job title, place of work, and email address) as well as the name of the position you have applied for to: [email protected]

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.

Questions about the position -

Alexander Prishchepov Professor, Department of Environmental Science - Atmospheric Emissions & Modelling +4520816815 [email protected]

Questions about application and proces -

Nat-Tech Administrative Centre - Nat-Tech HR +4525695795 [email protected]

Deadline: Friday 10 Apr 2026 at 23:59 CEST

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