The Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science at University of Copenhagen is offering a 3-year PhD position in using 13C for field phenotyping and breeding for drought resilience commencing February 1st 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Job description
The PhD student will be working on a recently funded project on using d13C isotope enrichment for field phenotyping of crops in cooperation with plant breeders. The natural enrichment of 13C in plant material is affected by stomatal closure, and therefore by the level of drought stress in crops. Comparing genotypes of major field crops, we have found d13C to be correlated to deep rooting among crop genotypes, as genotypes with deep rooting can access more soil water, and thereby get less drought stressed. Measuring d13C is much less demanding than measuring deep rooting directly, leading to the hypothesis that d13C can be used as a proxy for field scale phenotyping for deep rooting, allowing breeding towards efficient use of soil water and drought stress resilience. The studies in the project will include different crops, mainly winter wheat and perennial ryegrass. The project will work in two main directions: 1) further study of the method, to understand how the 13C signal develops and is distributed in the plant, and how sampling can be optimized to show such effects of even shorter dry periods, typical of temperate climates, and 2) using d13C measurements in established genotype trials at different locations, to study genotypic differences in water stress and its links to yield and other measured traits of the genotypes.
The PhD student will work together with a postdoc on the project.
Description of the scientific environment
The PhD student will be hosted in the Crop Physiology and Production Systems research group, which focuses on crop growth, yield and quality at the crop, crop rotation, and cropping system level. We work with the development of plants for food, feed, and biomass production. More information about the research group is available at: https://plen.ku.dk/english/research/crop_sciences/cpps/.
Required qualifications
The applicants should hold professional and personal skills and qualifications as stated below:
- A MSc degree in agricultural science, or related disciplines.
- Solid knowledge of whole plant and crop physiology.
- Good technical skills and practical experimental experience with whole plant or field crop experiments, as well as modern plant analyses and monitoring techniques.
- Competent on data management and statistical analysis, etc.
- Good interpersonal skills, experience with collaborative work in larger multinational teams.
- Excellent English writing and speaking abilities.
- Professional qualifications relevant to the position
- Scientific publications
- Relevant research experience
- Other professional activities
- Good language skills
The PhD programme
A three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme), if you already have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree.
Qualifications needed for the PhD programme
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. agriculture, biology or environmental sciences. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.
Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.
Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.
Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.
Responsibilities and tasks in PhD programme
- Carry through an independent research project under supervision
- Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
- Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
- Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
- Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals
- Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project
Please include
- Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
- Curriculum vitae
- Original diplomas for Bachelor or Master and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.
- Publication list (if available)
- Reference letters (if available)
We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.
Interviews are expected to be held 1st half of December 2025.
The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.
The further process
After deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.
The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at http://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.
Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.
[General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/].
INFORMATIONER OM STILLINGEN:
- Arbejdspladsen ligger i:
Høje-Taastrup Kommune
-Virksomheden tilbyder:
dagarbejde
-Arbejdsgiver:
KU - SCIENCE - Taastrup, Højbakkegård Alle, 2630 Taastrup
-Ansøgning:
Ansøgningsfrist: 22-11-2025;
Se mere her: https://job.jobnet.dk/CV/FindWork/Details/4ee40afa-80d6-44c5-91db-cf5195458e12
