The Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, Denmark, offers an attractive career opportunity for promising and skilled researchers. We invite applications for a position as Tenure Track Assistant Professor within epidemiology of plant diseases of agricultural crops. The position is a career development position with the possibility of transitioning to a tenured associate professorship and will be available from 01-06-2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

You will be part of a research environment focusing on plant pathogen biology, epidemiology and crop disease prevention under variable environmental conditions and climate change. The position is part of the section of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, which hosts the Global Rust Reference Center' (www.wheatrust.org). You will contribute to the development of the department through research of the highest international quality. Your primary tasks will be to conduct independent research, including publication in high-impact scientific journals; be responsible for teaching, guidance and examination of BSc and MSc degree students and co-supervision of Ph D students; as well as attracting external research funding.

We want to expand our research into new directions ranging from modeling dispersal processes of plant pathogens involving data science, meteorological modelling, and high-performance computing to experimental epidemiology of agricultural crop diseases. The research could include biotrophic pathogens as well as hemi-biotrophic and necrotrophic aboveground pathogens.

We encourage applications from candidates with a solid background in computational approaches in crop disease epidemiology, e.g. dispersion modeling, as well as applications from candidates with a background in experimental epidemiology. This may include, but is not restricted to, assessments of genotypes and phenotypes of relevance for pathogen fitness, host resistance phenotyping, and disease management strategies utilizing host and pathogen characteristics under variable environmental conditions and climate change.

You will get the opportunity to collaborate with relevant national and international research environments and in your daily work, you will work closely with both Danish and international colleagues.

We expect that you will be an important part of the research environment and that you will contribute positively to the social working environment.
Your profile
You have independent research-related qualifications at a high international level. You are a clear communicator, and you have some degree of experience of supervision and teaching at BSc and MSc degree level. Completed pedagogical courses in supervision or similar will be considered, as well as experience with external research collaborations. You have completed at least one productive stay in a different research environment.

To be assessed as qualified for a Tenure Track Assistant Professor position, you must:

• Hold a Ph D in and minimum three years of onwards professional experience within data science and/or computational modelling and/or experimental plant pathology of relevance for major agricultural crops
• Document experience in scientific writing with several papers in high-quality journals or other high-quality publication channels
• Provide a 2–3-page plan for research over the next 3-5 years within focused parts of the research area and have a clear potential to perform ground-breaking research as well as attract external funding
• Have proven international research collaborations (e.g. joint papers and applications)
• Be dedicated and possess the ability to collaborate and build relationships

Further, we will prefer candidates with some of the following qualifications:

• Documented experience within data science approaches in crop disease epidemiology, e.g., process based atmospheric dispersion modeling, and/or experience in high-performance computing and handling large meteorological data sets, as well as translating data science and models to user-friendly products and data visualizations for public web-interfaces
• Documented experience within experimental plant disease epidemiology, including assessment of host and pathogen characteristics under field and/or lab conditions, e.g., pathogen virulence and fitness and host resistance
• Teaching experience at BSc and MSc level
• Experience in national and international network organization

Who we are
At the Department of Agroecology, our main goal is to contribute to sustainable solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems within the areas of soil, plants, animals, humans, and the environment. We want to make a difference by contributing to both fundamental knowledge generation and the attainment of sustainable production systems via innovative research, contracted policy advice, and education. We offer professional laboratories, greenhouses, semi-field, and field-scale research facilities, advanced computing capacities as well as an extensive national and international researcher network. The department consists of nine research sections with around 350 highly dedicated employees, of which approximately 50% are scientific staff. More information can be found here.
We believe in encouraging inclusion, acceptance, and understanding by employing staff who bring unique perspectives to our department.
What we offer

• An informal and multicultural research environment with high professionalism, where accountability, commitment, helpfulness, flexibility, and close collaboration is a prerequisite solving the core tasks
• A good social environment with activities and routines that make it possible to talk across and strengthen the inclusive relationship, and where mutual trust, respect, kindness, and professional sparring are emphasized
• A flexible workplace with a good work-life balance
• A workplace where we work actively with diversity, equity and inclusion
• An exciting and varied working environment, where two days rarely resemble each other. We are often busy, and we work creatively for solutions to societal challenges
• Aarhus University offers a wide variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including a Relocation Service and an Expat Partner Programme

Special benefits when working in Denmark

• Subsidized preschool childcare and a free education system from primary school up to university level
• Universal health insurance as a resident of Denmark, including family members officially residing in Denmark
• Five weeks paid holiday per year
• In connection with childbirth: the right to have a total of 52 weeks shared maternal/paternal leave with full or partial salary pay

Please refer to the tenure track guidelines for the tenure review criteria and for the tenure review process.
Place of Work
The place of work is Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg. The affiliation will be with the Department of Agroecology.
More information can be obtained from Mogens Hovmøller (mogens.hovmoller@agro.au.dk) or Mette Vestergård (mvestergard@agro.au.dk)