PhD in Optimal use of fertilizer nitrogen for crop yield and nitrogen leaching

Sep 01, 2023 21:59:00 GMT+00:00
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Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Agroecology programme. The position is available from 1 January 2024 or later.  

Title: PhD in Optimal use of fertilizer nitrogen for crop yield and nitrogen leaching

Research area and project description: Protecting ground and surface water is a major environmental issue and land subject to agricultural activities has reduction targets in nitrogen use and emissions, and in the EU all member states must implement national action plans to meet the Water Framework Directive. Nitrogen fertilizer application is important for crop yields but also associated with nitrogen leaching. Therefore, quantification of nitrogen leaching from both mineral and organic fertilizers in the short and long term is important for balancing yield optimization with environmental protection. The PhD candidate’s objective is to increase our understanding of the marginal change in leaching of nitrogen compounds by changing fertilizer nitrogen rates. An improved understanding of marginal nitrogen leaching is needed as reductions in fertilizer input will be used as a mitigation option in environmental schemes. Datasets for several crops will be derived from measurements in new and ongoing field experiments with a long-term history of different levels of N application rates in mineral and organic fertilizer.

The PhD is funded by the project ‘Nitrogen leaching and soil carbon stock changes at field and farm level – NyMarkmodel’ (Grant No. 33010-NIFA-22-791) in the Research Program on Emission-based Regulation from the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark.

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: Applicants must have a relevant Master’s degree.

Place of employment and place of work: The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele.

Contacts: Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:

How to apply: Please follow this link to submit your application. Application deadline is 1 September 2023 at 23:59 CEST. Preferred starting date is 1 January 2024.

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.

Please note:

  • 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.