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 February 2026 or later.

Title:
Novel communities and food webs: Understanding the effect of ice loss on marine community structures and food webs in the Arctic

Research area and project description:
We invite applications for a PhD position in eDNA based Arctic marine community structure and food webs at the Department of Biology at Aarhus University (AU). The position is available from 1 January 2026 or later.

The project is part of the Center for Ice-Free Arctic Research (CIFAR), a new Danish Research Center of Excellence funded by the Danish National Research Foundation. CIFAR’s research programme addresses how freshening from melting land and sea ice on Arctic coastal waters will transform the structure and functioning of Arctic marine ecosystems. This PhD project contributes to CIFAR’s focus area on how loss of land and sea loss affects primary production, community composition and food web structure in Arctic coastal waters.

You can find more about CIFAR here: bio.au.dk/forskning/forskningscentre/cifar

This PhD project aims to investigate how freshwater input to the coastal area, and a change from ice covered to open water, will influence the diversity and composition of pelagic marine communities, and thereby affect the structure and productivity of the ecosystem.

Combining hydrographical, environmental, biogeochemical and eDNA data the project will generate novel understanding on community composition and its drivers along a high-latitude climate gradient. The trophic structure of coastal ecosystems is expected to change in response to changes in the community composition and may lead to novel configuration of local food webs and changed productivity. We will model these food webs using community network analysis based on eDNA and existing distribution and trait data for the key organisms, which can provide evidence of expected predator-prey relationships and trophic linkages. These will be challenged by trophic mass balance models and stable isotope based trophic positions of key organisms sampled at different locations along the climate gradient.

This research contributes directly to CIFAR’s focus area on how the loss of land and sea ice affects primary production, community composition, and food web structure in Arctic coastal waters, ultimately improving our understanding of ecological resilience and change in a warming climate.

For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. When - as here - you apply for a specific project, please simply copy the project description above, and upload it as a PDF in the application. If you wish to, you can indicate an URL where further information can be found.

Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants must have a relevant master’s degree in biology, oceanography, or similar subjects, and ideally have field experience, experience with eDNA analysis, bioinformatics, data analysis and programming skills (e.g., R, python, matlab, etc). We seek candidates that are team players who can play active scientific and social roles in a diverse and international lab setting. Good oral and written communication skills are an asset. The successful candidate is expected to participate actively in field campaigns in Greenland in August 2026 and April 2027

Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Biology, Ole Worms Alle 1, 8000 Aarhus C., Denmark. 

Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information for this project are invited to contact:
Professor Peter Grønkjær, peter.groenkjaer@bio.au.dk

Professor Tenna Riis, tenna.riis@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 June 2025)

1. Choose August 2025 Call with deadline 1 November 2025 at 23:59 CEST.
2. You will be directed to the call and must choose the programme “Biology”.
3. In the boxed named “Study”: In the dropdown menu, please choose: “Novel communities and food webs: Understanding the effect of ice loss on marine community structures and food webs in the Arctic (NcfwUe)”

Please note:

• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.

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.