Postdoctoral Researcher Position at the Center for Volatile Interactions

Postdoctoral Researcher Position at the Center for Volatile Interactions, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen

Postdoc of volatile interactions

Department of Biology
Faculty of Science

University of Copenhagen

Center for Volatile Interactions, a Center of Excellence at the University of Copenhagen, is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher starting on May 1, 2026 or as soon as possible therafter. The position is for 2 years and 9 months.

The Center for Volatile Interactions (VOLT)
Biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have a profound impact on local and regional climates. Yet, there is high uncertainty of this impact due to the lack of reliable estimates for natural emissions and uptake of these reactive volatiles. All organisms produce, and some consume, mixtures of diverse volatile compounds such as VOCs, reactive nitrogen gases (e.g., HONO), and sulfur/halogenated compounds (e.g., DMS and methylhalides). However, biological sources and sinks of volatiles, other than terrestrial plants, remain poorly characterized. In VOLT, we focus on VOC transformations associated with soil, cryptogams, freshwater, seawater, and glacial ice environments, as well as plant leaf and rhizosphere microbial communities. Our research encompasses field, experimental, and laboratory work and includes rate measurements, experiments with stable isotopes, and molecular analyses to assess volatile production/consumption processes and identify the organisms involved.

We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic, collaborative, and international research environment. VOLT is housed in Universitetsparken, Copenhagen, where we have laboratory facilities and state-of-the-art instrumentation for analyses of volatile compounds, molecular analyses of microbial community structure and activity, as well as incubation and climate chamber facilities. Marine Biological Section, located in Elsinore, provides state-of-the-art facilities for molecular and process-based studies of marine microorganisms.

The postdoc’s duties will include research within volatile interactions as well as teaching. The post may also include performance of other duties. The candidate will be a vital part of the research activities at the research center by conducting their own research project but also aiding others. In addition to their own research, the candidate operates and maintains the PTR-TOF-MS, GC-MS, and optical instruments as well as related auxiliary instrumentation. They will also coordinate the laboratory and field activities, and are responsible for quality control and calibration, problem solving, and assistance with technical installations in laboratory and field experiments. They will also provide technical and data analysis related support to other researchers. For example, the candidate will facilitate the design and use of incubation setups for plant, soil, or water systems in laboratory experiments, including building the technical configurations and programming automation with data loggers/solenoid valves and PTR-MS software. The candidate will also participate in processing raw measurement data using dedicated software and custom-made code both for PTR-MS, GC-MS, and optical spectroscopy data.

Qualifications
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a PhD in chemistry or a similar field, who has experience from research environments and who thrives in a dynamic research center supporting multiple research projects. Hands-on experience of VOC analysis with mass spectrometric methods (especially PTR-MS and TD-GC-MS) and optical spectroscopy (especially CRDS) are required, as is experience in designing, testing, and conducting both field and laboratory measurements of environmental and biological samples, including microbial cultures. Hands-on experience of building sampling setups for gas sampling is required. Candidate must also have experience in maintenance and method validation of both PTR-MS and GC-MS instruments, including calibration and parameter optimization.

Candidate must have experience in data analysis of complex VOC datasets, including hands-on knowledge of the software used for processing raw PTR-MS (e.g., PTRwid or PTRViewer) and GC-MS (e.g., PARADISe) data. Candidate should also have experience in programming and statistical analysis (e.g., R, Python) for postprocessing, as well as data visualization for publications.

Experience in microbiology, working with climate chambers, and combining VOC datasets to other biological and physicochemical data is beneficial. Hands-on experience with isotope (e.g., 13C) labeling experiments, as well as analysis of isotope GHG and VOC data is also a benefit.

Fluency in written and spoken English is a requirement. The most important personal qualifications are good communication skills, flexibility, and the ability to work independently in a structured, organized, and goal-oriented manner.

Further information on the Department is linked at www.bio.ku.dk . Inquiries about the position can be made to Riikka Rinnan riikkar@bio.ku.dk.

The position is open from 1/5/2026or 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

The deadline for applications is 2 March 2026, 23:59 GMT +1.

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 week 13-14.