Phd Position In Modelling The Livestock Carrying Capacity In Sub-saharan Africa

Title:

PhD position in modelling the livestock carrying capacity in sub-Saharan Africa

Research area and project description:

The Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, Denmark, is offering a PhD position in integrating remote sensing data and process-based agroecosystem modelling, starting 15-09-2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position will be available for a 3-year period.

Food security, climate change and loss of biodiversity represent three of today’s major environmental sustainability challenges. Finding solutions for all these challenges requires studies that extend across multiple spatial and temporal scales. The Pioneer Center Land-CRAFT was established in June 2022 to undertake fundamental and applied research that will address these issues. The Center brings together experts on climate impact research and process-based modelling of biogeochemistry, agronomy, biology and geography from Aarhus University and University of Copenhagen, as well as international partners. Field experiments, digital technologies -- including modelling and remote sensing, as well as interactions with stakeholders are key components of Land-CRAFT.

So far, little is known about the extent and magnitude of the potential impacts of future land-use/cover and climate changes on livestock production systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The successful candidate will work on a project about modelling the current feed basket, and its possible changes in the future due to changes in land use, land management and climate. These outcomes will be used to calculate the livestock carrying capacity (LCC), thereby considering biomass, and, thus, feed availability and feed demand of the livestock population. Biomass production will be modelled by a process-based model, LandscapeDNDC (LDNDC), which has been parameterized to enable simulating different types of natural and managed ecosystems in SSA. Using current knowledge about livestock populations and their predicted changes, a conceptual framework of feed–energy requirements will be used to explore the supply-demand balance for pastoral and mixed crop-livestock systems in SSA, and where and to what extent they will change in the future.

This activity focuses on using the best knowledge and latest data to integrate into our modelling framework to understand and explore the best options for sustainable livestock production in different regions of sub-Saharan Africa.  Our aim is to further improve our simulations of natural and managed ecosystems and, if possible, to better understand the options for increasing the resilience of (mixed) livestock systems in SSA to environmental stresses and the impacts of livestock systems on the environment.

We expect you to be an active part of the research environment across campuses and universities and to contribute positively to the social working environment. In addition, you will contribute to outreach and teaching, and publish research results in high-impact scientific journals.

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

Qualifications and specific competences:

Applicants to the PhD position must have a relevant University degree (MSc.) in Agricultural Science, Ecology, Biology, Environmental Science, or related fields.

• Thorough understanding of the modelling in agricultural sciences
• Experience in modelling agricultural systems, with programming skills (R, Python, or C++) is desirable
• Ability and interest to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries
• Ability to communicate effectively in English
• Good scientific and technical writing skills
• Collaborative and interpersonal skills

Place of employment and place of work:

The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Ole Worms Alle 3, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. 

Contacts:

Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:

• Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, klaus.butterbach-bahl@agro.au.dk (main supervisor)
• Jaber Rahimi, jaber.rahimi@kit.edu (co-supervisor)

How to apply:

Application deadline is 14 June 2024 at 23:59 CEST.

Preferred starting date is 15 September 2024.

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.

Please note:

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
• 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.

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. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.