PhD fellowship/scholarship, Carbon flux and particle export along the land-ocean continuum in Greenland’s coastal ocean

Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Ecoscience programme. The position is available from 01 February 2027 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title:

Carbon flux and particle export along the land-ocean continuum in Greenland’s coastal ocean

Research area and project description:

Applications are invited for a PhD fellowship within the Center for Ice-Free Arctic Research (CIFAR) and the Department of Ecoscience at Aarhus University.

Rapid warming is increasing freshwater inputs to the Arctic Ocean from melting glaciers, ice sheets, and altered precipitation patterns. Additionally, sea ice cover is rapidly declining. These changes are transforming the structure and functioning of the Arctic coastal ocean. CIFAR aims to understand how the complex interplay between ice melt, terrestrial runoff, and changing ocean conditions affects Arctic coastal ecosystems and their functioning across spatial and temporal scales.

Fjord systems are a critical interface between the cryosphere, the terrestrial environment and the coastal ocean. They act as important sites of carbon transformation, burial and export, yet we still have a limited understanding of how ongoing freshening will influence these processes. Increasing terrestrial runoff delivers large quantities of particles, minerals and organic carbon to coastal waters, while simultaneously altering water-column structure, particle synamics, and marine primary production.

The overall aim of this PhD project will be to determine how carbon is transformed and transported along the land-ocean continuum in Greenland fjords, and how changes in freshwater inputs influence carbon fluxes and particle export in coastal waters.

The project will investigate interactions between terrestrial organic carbon, marine-produced carbon and mineral particles, with a particular focus on understanding which components of the carbon pool are retained, transformed or exported from the water column. Although much of the terrestrial carbon entering Greenland's coastal systems is transported in particulate form, freshwater runoff also supplies dissolved organic carbon that can be highly bioavailable and rapidly processed within coastal ecosystems. Understanding the fate of these different carbon pools is therefore essential for predicting how Greenland's coastal carbon cycle may respond to continued freshening.

The student will have the opportunity to combine field observations from Greenland with laboratory and analytical approaches to investigate the sources, composition, transformation and export of carbon and particles. The precise scientific focus will be developed together with the student and the wider CIFAR research team.

Qualifications and specific competences:

Applicants to the PhD position must hold a master’s degree and have demonstrated interest and background in biogeochemistry, for example through a bachelor’s or master’s thesis, research project, internship, or other relevant research experience.

• Skills in data analysis and programming, using R, Python, or other relevant programming languages and analytical tools.
• Ability and willingness to work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary and international research environment.
• Good written and oral communication skills in English.

Experience in one or more of the following areas would be an advantage, but is not required:

• Marine or aquatic biogeochemistry
• Organic carbon analyses
• Particle dynamics, sedimentation or particle export
• Geochemical or stable-isotope approaches
• Processing and analysis of environmental or oceanographic datasets
• Fieldwork in marine, coastal or Arctic environments

We particularly encourage applications from candidates who are scientifically curious and interested in developing their own ideas within the broader aims of the project.

Place of employment and place of work:

The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is C.F. Møllers Alle 3, 8000 Aarhus and Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde; Denmark.

Contacts:

Applicants seeking further information regarding the PhD position are invited to contact:

• Christian Lønborg, [email protected] (main supervisor)
• Johnna Marchiano Holding, [email protected] (co-supervisor)

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide. If answers cannot be found there, please contact:

• [email protected]

How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.

Application deadline is 01 December 2026 at 23:59 CET.
Preferred starting date is 01 February 2027

Please make a project description (½-4 pages). The project description should describe your ideas and research plans for this specific project. If you wish to, you can indicate an URL where further information can be found.

Please note:

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be considered.
• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.

Formalities and salary range
Salary and terms as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Unions. You will be employed as an academic staff member at basic salary grades 4–8. As a PhD fellow you will also receive a monthly non-pensionable allowance.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

The application must be submitted via the online recruitment system, which can be accessed under ‘How to apply’.