PhD fellowships at the Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences.

The Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences (PLEN) is inviting applications for three PhD scholarships that will start on 1 September 2025 or later. The PhDs are funded as part of large international and inter-disciplinary projects in One Crop Health funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

PLEN carries out research at the intersection of plant, agricultural, environmental and biotechnological science to develop novel approaches and solutions for the green transition of agri-food and environmental systems. The PhDs will be based in the sections of crop sciences, organismal biology or microbial ecology and biotechnology at PLEN.

The One Crop Health project:

The Novo Nordisk Foundation has funded a consortium of the University of Copenhagen (Plant & Environmental Sciences, Computer Science) and Aarhus University (Agroecology) in Denmark, and Rothamsted Research and University of Sheffield in the UK to explore innovative ways to reduce reliance on pesticides in cropping systems. Running from 2024 to 2030, the project, titled “One Crop Health for Next-Generation Crop Protection”, integrates cutting-edge advances in agricultural technology, ecology, data science, and robotics. 

The project aims to develop a holistic One Crop Health system that emphasizes the interconnectedness of plant, soil, and agroecosystem health, inspired by the One Health concept from human health. By optimizing these relationships, the project seeks to minimize pest control interventions while enhancing environmental sustainability. The research will focus on agroecological practices, digital and data-driven solutions for early detection and prediction of pest, weed and disease outbreaks, and ecology-inspired solutions for sustainable pest control. The outcomes are expected to reduce pesticide use, boost biodiversity, improve soil health, and create more resilient cropping systems. 

The One Crop Health PhD Programme: 

The project includes 12 PhD projects distributed across the five partner institutions. These projects are designed to train the next generation of scientists in systems-based approaches to sustainable agriculture and crop protection. The PhD programme will commence in 2025. 

Each student will be based at one of the partner institutions but will have supervisors from both Denmark and the UK to foster international collaboration. The programme will offer cohort activities such as workshops and training sessions, provide valuable networking opportunities, as well as encouraging international student mobility across the institutions, ensuring a collaborative and well-rounded research environment. The emphasis on interdisciplinary, strategic research will equip students for diverse career paths. 

Research projects.

PLEN has funding to appoint three PhD students. Five project ideas have been put forward by PLEN scientists. These are briefly summarised below. You can obtain a full description of the project by contacting the primary supervisor whose email address is provided below after each project title.

You may apply for one of these project areas. You must clearly indicate which of the five projects you wish to apply for in the application letter. We will interview suitable candidates for their selected project. Three successful candidates will be offered a PhD position to carry out their chosen project.

