Postdoc positions in Agricultural / Environmental and Resource Economics

Do you want to contribute to a cutting-edge research project focused on the environmental and social impacts of pesticide usage in Danish agriculture? And do you want a one or two-year research position as our new post doc?

The Department of Business and Sustainability at the University of Southern Denmark in Esbjerg invites applications for one or more post doc position as of January 1, 2026, or as agreed. For more information about the department, please visit the website.

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 post doc, 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 department’s 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 in the research group in particular. Such engagement can be documented by e.g. past engagement in social and professional activities.

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

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

Contact Information

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 hcm-support@sdu.dk.  

We recommend that as an international applicant, you take the time to visit Work in Denmark where you will find information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU.

Conditions Of Employment

Appointment as a postdoctoral researcher is temporary and for an initial 1-2-year period. Extension may be possible depending on available funding. 

Appointment to the position will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the protocol for the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for postdoc as described herein. Please check links for more information on salary (only available in Danish) and taxation.

The person(s) employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a self-organiser.

The assessment and evaluation process

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will receive an assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU. 

Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee and the shortlisted applicants will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns them. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicants to provide the necessary material.

Interviews and tests may be part of the overall evaluation. 

The Application

Applicants are encouraged to read the information "How to apply" before applying. 

To qualify for the position as postdoc you must have obtained a PhD degree by the employment date. 

Assessment of the candidates is based on the application material, and the application must include:

• Motivated application / cover letter (max 2 pages)
• A detailed Curriculum vitae
• A research plan (max. 2 pages, excluding references) that describes the applicant's:
• Master’s degree and PhD degree or equivalent (copy of original + verified English translation)
• 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). Your PhD thesis can be one of them. 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.
• A statement of other qualifications relevant to the position.
• 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.

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.

We request files in pdf-format. All pdf-files must be unlocked and allow binding and may not be password protected. Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

UPLOAD GUIDE: Motivated application shall be uploaded as ‘Cover letter’, Curriculum Vitae shall be uploaded as ‘Resume’. All other documents shall be uploaded as ‘Miscellaneous documents’.

If the application does not meet the requirements mentioned above, the faculty may reject your application without further notice. Applications received after the deadline will neither be considered nor evaluated.

The application deadline is November 15, 2025, at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST)

The University of Southern Denmark wishes to reflect the surrounding community and therefore encourages everyone, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position.

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

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.

The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.