Postdoc Position in Mechanistic Modelling of Faba Bean Cropping Systems
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Postdoc Position in Mechanistic Modelling of Faba Bean Cropping Systems
The Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences invites applicants for a 3 year postdoctoral position focused on mechanistic modelling of faba bean cropping systems. The position is a part of the interdisciplinary DIGIFABA project, aimed at enhancing the sustainability and climate resilience of grain legume production through digital phenotyping, advanced data science methodologies, and mechanistic modelling.
About the Project
The DIGIFABA project addresses the urgent need to enhance yield stability and drought resilience in faba bean production, utilizing state-of-the-art techniques in remote sensing, digital phenotyping, statistical modelling, and mechanistic simulation models. This particular postdoctoral position focuses on developing and implementing a novel faba bean crop module within the DAISY soil-plant-atmosphere model. The objective is to accurately represent faba bean phenology, physiology, and yield response to environmental factors, especially drought conditions.
Your Tasks and Responsibilities
Who are we looking for?
We seek a candidate with a strong background in agronomy, or related disciplines, ideally with experience working with legumes and sustainable cropping systems. The candidate should possess:
The Postdoc position is placed in the Belowground Crop Ecology research group headed by Associate professor Dorte Bodin Dresbøll. Focus of the research group is on resilient and sustainable cropping systems with special emphasis on belowground interactions, root development and function. We are working with grain legumes, forage legumes and cereals for food and feed. Main topics of the group are drought tolerance, nutrient acquisition and root exudation.
The group is a part of the Section for Crop Sciences at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. We are located at the Taastrup Campus outside Copenhagen.
Further information on the Department is linked at http://www.science.ku.dk/english/about-the-faculty/organisation/. Inquiries about the position can be made to Dorte Bodin Dresbøll dbdr@plen.ku.dk.
The position is open from 1 January 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.
Terms of employment
The position is covered by the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff.
Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State.
Negotiation for salary supplement is possible.
The application, in English, must be submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.
Please include
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Interview Committee.
You can read about the recruitment process at http://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.
Interviews will be held in the beginning of October.
About the Project
The DIGIFABA project addresses the urgent need to enhance yield stability and drought resilience in faba bean production, utilizing state-of-the-art techniques in remote sensing, digital phenotyping, statistical modelling, and mechanistic simulation models. This particular postdoctoral position focuses on developing and implementing a novel faba bean crop module within the DAISY soil-plant-atmosphere model. The objective is to accurately represent faba bean phenology, physiology, and yield response to environmental factors, especially drought conditions.
Your Tasks and Responsibilities
- Data management of a complex agronomic dataset from a variety of scales and methodologies including experimental field trials, greenhouse trials, remote sensing and manual ground-truth measurements.
- Develop a dedicated faba bean module within the DAISY modelling framework, specifically addressing yield stability, drought stress interactions and intermediate flowering.
- Evaluate and validate the developed module using both existing datasets and newly acquired experimental data.
- Perform sensitivity analyses to investigate the responses of faba bean yields to various climatic and environmental scenarios, and derive strategies for breeding and management aimed at yield stability.
- Collaborate closely with interdisciplinary project partners from data science and agronomy to integrate findings from phenotyping studies into the modelling approach.
- Supervision of PhD student in regards to project management of field trial and greenhouse experiments
- Prepare and publish scientific articles in high-impact journals.
Who are we looking for?
We seek a candidate with a strong background in agronomy, or related disciplines, ideally with experience working with legumes and sustainable cropping systems. The candidate should possess:
- A PhD in agronomy, environmental science, plant science, crop modelling, or a closely related discipline.
- Experience in working at different experimental scales.
- Experience with experiments of in field drought stress
- Experience with analysis of complex datasets
- Experience in cool season grain legume production and sustainable agriculture practices
- Strong analytical skills and proficiency with statistical methods relevant for model calibration, validation, and sensitivity analyses.
- Preferably experience in using mechanistic crop models, such as DAISY or similar soil-plant-atmosphere models
- Experience in project management and student supervision
- Good communication skills in English and a collaborative mindset.
The Postdoc position is placed in the Belowground Crop Ecology research group headed by Associate professor Dorte Bodin Dresbøll. Focus of the research group is on resilient and sustainable cropping systems with special emphasis on belowground interactions, root development and function. We are working with grain legumes, forage legumes and cereals for food and feed. Main topics of the group are drought tolerance, nutrient acquisition and root exudation.
The group is a part of the Section for Crop Sciences at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. We are located at the Taastrup Campus outside Copenhagen.
Further information on the Department is linked at http://www.science.ku.dk/english/about-the-faculty/organisation/. Inquiries about the position can be made to Dorte Bodin Dresbøll dbdr@plen.ku.dk.
The position is open from 1 January 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.
Terms of employment
The position is covered by the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff.
Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State.
Negotiation for salary supplement is possible.
The application, in English, must be submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.
Please include
- Curriculum vitae
- Diplomas (Master and PhD degree or equivalent)
- Research plan – description of current and future research plans
- Complete publication list
- Separate reprints of 3 particularly relevant papers
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Interview Committee.
You can read about the recruitment process at http://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.
Interviews will be held in the beginning of October.