• Harnessing environmental DNA (eDNA) for surveillance and management of agro-biodiversity. Professor Natasha de Vere ([email protected]), Professor Paul Neve ([email protected]) The One Crop Health project aims to understand the environmental and management drivers of agro-biodiversity (crop pests and functional biodiversity) at field to landscape scale. The quantification of eDNA from plant, soil and air samples offers exciting and novel means to achieve this. This PhD will collect environmental samples from across farm networks and use DNA metabarcoding to quantify agro-biodiversity. eDNA-based methods will be compared with other field-based monitoring techniques to explore impacts of environmental, landscape and management factors on the population and community dynamics of agro-biodiversity.
• The impact of functional biodiversity in weed-insect interactions. Assoc. Professor Stine Kramer Jacobsen ([email protected]) Weed and insect pest management typically represent conflicting interests. While weed management involves disturbance events, pest management by naturally occurring arthropod predators requires prey, plant resources and suitable habitats. This PhD explores functional and trait-based biodiversity in a multitrophic context of weeds and insects by investigating chemical defence against herbivores in cereal crops, linking functional diversity of weed and arthropod communities in agroecosystems, and assessing arthropod predators’ utilization of weed resources. Methods include fieldwork, greenhouse experiments, and molecular analyses of predator feeding guilds.  (Main supervisor: Stine Kramer Jacobsen).
• Breaking the bank: Weed seed decay in arable soils.  Professor Paul Neve ([email protected]). The soil seed bank is the main reservoir of weed and arable plant diversity in agroecosystems. The longevity of seeds in the soil is thus a major determinant of the persistence and dynamics of weed populations. In this PhD, you will use the ‘epidemiological triad’ model to explore the impacts of environment (soil*cropping system), host (seed defence traits) and agent (soil microbiome) on rates of seed persistence and degradation in agricultural soils. You will use a combination of field, glasshouse and laboratory experiments to quantify rates of seed decay in contrasting agricultural soils, to understand seed defence traits and to explore the role of soil microbial communities in mediating seed decay.
• Fungal induced resistance against cabbage stem flea beetle in oilseed rape.  Associate Professor Nicolai Vitt Meyling ([email protected]) Cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB; Psylliodes chrysocephala) is a major pest of oilseed rape (OSR). This project will investigate if seed treatment with entomopathogenic fungi can induce resistance mechanisms in OSR, regulate specialized plant metabolites, and cause quantifiable effects against CSFB. The project will include (i) glasshouse plant and insect assays, (ii) laboratory analyses for fungal detection, quantification of plant defence gene expression, and plant metabolite assessment by LC-MS, and (iii) field experiments for evaluation of the strategy and responses of beneficial insects.
• Integrated control of airborne diseases in winter wheat. Assoc. Professor Hans Jørgen Lyngs Jørgensen ([email protected]) This PhD project will study the synergistic effects of biopesticides and crop diversification on aerial diseases of wheat. Disease reductions in winter wheat field experiments will be studied, using biopesticides in cultivar mixtures as well as in pure stands, compared to chemical and no control. This will be combined with studies of the mechanisms by which biopesticides inhibit diseases. The spread of fungal inoculum will be assessed visually and by qPCR (mainly Zymoseptoria tritici). Finally, microbiome studies will reveal if organism composition/function is changing to have other beneficial or harmful effects on plant growth.

Who are we looking for?

At PLEN, we see diversity as important to our collective ability to do excellent research and teaching. We therefore particularly encourage applicants from underrepresented backgrounds to apply.  You should be interested in research to develop sustainable solutions for future agri-food systems focussed on the challenges associated with managing plant health and agro-biodiversity in cropping systems. You should be motivated to publish your research in international scientific journals.

Applicants should hold an MSc degree related to the thematic areas mentioned above with outstanding results and English language skills. Previous publications (if any), student research experience, relevant work experience, and the quality of the applicant's written application will be considered criteria for assessing your qualifications. 

The PhD 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 disciplinary areas mentioned above. For information on eligibility, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of employment in the regular PhD programme
Employment as 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.

The terms of employment and salary are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks in the PhD programme

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision

• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE, including attendance at ECTS-credited One Crop Health activities/courses with other project funded students from partner institutions.
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad (likely with UK partner)
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Contribution to field monitoring campaigns for the One Crop Health farm network in Denmark.
• Prepare and submit publications – typically for high-end journals relevant to your field of study or, in some cases, a monograph depending on your field of study
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other relevant professional activities
• Curious mindset with a strong interest in the thematic areas mentioned above
• Good English language skills

Application and Assessment Procedure

Your application, including all attachments, must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include: 

1. Letter of application (max. two pages) explaining your interest, experience and motivation in relation to the selected research project. Also to include a clear statement of the title of the PhD that you are applying for (of the five listed above).
2. Curriculum vitae, including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant to the position.
3. Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language 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.
4. Publication list (if possible)
5. Reference letters (if available)

Application deadline:

The deadline for applications is 29 April 2025, 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 above-mentioned requirements.

The further process
After the deadline, applicants will be academically assessed. The assessors will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above-mentioned research area, techniques, skills, and other requirements. The assessors will conclude whether each applicant is qualified. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at http://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Based on the assessments, the most qualified applicants will be invited for interviews, which will likely be held in mid May.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowships and One Crop Health project, please contact the One Crop Health project manager, Daniela Mutwil-Anderwald, at +45 3533 3257, [email protected], or the project lead, Paul Neve, at +45 2961 1199, [email protected].

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

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position.