Postdoc position in global modelling of wetland hydrology for GHG emission estimates

As hydrologists, we are often working with the impact and adaptation side of climate change. As part of the Global Wetland Center, you can contribute to climate change mitigation solutions.

You will be involved in a postdoc project as part of the Global Wetland Center, which is a joint research center between University of Copenhagen, DHI, and GEUS. The center is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation with a budget of 60 million DKK over the period 2024-2029. It connects a large group of around 30 senior scientists, postdocs, PhDs, and field technicians in a collaborative effort to increase our understanding and quantification of global wetlands and their contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The goal is to develop wetland-based climate change mitigation strategies through a combination of biogeochemical and hydrological modelling, satellite remote sensing, and use of artificial intelligence techniques.

Water table depth is a key driver for GHG emissions from wetlands, and the ability to explicitly simulate water table depth dynamics at a daily time scale and in high spatial resolution for wetlands globally will be a leap forward in quantifying the contribution of wetlands in the global GHG budget. Moreover, the ability to simulate the impacts of climate change and wetland management will enable scenario-based impact estimations regarding hydrology and GHG emissions, which will be used to develop climate change mitigation strategies.

About the position You will be conducting research within wetland hydrology focussing on developing a novel modelling framework for wetland water table depth dynamics that is scalable to global wetlands in high resolution. The focus will be on dynamic water table depth and soil moisture modelling that will serve as a boundary condition for processbased biogeochemical GHG emission models. It is an ambitious high risk high reward project that will be initiated with conceptual model development in consideration of globally available data sets from remote sensing and on recent development within differentiable programming for efficient parametrization and optimization. Likewise, the large parallel efforts within the GWC on a global scale remote sensing of wetland dynamics will feed into the design of the optimization and validation schemes of the wetland hydrology model. Initially, the model development will be tied to wetland types such as northern peatlands, tropical wetlands, and rice fields with the aim of scaling up to global simulation capabilities.

The project will have multidisciplinary elements and can draw on the strong remote sensing, mathematics and computer science competences in the GWC from the partners at University of Copenhagen and DHI. In addition, you will collaborate with partners in the GWC specialicing in the biogeochemical functioning of wetlands in relation to hydrology, which will enable estimating GHG emissions under different hydrological regimes. The developed hydrological modelling framework should be designed to be coupled to other environmental models, primarily related to vegetation and GHG emissions.

The position includes field work, mainly in Vietnam and possibly, Tanzania and Norway.

Who are you? You are expected to have a PhD in computational hydrology with strong competences in programming or a PhD in computer science with a strong interest in environmental modelling. Particular emphasis is placed on experience with environmental, hydrological, and numerical groundwater flow modelling and programming. In addition, specific knowledge of differentiable programming will be an asset as well as familiarity with languages such as PyTorch, TensorFlow or Julia. The appointment will be made on the basis of academic qualifications. Research findings should be published in leading journals within the field, and candidates are expected to appreciate the writing process.

Special consideration will be given to the candidate’s ability to embrace complexibility, explore new avenues and collaborate within a team of colleagues on a daily basis. You must be able to communicate in English, and since the primary language of the organisation is Danish, you should be prepared to learn 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, modeling 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.

Employment is at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, located in central Copenhagen, and for a three-year period (36 months) which is to be filled as soon as possible.

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 e-mail: sst@geus.dk or the Head of Department Heidi Barlebo on tel. +45 9133 3601, e-mail: hcb@geus.dk.

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

Are you interested? If you are interested in the position, we would like to hear from you. The application must include a CV, incl. your ORCID, a list of publications with a separate indication of articles registered in ISI Web of Science and any copies of individual publications of particular relevance to the position. Please enclose Master’s and PhD diplomas in either Danish or English as well as other material documenting qualifications at postdoc level. Submitted PhD theses that have not yet been defended may be sent with the application and will be included in the assessment. If possible, please provide a pre-approval.

Please submit the application via GEUS’ website at the latest on Friday 7 February 2025 (Danish time).

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

The employment procedure A professional assessment committee consisting of two internal assessors at minimum senior researcher level will carry out an individual assessment of all applicants’ professional qualifications, and the applicants will be assessed as qualified or unqualified for the position. Afterwards, an internal employment committee will decide which of the professionally qualified candidates will be invited for a job interview. This procedure is in accordance with the “Order on employment and assessment of scientific staff at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland § 4 and 7”.