PhD fellowship in Stomatal Traits for Drought Resilience in Faba Bean
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PhD fellowship in Stomatal Traits for Drought Resilience in Faba Bean
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (PLEN), Section for Crop Sciences, invites applicants for a 3-year PhD fellowship in Stomatal Traits for Drought Resilience in Faba Bean.
Start date is 1 April 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.
The project
The project FASTER - Faba bean Stomatal Traits for Enhanced drought Resilience is financed by the Independent Research Fund of Denmark, which aims to enhance drought resilience in faba bean (Vicia faba L.) by targeting stomatal morphological traits, particularly stomatal size. Using our novel phenotyping pipeline, the project quantifies the effect of stomatal size on transpiration and root water uptake kinetics, evaluates adaptive plasticity of stomatal size under varying soil water availability, and assesses implications of stomatal size for soil water depletion and yield stability. Findings will inform breeding targets for drought-tolerant cultivars critical for sustainable plant-based protein production in Northern Europe.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with strong interdisciplinary qualifications and interests in crop stress physiology, belowground crop ecology, and legume crops. Requirements for the candidates are:
The position is anchored at the Crop Sciences Section, shared between the Crop Stress Physiology group and the Belowground Crop Ecology group. The two research groups are highly diverse, encompassing expertise in soil-plant water relations, crop stress physiology, measurement and modelling of stomatal conductance and water-use efficiency, root growth and crop drought adaptation. Together, these areas aim to address food security and agrobiodiversity to enhance resilience and broaden our food diets by optimizing land management and sustainable production systems with high value crops. The Crop Sciences Section is part of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. We are located on Taastrup Campus and offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment.
The department is planning to increase its focus on green transition in agriculture and sustaining plant-based protein production in the face of climate change. We therefore welcome applications from candidates with a broader interest in crop science, particularly legume crops, root and shoot coordination in drought resilience, and related themes.
Principal supervisor is Professor Fulai Liu, fl@plen.ku.dk , Phone: +45 35 33 33 92) and Co-supervisor is Associate Professor Dorte Bodin Dresbøll (dbdr@plen.ku.dk, +45 3533 3452), Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences,
The PhD programme
A three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme), for candidates with an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree.
Qualifications needed for the regular programme
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme or otherwise acquired competences, equivalent to a Danish Master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.
Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.
Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.
Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.
Responsibilities and tasks in the PhD programme:
Application and Assessment Procedure
Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.
Please include:
The deadline for applications is 10 January, 2026, 23:59 GMT +1.
We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.
The further process
After deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.
The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.
Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held on 1st February, 2026.
Applicants must be prepared for further security screening related to international research collaborations as part of the recruitment process, when UCPH considers it appropriate from a holistic consideration
Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.
General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.
Start date is 1 April 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.
The project
The project FASTER - Faba bean Stomatal Traits for Enhanced drought Resilience is financed by the Independent Research Fund of Denmark, which aims to enhance drought resilience in faba bean (Vicia faba L.) by targeting stomatal morphological traits, particularly stomatal size. Using our novel phenotyping pipeline, the project quantifies the effect of stomatal size on transpiration and root water uptake kinetics, evaluates adaptive plasticity of stomatal size under varying soil water availability, and assesses implications of stomatal size for soil water depletion and yield stability. Findings will inform breeding targets for drought-tolerant cultivars critical for sustainable plant-based protein production in Northern Europe.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with strong interdisciplinary qualifications and interests in crop stress physiology, belowground crop ecology, and legume crops. Requirements for the candidates are:
- Experience and interest in studying soil-plant water relations and crop drought adaptation strategies.
- Good understanding of plant responses to environmental stresses.
- Skills in conducting pot and field experiments.
- Experience with using statistical software like R in data analysis.
- Experience in writing and publishing scientific articles.
The position is anchored at the Crop Sciences Section, shared between the Crop Stress Physiology group and the Belowground Crop Ecology group. The two research groups are highly diverse, encompassing expertise in soil-plant water relations, crop stress physiology, measurement and modelling of stomatal conductance and water-use efficiency, root growth and crop drought adaptation. Together, these areas aim to address food security and agrobiodiversity to enhance resilience and broaden our food diets by optimizing land management and sustainable production systems with high value crops. The Crop Sciences Section is part of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. We are located on Taastrup Campus and offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment.
The department is planning to increase its focus on green transition in agriculture and sustaining plant-based protein production in the face of climate change. We therefore welcome applications from candidates with a broader interest in crop science, particularly legume crops, root and shoot coordination in drought resilience, and related themes.
Principal supervisor is Professor Fulai Liu, fl@plen.ku.dk , Phone: +45 35 33 33 92) and Co-supervisor is Associate Professor Dorte Bodin Dresbøll (dbdr@plen.ku.dk, +45 3533 3452), Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences,
The PhD programme
A three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme), for candidates with an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree.
Qualifications needed for the regular programme
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme or otherwise acquired competences, equivalent to a Danish Master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.
Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.
Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.
Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.
Responsibilities and tasks in the PhD programme:
- Carry through an independent research project under supervision
- Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
- Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
- Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
- Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals
- Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project
- Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
- Relevant publications
- Relevant work experience
- Other relevant professional activities
- Curious mind-set with a strong interest in ecosystem services and green transition
- Good language skills
Application and Assessment Procedure
Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.
Please include:
- Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
- Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
- Original diplomas for Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.
- Publication list (if possible)
- Reference letters (if available)
The deadline for applications is 10 January, 2026, 23:59 GMT +1.
We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.
The further process
After deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.
The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.
Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held on 1st February, 2026.
Applicants must be prepared for further security screening related to international research collaborations as part of the recruitment process, when UCPH considers it appropriate from a holistic consideration
Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.
General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.