Three PhD positions on sustainable food systems

The European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator project ‘Uncovering a revolutionary way of transforming farming systems with forgotten foods’ (TRANSFORM-FARM) invites applications for three PhD scholarships. Each scholarship is for 3 years, full-time, starting on August 1, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Our research
TRANSFORM-FARM aims to quantify where and how farming system transformation with forgotten foods can simultaneously tackle pressing health, poverty, and environmental challenges. Forgotten foods — also called neglected or underutilized species, opportunity crops, or orphan crops — are integral to local biocultural heritage but neglected by formal research, policy makers, and markets.

The project is led by Laura Vang Rasmussen.

The three PhD fellows will work in parallel on three ‘signature cases’ of forgotten foods:

PhD 1: Common portfolios of forgotten foods (such as amaranth, pigeon pea, and okra)

PhD 2: Baobab, also known as the tree of life

PhD 3: Moringa, also known as the miracle tree

The PhD fellows will conduct detailed data collection in Tanzania and Malawi to assess how forgotten foods are linked to people’s nutrition, poverty, and biodiversity. In addition, the PhD fellows will work closely with local communities to co-create scenarios on how to equitably scale up forgotten foods.

Qualification requirements
Essential experience and skills:

• Candidates should have a master’s degree in environmental sciences, agroecology, agronomy, geography, land system science, health or a related field – depending on the PhD position applied for
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively in interdisciplinary teams
• Excellent English skills written and spoken

Desirable experience and skills in one or more of the following (please indicate in the cover letter which experience you have):

• Experience with data collection in remote areas, preferably in low- or middle-income countries
• Experience with quasi-experimental methods
• Experience with R or Phyton
• Experience with food consumption surveys and nutrition indicators
• Experience with poverty surveys
• Experience with bird surveys (only relevant for PhD 2 and 3)
• Experience with assessments of equity and social justice

Place of employment
The successful candidates will be enrolled at the PhD School at the Faculty of Science.

The place of employment is at the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management (Øster Voldgade 10, 1350, Copenhagen), Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

The PhD fellows will be based within the Section for Geography at the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management (IGN). The candidates will be part of Rasmussen’s group: the Livelihood, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Deforestation (LAND) lab: LAND lab, the Centre for Remote Sensing and Deep Learning of Global Tree Resources (TreeSense): TreeSense, and the Land Use, Earth Observation and Sustainability research group: LUES Research group

IGN conducts research and education on the past, present and future physical, chemical and biological environments of the Earth and their interactions with societal and human systems to provide graduates and research in support of sustainable future solutions for society. Further information on the Department can be found at Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management – University of Copenhagen.

The positions will start on August 1, 2026or as soon as possible thereafter.

Principal supervisor isAssociate Professor Laura Vang Rasmussen, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, lr@ign.ku.dk.

The PhD programme
A three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme), if you already have 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, 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, e.g. [relevant educations]. 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 a PhD fellow is full-time and for a maximum of 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 (together with the supervisor).

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 both PhD programmes

• Carry out an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses corresponding to 30 ECTS / 1/2 FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write scientific papers for peer-reviewed journals
• Present the project at international conferences
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

Questions
For further information please contact Laura Vang Rasmussen; lr@ign.ku.dk.

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility).

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/

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). The letter should specify a) whether you are applying for PhD1, 2, or 3 (please select only one), and b) which of the skills you have from the list of ‘desirable experience’.
• A research proposal (max. one page) for the specific PhD position (specify whether it is PhD1, 2, or 3). The proposal should outline research questions and proposed methods.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Original diplomas for Bachelor and Master Degrees and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in a language other 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.
• Complete publication list

The deadline for applications is May 10 2026, 23:59 GMT+2

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not meet the abovementioned requirements.

Interviews will be held in early June 2026.

We value diversity and inclusivity in our research community. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences who share our commitment to addressing global environmental challenges through innovative research.

After the deadline, a number of applicants will be shortlisted for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. Shortlisted candidates will be notified.

The assessor will evaluate 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 for the 5+3 model as described above. 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/.