Save job Share Apply
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 01 January 2026 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title:
Global sensitivity analysis of nitrogen leaching models

Research area and project description:
The Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University is offering a PhD position focused on the global sensitivity analysis of nitrogen leaching modelling under Danish agricultural conditions. The position is available from 01-02-2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. This PhD position will focus on applying and developing data analysis methodologies to identify and rank the sources of uncertainty in different nitrogen leaching modelling frameworks. The position is funded by two projects from The Danish Agency for Green Land Use and Aquatic Environment (Danish Ministry for the Green Tripartite), which aim to provide science-based advice to policymakers regarding nitrogen regulation in Denmark.

Nitrogen (N) leaching from agricultural fields is an important contributor to freshwater pollution. While several models of different complexities describe the relationship between agro-environmental conditions and N losses, there is a need to better understand their key drivers and identify any spurious relationships. This PhD position will focus on developing a statistical methodology for conducting a global sensitivity analysis to N modelling.

You would learn to work with data-driven approaches to define multiple relevant scenarios for N losses in Danish agriculture, including a realistic range and distribution for all relevant input variables, while also accounting for correlations between them. You will apply suitable GSA methods capable of handling correlated inputs to identify the most influential inputs and detect non-sensitive inputs that can be fixed, thereby reducing model complexity. You will also take part in developing and implementing open-source language protocols to efficiently run a large number of scenarios and share the results of the analysis to enhance the documentation of the studied models.
  • Project description. 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.
Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants to the PhD position must:
  • Hold an MSc degree either in a data science field (statistical genetics, applied statistics, computer science, computational biology, data science) with environmental orientation in the application or a MSc in agronomy ecology or soil science with a strong computational background.
  • Have experience in scientific programming and data-analysis using for instance R, Julia, Python.
  • Have an interest in sustainable agriculture and environment
  • Be fluent in English (written and spoken)
  • Have scientific writing and communication skills
  • Have the ability to work independently and collaborate in constructive way with the research team.
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 regarding the PhD position are invited to contact:
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide. If answers cannot be found there, please contact:How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.

Application deadline is 1 November 2025 at 23:59 CET.

Preferred starting date is 1 January 2026.

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.

Please note in your application that you found the job at Jobindex

Apply