Postdoctoral researcher in biodiversity forecasting, vegetation dynamics and rewilding

Are you interested in developing spatially explicit forecasts of how rural depopulation, climate and land-use change, and alternative rewilding pathways may reshape plant diversity and ecosystem functioning across Europe? The Department of Biology at Aarhus University invites applications for a two-year postdoctoral position, offering an exciting opportunity to join the new Biodiversa+ REDESIGN project.

1 January 2027 or as soon possible.

The postdoctoral researcher will focus on modelling how depopulation and rewilding impact on biodiversity & ecosystem structure under rising biosphere novelty. The work will integrate ecological, demographic, environmental and remote-sensing information to develop scenario-based forecasts of European vegetation and biodiversity dynamics.

The main tasks will be to:

• assemble, harmonise and analyse large spatial and temporal biodiversity datasets, including vegetation-plot, environmental, land-use, demographic and remote-sensing data;
• develop spatially explicit forecasts of plant diversity and community change under alternative climate, socioeconomic, land-use, depopulation and rewilding scenarios, with projections extending to 2100 and, where appropriate, 2300;
• develop and/or integrate hierarchical species distribution models and/or dynamic vegetation modelling approaches, using contemporary and historical biodiversity data for calibration and evaluation;
• quantify uncertainty and conduct sensitivity analyses to determine the relative influence of climatic, ecological and socioeconomic drivers on projected biodiversity change;
• assess the functional consequences of projected community change by linking vegetation forecasts to plant functional traits, ecosystem structure, productivity, carbon storage, nutrient cycling, functional redundancy, resilience and other indicators of ecological integrity;
• compare trophic rewilding and passive-management trajectories, including the potential effects of large-herbivore and carnivore distributions or reintroductions in land-abandonment landscapes;
• identify potential refugia, ecological traps and areas with high potential for biodiversity recovery or rewilding under future environmental change;
• produce reproducible geospatial workflows, scenario maps, scientific publications and material contributing to decision-support tools and policy-oriented outputs; and
• collaborate closely with project partners across Europe and contribute to the synthesis and communication of the project results.

The position provides substantial scope for methodological development and scientific publication at the interface of macroecology, biodiversity modelling, global-change ecology and restoration science.

Applicants must hold a PhD or have submitted a PhD thesis before the starting date, in ecology, macroecology, biogeography, environmental science, geography, ecological modelling, ecoinformatics or a closely related field.

We are particularly interested in candidates with several of the following qualifications:

• advanced quantitative abilities and proven experience in spatial ecological modeling
• experience with species distribution models, joint/hierarchical community models, dynamic vegetation models, or related biodiversity forecasting approaches;
• advanced programming skills in R and/or Python and experience with reproducible analytical workflows;
• experience handling large geospatial, biodiversity, vegetation-plot, remote-sensing or environmental datasets;
• knowledge of climate and land-use scenarios, including SSP/RCP-based projections, and methods for propagating or quantifying model uncertainty;
• experience analysing plant community composition, functional traits, functional diversity, ecosystem functioning or ecological stability;
• experience with remote-sensing products and cloud/geospatial computing is an advantage;
• a publication record that is competitive for the candidate’s career stage, along with the ability to present findings clearly through scientific writing and visualizations; and
• the capacity to work on one’s own while making meaningful contributions to an interdisciplinary, international research team

Proficiency in both written and spoken English is required.

The Department of Biology (Department of Biology - Aarhus University) provides a framework for research and teaching in all major biological subdisciplines. The department is especially known for its research contribution in biodiversity, global change and conservation biology, aquatic biology and ecology, arctic environment and ecosystems, genetics and evolution, microbiology and zoophysiology. The department currently encompasses approximately 200 academic and technical staff and 45 PhD students while 400 students follow the BSc and MSc programs offered by the institute.
The position will be Embeded with the ECONOVO research center. The primary mission of ECONOVO is to provide the scientific foundation needed to steer emerging, novel environmental conditions toward positive outcomes that sustain global biodiversity and keep the planet livable.

The Department offers a vibrant and informal research environment with a long-standing tradition of collaboration with international university partners. Much of the internal communication is in English and we welcome international applicants.

• an exciting interdisciplinary environment with many national, international collaborators
• a research climate encouraging lively, open and critical discussion within and across different fields of research
• a work environment with close working relationships, networking and social activities
• a workplace characterised by professionalism, equality and a healthy work-life balance.

The place of employment is Aarhus University, Department of Biology, Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity (ECOINF), Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with affiliated institutions.
The work involves some periods of travel away from Aarhus for project meetings.

For further information, please contact: Associate professor, Alejandro Ordonez via mail (alejandro.ordonez@bio.au.dk).

Applications must be received no later than 1 November 2026.