Applications are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Geoscience programme. The position is available from November 2025 or later.
Title:
GreenFjords
Research area and project description:
The Paleoceanography and Paleoclimate Research Group at the Department of Geoscience of Aarhus University (https://geo.au.dk/paleo) is seeking to hire a PhD candidate in the GreenFjords Project: Hydrography, deglacial history, and ice-ocean interaction of NE Greenland fjords through 12,000 years. The project is funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark.
Greenland fjords form a boundary zone between the open ocean and the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS), and their underlying sediments are key for understanding long-term ocean-ice sheet interactions. Nutrient transport pathways between land, ice and the open ocean also make the fjords hotspots for biological production. GreenFjords will take an interdisciplinary approach to study the long-term environmental and climatic development of five fjord systems in northeast Greenland: Dove Bay, Ardencaple Fjord, Young Sound, Kong Oscar Fjord, and Scoresby Sound. This includes reconstructing the glacial history, changes in oceanography, climate variability and their impact on ecosystems over the last ca. 12,000 years, distinguishing local and regional trends.
The necessary samples and data have been collected in recent years during expeditions to the area, and include numerous sediment cores, acoustic surveys of the seafloor and sub-bottom profiles, and transects of hydrographical measurements. The focus of the PhD student will be on the analyses of the sediment samples from both short surface cores that capture the most recent time, and longer gravity cores that extend back to the last deglaciation. Reconstructions will be based on a multi-proxy approach and may include any combination of the study of microfossils (e.g. benthic foraminifera), lipid biomarkers (e.g. HBIs and phytosterols), stable isotopes, and physical properties of sediments.
The PhD candidate will work closely with project collaborators including researchers specializing in Arctic paleoceanography, ice and sea-level modeling, remote sensing, and marine geophysics. The main place of work will be the Department of Geoscience of Aarhus University, but there will also be a 3-month research stay abroad to one of the international project partners. The project is fully funded, and PhD salary is secured for the entire PhD duration, including funding for attendance of conferences, workshops and short courses abroad.
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Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants must have a relevant Master’s degree or at least one year of a Master’s degree in natural science, including but not limited to geology, geophysics, oceanography, environmental science, chemistry, biology, or ecology.
The ideal candidate has an educational background and experience in one or more of the following topics:
In the cover letter, applicants should state how their own specific research interests, background and experience fit into the GreenFjords project. Due to the broad aims of the project, there is freedom to tailor the research direction of the project depending on the candidate’s individual background and interests. These details will be discussed between the PhD candidate and supervisors at the interview stage of the hiring process.
Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Geoscience, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 2, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark.
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information for this project are invited to contact: Associate Professor Christof Pearce, christof.pearce@geo.au.dk, Assistant Professor Henrieka Detlef, henrieka.detlef@geo.au.dk or Professor Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz, mss@geo.au.dk
How to apply:
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see the Application guide. Please read the Application guide thoroughly before applying.
When ready to apply, go to https://phd.nat.au.dk/for-applicants/apply-here/ (Note, the online application system opens 1 June 2025)
Please note:
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.
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.
