PhD Fellowship: Sensing Roots & Nitrogen Loss Prediction ved Aarhus Universitet

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 01 April 2026 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title:
Sensing roots for better prediction of nitrogen loss from crop fields

Research area and project description:
We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student for a project funded by DFF Green Research (VARIANCE) to investigate how spatial variability in crop root systems influences nitrogen (N) leaching under real field conditions. Although fertilizer is applied uniformly, N losses can differ dramatically within the same field because root depth and density respond differently to variations in soil structure, compaction, texture, and nutrient availability.

Therefore, the project will (1) quantify this variability using high-throughput root imaging and link root growth patterns to soil physical and chemical gradients to explain N-loss hotspots. Because direct root measurement cannot cover whole fields, the PhD student will also (2) develop and validate root proxies derived from soil geophysical sensors (e.g., resistivity, GPR) and drone-based canopy signals.

Ultimately, the PhD student will work with a modeller within the project by curating and providing the collected datasets for development of a hybrid root-based model, which will be validated under real farm conditions to improve prediction of N leaching and support sustainable nutrient management.

• Project description (max 2 pages): This document should describe your own ideas and research plans for this specific project. We strongly encourage applicants not to use AI tools, except for grammar correction, to generate automatic text for this document. Please note that we do not expect candidates to show complete competence, but want to examine whether the candidates are able to consider the potential project layout (e.g. hypotheses, methodology, potential impact of the project).

Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants to the PhD position must have a relevant Master’s degree in agronomy, biology, engineering, or a related field. In addition, one or more of the following qualifications will be considered an asset:

• Strong understanding of crop physiology or soil physics or nutrient cycling
• Demonstrated capacity in data handling and statistical analysis (preferably in R)
• Demonstrated capacity in fieldwork and hands-on experimentation
• Interest in acquiring and processing image datasets (e.g. drone images and root images)
• Motivation for academic writing and ability to communicate research findings effectively
• Proven ability to work independently and take initiative in research projects

Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Blichers Allé 20, Postboks 50, DK-8830, Tjele, Denmark.

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

• Associate Professor Eusun Han, eusun.han@agro.au.dk, phone +45 93 50 88 91 (main supervisor)
• Professor Davide Cammarano, davide.cammarano@agro.au.dk (co-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 15 January 2026 at 23:59 CET.

Preferred starting date is 1 April 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.