PhD in remote sensing and hydrology – mapping impacts of hydrological extremes on agricultural productivity

Climatic anomalies translate into hydrological anomalies that impact society in a number of ways. In recent years, a wetter climate has led to a common perception of increased challenges associated with wet agricultural fields and yield loss in Denmark.

In this PhD project you will particularly gain an understanding of the impact of extreme wet conditions and waterlogging on agricultural productivity. The aim is to combine satellite remote sensing with field surveys, hydrological modelling, and machine learning to increase our understanding of the issues and to map and quantify the impacts of hydrological extremes on agriculture.

The PhD position is for 3 years at the Department of Hydrology at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland in Copenhagen.

About the position The overall aim of the PhD project is to enrich the scientific discussion on challenges related to the adaptation of agriculture to climate change, with a specific emphasis on excessively wet winter and spring conditions, but possibly also with ties to summer drought impacts. The analysis is expected to yield new insights on how waterlogging during winter and spring months negatively affects crop yield. We will also develop waterlogging projections given future changes in precipitation and groundwater levels. This enables a novel assessment of agricultural land, identifying fields that may be non-profitable for certain agricultural practices and will contribute to a larger national scale discussion of future land use and management in light of the green transition agenda.

Your role will be to develop a remote sensing-based framework to map water logging and crop yield loss. The analysis will also draw upon simulation results from the existing National Hydrological Model and climate impact projections of the hydrology of Denmark. Fieldwork will aid your understanding of the role of shallow groundwater and infiltration excess ponding on waterlogging.

Your daily supervisors are Professor Simon Stisen and Senior Scientist Julian Koch, from the Department of Hydrology at GEUS.

The appointment presupposes that the student will be enrolled at the PhD School of Science at University of Copenhagen under the supervision of Associate Professor Stéphanie Horion (stephanie-horion) from the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management. In addition, the supervisor team includes Professor Mogens Greve at the Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University (AU-AGRO). The employment period is 3 years, the working week is 37 hours. Read more about the rules and requirements for admission as a PhD student: PhD School of SCIENCE – University of Copenhagen

Who are you? You hold a master’s degree in geoscience, preferably with strong competences in remote sensing, hydrology and hydrological modelling. You are familiar with programming or scripting and are not afraid of handling large amounts of data and testing new techniques and methods including machine learning. You will be supervised by a diverse team of researchers within remote sensing, hydrology and soil and agricultural sciences, and are expected to interact with all and possess strong collaborative and communication skills. Good analytical thinking and ability to relate findings to real world problems will be considered an asset. Your work should be published within the leading scientific journals in the field, and you are expected to embrace the scientific writing process and possess the ability to finalize planned tasks.

Internationalization is also an important part of the project and an extended research stay at Trinity Colleague Dublin is foreseen. You must be able to communicate well in English, which will be your main working language. Since the primary language of the organisation is Danish, you should be prepared to attempt learning some Danish.

Meet your new colleagues You will be part of the Department of Hydrology at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, which is an independent research institution under the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities. The department works with characterization, monitoring, modelling and management of the freshwater cycle and substance transport in Danish and international contexts. Within current issues, the department contributes with research, advice and capacity building within: Integrated understanding and quantification of the flow of fresh water in the water cycle, including the interaction between groundwater and surface water (e.g. groundwater close to the ground, streams, lakes, drinking water reservoirs); Substance transport in the underground in connection with the protection of drinking water and the aquatic environment; Effects of climate change on the water cycle incl. flood and drought; Climate adaptation and the importance of hydrology for greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands; Human impact on hydrology; Sustainable management of water resources; The importance of hydrology in nature.

We are approx. 20 scientific employees in the department, including professors, senior researchers, postdocs and PhDs.

A working environment with a focus on professional development and well-being There are many good reasons why you should choose a working life at GEUS.

We are a diverse staff of about 300 committed employees. Trust and flexibility are keywords. The working environment is lively, informal and international. Our tasks are versatile and there are plenty of opportunities for you to influence the development of your task portfolio.

We prioritise professional development, among other things by offering access to courses and other relevant activities. Socialising is also very important at GEUS, and we have a rich social life with a staff club, an art association and more.

At GEUS, we prioritise the well-being of every single employee. We prioritise that the Heads of Departments are close to the employees, and we have flexible working hours that allow you to organise your life so that there is time for what matters to you. If you need to work from home occasionally, that is also possible.

Furthermore, we have a gym with associated physiotherapists.

Salary and terms of employment Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the relevant trade union agreement.

The appointment area is the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities and its institutions.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities considers diversity to be an asset and encourages anyone regardless of gender, age, religion or ethnicity to seek the position.

Further information If you would like additional information, please contact Professor Simon Stisen on tel. +45 9133 3633 email: [email protected] or the Head of Department Heidi Barlebo on tel. +45 9133 3601, email: [email protected].

If you are an international applicant, you can read more about living and working in Denmark on GEUS’ website.

Are you interested? The application must include your CV and degree certificate, or a pre-approval signed by the supervisor and examiner, showing that the thesis will be approved. The pre-approval must be confirmed by the educational institution.

Please submit the application via GEUS’ website at the latest on Friday 14 March 2025 (Danish time).

Applications or other material received after the deadline will not be considered.