Learning from the past to inform future seabird conservation (PASTBIRD)
Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Ecoscience programme. The position is available from 01 August 2026 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title
Learning from the past to inform future seabird conservation (PASTBIRD)

Research area and project description
The Department of Ecoscience has an open, fully funded PhD position (3 years). The PhD student will be part of the project “Learning from the past to inform future seabird conservation (PASTBIRD)”, funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark under the thematic call “Arctic research – Climate change and sustainable Arctic communities”.

PASTBIRD addresses the severe decline of Arctic seabirds and integrates Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) with scientific ecological knowledge to inform seabird conservation initiatives in the Faroe Islands. Seabird colonies there have been key for ecosystems and local culture for centuries but threats from particularly invasive brown rats have decimated their numbers. To counter “shifting baseline syndrome,” the project combines LEK from place names and oral histories, with field data and stable isotope and radiocarbon analyses of soils to reconstruct historical seabird colony distribution. This validated, co-produced knowledge will inform evidence-based, culturally grounded priorities for seabird colony restoration. PASTBIRD thereby advances interdisciplinary conservation science, fosters local engagement, and strengthens resilience of both ecosystems and communities.

The PhD will be in charge of the field collection and analysis of the ecological data at selected seabird colonies, with specific focus on stable isotopes data. Fieldwork in the Faroe Islands and lab work for extended periods is to be expected. Based on the results of the PhD project, the PhD student will also work together with a postdoc to co-develop prioritizations for seabird conservation initiatives in the Faroe Islands.

The consortium behind PASTBIRD include Niels Martin Schmidt (Aarhus University), Sjúrður Hammer (Umhvørvisstovan / Faroese Environment Agency), Firouz Gaini (Føroya / University of the Faroe Islands), and Anders Michelsen (University of Copenhagen).

• Project description. For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.

Qualifications and specific competences
We are looking for a candidate with a Master’s degree (120 ECTS) within biology or similar. The candidate will join a cross-disciplinary team and being able to work as a team and across scientific disciplines is therefore key. Experience with fieldwork in Nordic / Arctic conditions and/or with lab work is rearded as assets.

Place of employment and place of work
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Ecoscience, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.

Contacts
Applicants seeking further information regarding the PhD position are invited to contact:

• Professor Niels Martin Schmidt, nms@ecos.au.dk (main supervisor)
  

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide. If answers cannot be found there, please contact:

• admission.gradschool.tech@au.dk
  

How to apply
Please follow this link to submit your application.

Application deadline is 01 April 2026 at 23:59 CEST.

Preferred starting date is 1 August 2026.

Please note:

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.
  

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. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.