PhD Fellowship in Applied Statistics

The Department of Plant and Environmental Science, Section for Crop Science, invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in Growth Curve Analysis for Faba Beans. This project is part of the research initiative “Decoding faba bean yield stability: From in-field image data to mechanistic models (DIGIFABA)”, funded by Novo Nordisk Fonden.

📖 About the Fellowship

There is an urgent need to integrate more grain legumes into agricultural systems to build efficient, resilient, and environmentally friendly plant-based food systems in the face of climate change and growing global food demand. The DIGIFABA project aims to enhance breeding for yield stability in faba beans by developing phenotyping tools to assess drought stress and yield components.

Objectives of the PhD Project:

• Develop a methodology for detecting stress from individual plant growth profiles in legumes.
• Utilize phenotyping data, including plant growth parameters, physiological measurements, and image-based measurements.
• Employ nonlinear optimization and generalized non-linear mixed-effects models for method development.
• Validate and implement the developed methodology using real experimental data.

Research Environment:

The successful applicant will join the Biostatistics group at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen. The group collaborates across departments on applied statistics within agronomy, eco-toxicology, and plant phenotyping.

The applicant will also be part of the DIGIFABA research group, which combines expertise in agronomy, statistics, and machine learning. The team includes:

• Three PhD fellows
• Two postdocs
• Supervisors and professors from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Department of Computer Science

The position is located at Taastrup campus, Copenhagen, offering creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment.

🎓 Eligibility Criteria

Required Qualifications:

• Strong competencies in statistics, with a background in statistics, mathematics, or agriculture.
• Experience with statistical modeling, generalized linear models, linear mixed models, and programming skills (preferably in R).

Academic Requirements:

• Completion of a degree equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) in a relevant subject area (e.g., statistics or agriculture).
• Employment as a PhD fellow is full-time for a maximum of 3 years.
• Successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen is required.

Desired Qualifications:

• Relevant publications in statistics and/or agronomy.
• Work experience and professional activities relevant to the PhD project.
• A curious mindset with a strong interest in applied statistics.
• Good language skills.

💼 Responsibilities

As a PhD fellow, you will:

• Conduct an independent research project under supervision.
• Complete PhD courses (approx. 30 ECTS).
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution (preferably abroad).
• Engage in teaching and knowledge dissemination activities.
• Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals.
• Write and defend a PhD thesis based on your project.

💰 Benefits

The terms of employment and salary are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

📅 Application Process

Required Documents:

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page).
2. Your motivation for applying for the specific PhD project.
3. Curriculum vitae (including education, experience, language skills, and other relevant skills).
4. Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or Master of Science and transcript of records (with authorized English translation if applicable).
5. Publication list (if available).
6. Reference letters (if available).

Responsibilities:

Your application, including all attachments, must be in English and submitted electronically.

📅 Important Dates

• Date Published: July 31, 2025
• Application Deadline: August 08, 2025

📞 Contact Information

• Principal Supervisor: Associate Professor Signe M. Jensen
  • Email: smj@plen.ku.dk
  • Direct Phone: +45 35333431
• Co-Supervisor: Associate Professor Dorte Bodin Dresbøll

🌍 Opportunity Location

• University of Copenhagen, Taastrup Campus, Denmark

🔗 Application Portal

• View details: PhD Fellowship in Applied Statistics
• Apply here: PhD Fellowship Application

This PhD fellowship offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research in applied statistics and sustainable agriculture. Don't miss the chance to be part of this innovative project!

• Terms of employment and salary are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC).
• The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.
• Creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment.