Applications are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Biology programme. The position is available from August 2025 or later.
Title:
Quantifying Ecosystem Structural Diversity and Fragmentation using LiDAR, RADAR, Structure from Motion or Deep Learning
Research area and project description:
Biodiversity loss threatens ecosystem stability and function, vital for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem services. Failure to monitor and restore biodiversity jeopardizes food security, climate resilience, and societal benefits, prompting the need for advanced monitoring tools and interdisciplinary approaches. This interdisciplinary research project aims to deepen our understanding of the spatial scale in ecological remote sensing with the aim to monitor biodiversity and sustainability in agriculture dominated landscapes.
This PhD project broadly aims at understanding the spatial scaling and fragmentation of vegetation structure across natural and human modified landscapes in Denmark and Europe. The goal is to quantify the typical length scales and multiscale variation of vegetation structural diversity using active remote sensing (lidar or radar), structure from motion or deep learning applied to ortho-images. The successful candidate will be addressing research questions such as:
Q1: What are the typical length scales of remotely sensed structural surface properties and how do they vary across agricultural and natural ecosystems?
Q2: What does the structural diversity based on local variation and spatial turnover across spatial scales tell us about ecosystem fragmentation and integrity?
To this purpose, the PhD candidate will be expected to work with a combination of lidar, radar and structure-from-motion (SfM), or deep learning approaches using high-resolution ortho-images, to characterize vegetation structure, with a primary focus on canopy height. The PhD candidate will have the options to work with airborne laser scanning data acquired across all of Denmark and will have the chance to complement data from targeted airborne, drone or mobile laser scanning campaigns. The goal is to compare and integrate existing canopy height datasets at 10 m derived from airborne acquisitions, and from global canopy height models that could be used for scaling. Synergies with global C-band and L-band radar from the Sentinel-1, ALOS PALSAR, and NISAR satellite missions could be further explored for spatial scaling to European level estimates of structural diversity and fragmentation.
This PhD position will focus on natural and agricultural landscapes, and mainly contribute to the Center for Landscape Research in Sustainable Agricultural Futures (Land-CRAFT) with the vision to provide a novel framework that tests and assesses the sustainability of agricultural production, both within Denmark and globally. The candidate will be part of the Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity (ECOINF), Department of Biology.
The PhD candidate will work directly with Prof. Fabian D. Schneider, under the supervision of Prof. Signe Normand.
Besides a motivation letter, applicants are encouraged to submit an individual project proposal/description of 1 to 2 pages, showing how the applicant’s methodological competences can be used for the research and demonstrating the applicant’s understanding of related research, including referenced key literature. The successful candidate will, after approval from the graduate school, develop a project plan in collaboration with the supervisors.
Qualifications and specific competences:
We are seeking highly motivated PhD candidates interested in a scientific career. The applicant should hold an internal fascination for the topic, be independent, have excellent writing skills, and should be enthusiastic about working in an interdisciplinary and international academic environment.
Applicants are expected to have a master’s degree within geoscience, geography or biology, and have experience with:
We expect the candidate to have strong knowledge and/or strong interest in sustainability and biodiversity, agricultural systems, ecosystem change, new remote sensing techniques or methods, and the main Danish or European landscapes.
Important personal qualities are to be creative, good at problem-solving, a team-worker, independent, well structured, and keen to work across disciplines and societal sectors. Very good oral and written communication skills in English (fluent English) are expected.
Holding a B driver’s license is an advantage.
Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is The place of employment is Aarhus University, Department of Biology, Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity (ECOINF), Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C. The hired PhD student will be part of Center for Landscape Research in Sustainable Agricultural Futures (Land-CRAFT).
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information for this project are invited to contact: Professor Signe Normand, signe.normand@bio.au.dk or Fabian Schneider, fabian.schneider@bio.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 March 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.
