Postdoc position in Agricultural / Environmental and Resource Economics

Your research focus
The position is attached to the larger project: “Greener Fields for Safer Plates: Sustainable Pesticide Solutions (SAFEPLATE)” The project is led by Associate Professor Julia Bronnmann and is fully funded by the Carlsberg Foundation. The overall goal of the project is to foster meaningful stakeholder dialogues, to propose innovative strategies for mitigating the negative consequences of pesticides, and to inspire collective action to promote sustainability in Denmark's agriculture.

You will be responsible for the research activities concerning the research question: “How do Danish farmers perceive the impacts of pesticide usage and regulation hereof, including the influence of the pesticide tax?”. As such you will play a key role in exploring how Danish farmers perceive the 2013 Danish pesticide tax, their incentives for adopting alternative pest management strategies, and the challenges they encounter when transitioning to sustainable farming.

Most of your working time is devoted to your own research studies. As a Postdoc you are expected to develop your own ideas and communicate scientific results in English. Upon mutual agreement, there may be some teaching responsibilities (including supervision) and minor administration within the research group. Although not required, it is positive when Postdocs contribute to knowledge exchange by, inter alia, dissemination of research and participating in the public debate.

The research Environment
As a postdoc, you will be embedded in a strong research community that is internationally recognized for excellence in research and a strong commitment to interdisciplinary methods and approaches within the social sciences and beyond. Within the Department of Business and Sustainability, your closest colleagues are those currently in the Management and Economics of Resources and the Environment (MERE) group along with members of the SDU Climate Cluster and three centers on the Esbjerg campus: The European Center for Risk & Resilience Studies, the Danish Centre for Rural Research, and the Danish Centre for Risk and Safety Management (joint with Aalborg University).

The department believes in fostering a stimulating and inspiring environment for both faculty members and students. The ambition is therefore to recruit, develop, and retain talented scholars committed to both academic excellence and departmental development.

The department in general offers a dynamic and entrepreneurial work environment in which collaboration, societal engagement, and team spirit are fundamental parts of the culture. Our department has activities in Kolding, Esbjerg and Sønderborg with approx. 65 employees engaged in research and teaching in the fields of resource and environmental economics, entrepreneurship, marketing, and organizational studies.

What we expect

Applicants are expected to:

• Be curious and willing to actively engage in inter-disciplinary research activities.
• Document a strong research outcome in terms of already published journal articles and/or a promising pipeline.
• Document an ability to engage in professional networks and/or professional activities such a reviewing or conference participation.
• Have good communicative and English skills, both in speaking and writing.
• Have knowledge in statistical analyses and quantitative research methods and be familiar with using software such as R, Stata or the like. 
• Have knowledge of survey design and sampling techniques
• Be engaged, proactive, cooperative, be able to work independently, showing awareness and confidence in own skills and capabilities.
• Knowledge of Real Option theory is a plus.

It is important to us that applicants have good interpersonal skills and are dedicated to take part in the everyday academic and social environment at the department (in Esbjerg) in general and the in the research group in particular. Such engagement can be documented by e.g. past engagement in social and professional activities.

Applicants can read the overall qualification criteria for a postdoc in the Scholarly Qualification Guidelines

Further information about this position is available from Associate Professor Julia Bronnmann, e-mail: jubr@sam.sdu.dk

Please be aware that you must apply online through the SDU online recruitment system. If you experience technical problems, please contact support-sdujob@sdu.dk.

Application and assessment process

Appointment to the position requires a PhD degree or equivalent and will be in accordance with the salary agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.
Researchers who have not worked in Denmark before taking up this position may be eligible for a special tax scheme that reduces Danish income tax for up to 7 years. You can find more information about this tax scheme here.

An application must include:

•  A detailed CV
• A cover letter (max. 2 pages)
• A research plan (max. 2 pages, excluding references) that describes the applicant's:
  • Relationship to the aim and goals of the project
  • Plans on how to conduct research within the project’s framework,
  • Potential to obtain further external funding.
• Certificates/Diplomas (MA and PhD degree);
• A complete list of publications, indicating which publications are most relevant for the position;
• Up to 3 of the most relevant publications (including unpublished work). Please upload a pdf for each publication. NOTE: If publications have been co-authored, co-author statements must be a part of this pdf and must include information like in this example. The statement is just for your inspiration.

All documents in other languages than Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, English, or German must be translated into English. The project proposal, project abstract, and CV must be written in English. Use of large language models or related AI tools in any capacity must be disclosed in accordance with best academic practices.

If you do not adhere to the above-mentioned specifications your application can be rejected without further assessment. The department reserves the right to arrive at a decision solely based on the material submitted.

Assessment of applications will be done under existing Appointment Order for universities. Applications will be assessed by an academic assessment committee that determines whether applicants are qualified. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material. The committee reserves the right to arrive at a decision solely based on the material submitted.

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process.

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, the applicant will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns him/her. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of Department who will assemble an appointments committee. The appointments committee will manage and complete a series of job interviews with especially promising applicants. Based on the applications, the written assessments, the job interviews, and a deliberation within the appointments committee, the Head of Department determines which candidate(s) will be offered the position.

You can only apply for the position through our website.

Your application must be registered in our system on May 31, 2024, at 23.59.59 CET at the latest. Uploaded files must be in Adobe PDF (unlocked) or Word format.

Read the guideline for applicants.

Each field can only contain a single file of max. 10 Mb.

About SDU and Esbjerg

International applicants will be offered Danish language training as part of the employment. The International Staff Office (ISO) at SDU provides a variety of services for new employees, guests and people who consider applying for a job at the University of Southern Denmark. Among other things, the staff answers questions concerning salary, taxation and housing. Additional information about working in Denmark can also be found at Work in Denmark.

Read more on: SDU’s employment website

SDU is actively working with UN's 17 sustainable development goals, based on free, critical, and independent research and education. The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their age, gender, religious affiliation or ethnicity, or any other personal background. 
 

More Information