Postdoc position within sustainable lake restoration

Application deadline: 23 May 2024 at 23:59 hours local Danish time
A 3-years postdoc position is available at the Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. The expected start date is 15 August 2024, or soon thereafter.

Project background
Freshwater systems throughout the world are in poor condition, mainly due to decades of nutrient pollution. The main cause of poor water quality is excess phosphorous (P) that causes excessive phytoplankton growth, leading to poor water quality and loss of biodiversity in our lakes. To combat eutrophication, it is essential to reduce P levels, and, recently, sustainable lake restoration measures as well as circularity are increasingly demanded.

The announced postdoc position is part of the international and interdisciplinary project FERRO (Fostering European Lake Restoration by nutrient removal, recovery, and reuse: integrated catchment and in-lake solutions), which is led by the German UFZ (Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research) and funded by the EU. FERRO focuses on the recovery of P from catchments and lakes and reusing it in agriculture. Specifically in this sub-project, we aim at removing nutrient-rich water from the hypolimnion by solar-driven water pumps installed on pontoons. The water will be pumped on land where P is removed by iron-rich filter material. For this purpose, different filter materials will be tested, aiming at efficient P removal as well as later P solubility and availability for plant growth in agriculture.

Tasks and qualifications
We are looking for an enthusiastic, self-driven and ambitious candidate with a Ph.D. degree in environmental sciences, environmental engineering, environmental chemistry, or related fields. The candidate will be in charge of installing and maintaining solar-driven pumps and monitoring water quality parameters at Lake Fure (DK), Vrchlice Reservoir (CZ) and other study sites. The pumps will be installed on pontoons and positioned above hot-spot areas of P release. These areas will be identified my sonar scanning and/or artificially created by stopping installed oxygenation systems (depending on the lake). Further, recyclable filter materials will be tested to efficiently remove P from the P-rich hypolimnetic water. P binding capacity and kinetics as well as P ad- and desorption characteristics of the filter materials will be investigated in the lab and promising materials will be upscaled for large-scale field applications to recycle P. The work will be conducted in collaboration with other work packages within the FERRO project, and contribution to these (such as sonar scanning, monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions) is provided.

A driving license is a must to be able to visit the study sites regularly. The ability to conduct at times physical-demanding and practical fieldwork and to steer a boat is advantageous. Good English language skills are required, and the candidate should possess good interpersonal skills. It is assumed that the candidate is willing to travel to and to stay at field sites outside Denmark (e.g. CZ or GER) and to participate in projects meetings and international conferences to discuss and present the results. Furthermore, teaching obligations at the Department of Biology should be expected.

Application deadline: 23 May 2024 at 23:59 hours local Danish time.
Please contact Kasper Reitzel ([email protected]) or Theis Kragh ([email protected]) if you have questions about the position.

Application, salary etc.
The successful applicant will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations). Please check links for more information on salary and taxation.

The application must be made in the form of a Declaration of Interest, including the following:

• A letter of motivation for the application (max one page)
• A curriculum vitae (max two pages)
• List of publications
• Copy of Ph.D. degree and other relevant certificates
• A short abstract of the Ph.D. thesis
• Contact details of at least two persons for references
• Copy of driver’s license

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process.
Incomplete applications and applications received after the deadline will neither be considered nor evaluated.

To qualify you must have passed a PhD or equivalent. Applications will be assessed by an expert assessor/committee. Applicants will be informed of their assessment by the university.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now". Attached files must be in Adobe PDF format. We strongly recommend that you read How to apply for a position at SDU before you apply.

Further information for international applicants about entering and working in Denmark.

Placering: Odense, Denmark