Optimizing grazing management for biodiversity in semi-natural habitats evidence from monitoring, remote sensing and field experiments

Optimizing grazing management for biodiversity in semi-natural habitats: evidence from monitoring, remote sensing and field experiments
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 1 March 2027.

Title:
Optimizing grazing management for biodiversity in semi-natural habitats: evidence from monitoring, remote sensing and field experiments

Research area and project description:
How can grazing management be optimized to benefit both biodiversity and nature-based beef production? This PhD project will address this question through analyses of long-term biodiversity monitoring data, development of digital biodiversity indicators, and field experiments in Danish semi-natural habitats.

Grazing is a key ecological process in many ecosystems. However, biodiversity outcomes depend on how grazing is managed, including grazing intensity and timing. Despite its widespread use as a conservation tool, important knowledge gaps remain regarding which grazing strategies deliver the greatest biodiversity benefits and how these outcomes can be documented in a robust and scalable way.

The PhD project is part of the interdisciplinary Nature&Beef initiative and will combine ecology, biodiversity monitoring, remote sensing and data science. The selected candidate will work with unique datasets from the Danish national biodiversity monitoring programme (NOVANA), field experiments, drone imagery and other digital monitoring approaches.

The project will focus on four interconnected themes:
1) Identifying grazing practices associated with positive biodiversity outcomes using long-term monitoring data.
2) Evaluating the effects of grazing intensity and grazing season on biodiversity in a large-scale field experiment.
3) Developing and validating image-based indicators of vegetation structure and biodiversity condition from field and drone imagery.
4) Contributing to the development of AI-based methods for mapping vegetation and habitat condition from drone images.

The project offers an opportunity to contribute to evidence-based conservation and the development of practical tools that can support land managers, farmers, conservation practitioners and value-chain actors in documenting biodiversity outcomes. The findings will help build a stronger scientific foundation for biodiversity-friendly grazing practices and nature-based beef production.

Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants to the PhD position must have a Master’s degree (120 ECTS) in biology or equivalent. The applicants have documented experience in botanical surveys including species identification skills of North-European flora. The applicant must have a driver license applicable in Denmark. Demonstrated proficiency in data management and analysis, image analysis, and experience using R.

Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is C.F. Møllers Allé 8, building 1110, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.

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

• Senior researcher, head of section Camilla Fløjgaard, e-mail: camf@ecos.au.dk (main supervisor)
  

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

• admission.gradschool.tech@au.dk
  

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

Application deadline is 1 December 2026 23:59 CET.

Preferred starting date is 1 March 2027.

For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.

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’.