Postdoc: Biodiversity Forecasting & Rewilding Modelling

Aarhus University (AU); Aarhus; On-site; DKK 360,000 - 480,000; Full time

Job summary

Aarhus University, Department of Biology, invites applications for a two-year postdoctoral position within the ECONOVO center to model biodiversity and ecosystem responses to depopulation and rewilding across Europe.

The role combines ecological modelling with demography, climate and land-use data, developing spatial forecasts to 2100 (and 2300 where relevant) and contributing to policy-oriented outputs through reproducible workflows and international collaboration.

Qualifications

• PhD in ecology, macroecology, biogeography or related field.
• 2nd item
• 3rd item

Responsibilities

• assemble, harmonise and analyse large spatial and temporal biodiversity datasets (vegetation-plot, environmental, land-use, demographic, remote-sensing).
• develop spatially explicit forecasts of plant diversity and community change under climate, socioeconomic and depopulation scenarios to 2100 (2300 where appropriate).
• integrate hierarchical species distribution models and/or dynamic vegetation models for calibration and evaluation.
• quantify uncertainty and conduct sensitivity analyses on drivers of projected biodiversity change.
• assess functional consequences by linking vegetation forecasts to traits, ecosystem structure, productivity and carbon storage; functional redundancy and resilience.
• compare trophic rewilding and passive-management trajectories, including large-herbivore and carnivore distributions or reintroductions.
• identify refugia and areas with high potential for biodiversity recovery or rewilding under future change.
• produce reproducible geospatial workflows, scenario maps, publications and policy-oriented outputs; collaborate with partners across Europe.

Skills

Quantitative modelling

Spatial ecological modelling

R and Python programming

Reproducible workflows

Geospatial data handling

Climate and land-use scenarios

Plant functional traits

Remote-sensing data familiarity

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Academic publication track record

Education

PhD in ecology / macroecology / biogeography / environmental science

Tools

R

Python

QGIS/ArcGIS

Git & reproducible workflows

Job description

Aarhus University, Department of Biology, invites applications for a two-year postdoctoral position within the ECONOVO center to model biodiversity and ecosystem responses to depopulation and rewilding across Europe.

The role combines ecological modelling with demography, climate and land-use data, developing spatial forecasts to 2100 (and 2300 where relevant) and contributing to policy-oriented outputs through reproducible workflows and international collaboration.