Assistant Professor Position in Transient Electromagnetic Signal Processing, Modelling and Inversion

Aarhus Universitet (AU); Aarhus; On-site; DKK 520,000 - 720,000; Full time

Job summary

Aarhus University, Department of Geoscience, invites applications for a 2-year Assistant Professor position starting December 1, 2026, in the DREAM project focused on drone-based transient electromagnetic (TEM) systems.

You will lead advanced signal processing, collaborate with engineering and software teams, publish in international journals, and supervise PhD and MSc students, with strong emphasis on interdisciplinary teamwork and field validation.

Qualifications

• PhD in Geophysics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or related discipline.
• Demonstrated expertise in transient electromagnetic forward modelling and inversion.
• Experience with numerical solutions to electromagnetic problems.
• Experience with TEM field data acquisition and interpretation.
• Strong programming skills; Python is mandatory; PyTorch or GPU computing a plus.
• Excellent English, publications in international journals, and collaboration in interdisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of advanced signal processing for TEM data.
• Develop forward modelling and inversion algorithms for transient electromagnetic systems.
• Integrate numerical methods with hardware development and field testing.
• Manage data acquisition, processing, and modelling for DREAM and TEM projects.
• Publish results and supervise PhD, MSc, and BSc students.

Skills

Python programming

TEM forward modelling

Signal processing

Strong analytical skills

Team collaboration

English proficiency

Education

PhD in Geophysics or related

Tools

PyTorch

GPU computing

Job description

Ansøgningsfrist 1. sep. 23:59 CEST

Forventet start 1. dec.

• Institut for Geoscience Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 2 8000 Aarhus C
• Tidsbegrænset fuldtidsstilling 1. dec. 2026 - 30. nov. 2028 ID: 165495

A 2-year Assistant Professor position is available from December 1, 2026 or shortly hereafter at Aarhus University, Department of Geoscience, HydroGeophysics Group (HGG). The position is funded through the DREAM project (DRone-based Electromagnetic Aerial Mapping), supported by Innovation Fund Denmark.

DREAM is an interdisciplinary research and innovation project aiming to develop the world's first ultra-lightweight drone transient electromagnetic (TEM) system for high-resolution subsurface mapping. The project combines novel instrumentation, advanced signal processing, real-time physics-based machine learning, multidimensional inversion, and probabilistic geological modelling to enable efficient mapping in previously inaccessible terrains. The successful candidate will be employed primarily in research which focuses on developing novel signal processing methodologies for drone-based TEM systems. The candidate will work closely with researchers from the Department of Geoscience, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and industrial partners involved in the development of the DREAM platform.

Job assignments

The candidate will become part of a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, software developers, and geophysicists working on the development of next-generation airborne geophysical technologies.

The position focuses on advanced numerical developments for transient electromagnetic systems and close integration with hardware development activities. The successful candidate will work directly with engineering teams designing and testing the DREAM dual-drone TEM platform and will contribute to iterative prototype development and field validation.

The Assistant Professor will also be expected to lead data acquisition, processing, modelling, and inversion activities related to DREAM and other TEM-related projects within HGG. The candidate is required to publish scientific results in international peer-reviewed journals, present results at international conferences and workshops and contribute to the supervision of PhD, MSc and BSc students.

Strong communication and collaboration skills are mandatory.

The tasks undertaken by the Asst. Prof. will include the following:

• Development of advanced signal processing methodologies for transient electromagnetic data
• Development of transient electromagnetic forward modelling and inversion algorithms.
• Development of processing methodologies operating in both time-domain and Fourier-domain representations.
• Research on spectral analysis, signal characterization, noise suppression, and data compression techniques for TEM systems.
• Integration of numerical methods into real-time drone-based TEM acquisition workflows.
• Participation in the design, testing, and evaluation of next-generation drone-based TEM instrumentation.
• Close collaboration with engineering teams during iterative prototype development and field testing.
• Planning and execution of TEM field campaigns and validation experiments.
• Communication and dissemination of research results through scientific publications and presentations.

Required qualifications for the position:

• PhD degree in Geophysics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated expertise in transient electromagnetic (TEM) forward modelling and inversion.
• Experience implementing numerical solutions to electromagnetic field problems.
• Experience working with electromagnetic methods in both time and Fourier domains.
• Significant experience in spectral analysis, signal processing, and advanced data processing methodologies.
• Proven experience with TEM field data acquisition, processing, and interpretation.
• Strong programming skills. Advanced Python programming is mandatory; experience with PyTorch, GPU-implementations, or other high-performance computing is considered an advantage.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills.
• Excellent English skills, both oral and written.
• Demonstrated scientific productivity through peer-reviewed publications in recognized international journals.
• Experience presenting scientific results at conferences and workshops.
• Ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams spanning geophysics, engineering, and software development.
• The selected candidate will have the opportunity to participate in teaching, supervision and curriculum development in relation to the main research topics.

Place of Employment and Place of Work:

The place of employment will be Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Geoscience, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 2, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark.

Formalities and salary range

Natural Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Salary and terms as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Unions at basic salary steps 4-8. You will be appointed as tenure track assistant professor or associate professor in accordance with the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at universities

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.

At the Faculty of Natural Science at Aarhus University, we strive to support our scientific staff in their career development. We focus on competency development and career clarification and want to make your opportunities transparent. On our website, you can find information on all types of scientific positions, as well as the entry criteria we use when assessing candidates. You can also read more about how we can assist you in your career planning and development.

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.

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

Spørgsmål til stillingen ?
Denys Grombacher Lektor, Institut for Geoscience [phone] e-mail

Spørgsmål til ansøgning og proces ?
Administrationscenter Nat-Tech - Nat-Tech HR [phone] e-mail