Postdoc stipend, Ecosystem Carbon and Water Balances of Nordic Agriculture

Institutionen för skogens ekologi och skötsel

We are offering a two-year postdoctoral fellowship to study carbon and water balances in northern agricultural systems at the Department of Forest Ecology and Management.

This project will assess the ecosystem-scale exchanges of carbon and water in a typical agricultural crop rotation in Northern Sweden. The project is part of a collaboration between the research groups of Prof. Matthias Peichl (Department of Forest Ecology and Management, SLU) and Prof. David Parsons (Department of Crop Production Ecology, SLU). This postdoctoral stipend will link to an accompanying study exploring plot-level carbon flux responses to agricultural grasslands containing varying degrees of plant diversity carried out at the Department of Crop Production Ecology. The project will be carried out at the well-established Röbäcksdalen Field Research station, a premier facility in northern Sweden for research on crop–livestock production systems.

Links:

• https://www.slu.se/en/research/research-infrastructures/research-infrastructures-at-slu-open-to-external-users/slu-robacksdalen-field-research-station/
• https://meta.fieldsites.se/resources/stations/Robacksdalen
• https://www.slu.se/en/research/research-infrastructures/research-infrastructures-at-slu-open-to-external-users/robacksdalens-dairy-research-facility/

The postdoctoral fellows from this and the accompanying project will closely collaborate with each other as well as with other PhD students and postdocs to create new knowledge and synergies across related research activities. The successful candidates will also assist in teaching at Bachelor's and Master's levels and co-supervise students. Thus, this project offers ample possibilities for scientific interactions and career development.

In this project, the postdoc will analyze multi-year data from an eddy covariance flux tower to explore the ecosystem-scale carbon balance and evapotranspiration fluxes in a typical northern crop rotation. Data collection will take place within a large field that is conventionally managed for feed production. Since 2013, the land management and productivity of the large fields at Röbäcksdalen have been monitored through SITES (Swedish Infrastructure for Ecosystem Science), providing a clear picture of the system’s inputs and outputs. An additional task will be to assess effects of environmental conditions and management activities on these carbon and water fluxes. Furthermore, there is a possibility to link the flux data to phenological observations collected via SITES-Spectral and remote sensing products (https://www.fieldsites.se/). The postdoc will be primarily supervised by Prof. Matthias Peichl. 

Your profile  

Successful candidates will have a PhD in the fields of environmental sciences, ecology, agricultural science, physical geography or any other closely related subject. The candidates must have 1) a strong interest in agricultural management practices and their role in regulating the ecosystem carbon cycle, 2 demonstrated experience with exploring eddy covariance data, including data processing and interpretation, and knowledge of micrometeorological theory is required, 3) documented experience in writing and publishing scientific articles, 4) be able to independently conduct field work, and 5) be fluent in English to be able to write, communicate and interact in an English-speaking research environment.

The postdoctoral stipend is for a junior researcher, with a PhD Diploma obtained preferably obtained within the last three years.

About us

The department Forest ecology and management includes about 115 people of which 9 are professors. Our mission is to advance the understanding of forest ecosystems and how these should be managed today and in the future.

For more information: http://www.slu.se/en/departments/forest-ecology-management/

Location:

Umeå  

This is not an employment, the position is based on a Scholarship for 24 months awarded through the Kempe Foundation.

Scope:

100%

Start date:

According to agreement, but before May 1, 2026.

Application:

Please submit your application before deadline 17 November 2025. You can submit your application by clicking the button below.

Your application should include: (1) A cover letter summarizing your research accomplishments and how you could contribute to the research project, (2) Curriculum Vitae, including a full publication list and contact details of 2-3 references, (3) Transcripts of relevant degree certificates and publications. 

 

 

Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet (SLU) har en nyckelroll i utvecklingen för hållbart liv, grundad i vetenskap och utbildning. Genom vårt fokus på samspelen mellan människa, djur och ekosystem och ett ansvarsfullt brukande av naturresurserna bidrar vi till en hållbar samhällsutveckling och goda livsvillkor på vår planet. Huvudorter är Alnarp, Umeå och Uppsala, men verksamhet bedrivs också på forskningsstationer, försöksparker och utbildningsorter i hela landet. SLU har drygt 3000 medarbetare, 5000 studenter och forskarstuderande och en omsättning på över tre miljarder kronor. Universitetet satsar på attraktiva miljöer på sina campusområden. Vi arbetar för en jämställd och inkluderande arbetsmiljö där öppna samtal mellan människor med olika erfarenheter lägger grunden för vetenskaplighet, kreativitet och utveckling. Vi välkomnar därför personer med olika bakgrunder och perspektiv att söka den aktuella anställningen.