Postdoc position in 'Effects of acidification on marine phytoplankton and zooplankton' Full-time

Postdoc in 'Effects of Acidification on Marine Phytoplankton and Zooplankton'

Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Marine Biological Section, University of Copenhagen

The project SAFESEA – Safeguarding from Acidification: Feedbacks and Ecosystem Services for European and Global Action – funded by the EU Horizon offers a 2 year and 2 months post doc position in the effects of acidification on marine plankton organisms. The project is led by Plymouth Marine Laboratories (PML), UK, and involves 11 beneficiaries. The Postdoc will be employed at MBS, located in Helsingør, DK.

The ocean currently absorbs ~25% of annual anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This climate service has delayed atmospheric CO2 concentrations from exceeding 500 ppm, buffering global warming. However, this uptake alters the carbonate system, leading to ocean acidification (OA): CO2 reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid, increasing hydrogen ion concentration, lowering pH, and reducing carbonate ion availability. These shifts in carbonate chemistry have cascading consequences for marine organisms, ecosystems, and human societies. OA is no longer a distant threat; impacts are already evident, from disruptions to shellfish hatcheries to broader marine ecosystem change.

Single drivers physiological performance curves are essential for understanding how marine organisms respond to environmental stressors, particularly in the context of OA and its interactions with other drivers. SAFESEA will identify performance curves, critical tipping points, and/or thresholds where performance is most likely to decline or fail. The focus for the post doc will be on phytoplankton and micro-zooplankton with contrasting physiological traits (calcifying, photosynthetic, mixotrophy, symbiotic and heterotrophic). Performance curves will help to assess the optimal pH range for key traits, which can support improving models in the project, and will provide information on levels at which the susceptibility to other drivers might be enhanced. Experimental results and meta-analyses will be used to develop a theoretical framework that integrates performance curves for key physiological traits to predict marine organism responses to pH and other environmental drivers. By combining models and environmental datasets we will project organismal responses to different scenarios of future conditions and identify critical scenarios for experimental validation in later work. Building on the single-driver work, SAFESEA will evaluate the combined effects of multiple environmental drivers on marine organisms, by designing and conducting multi-driver experiments tailored to the specific sites and species studied in the single driver experiments.

Applicants should hold a PhD degree in a discipline of relevance for the research project. The position is open to both Danish and international applicants. The main criterion for selection will be the research potential of the applicant. Previous experiences in ocean acidification, multi-stressor context, methodological framework development, and experimental work with marine organisms are preferred. Excellent English language skills will be an advantage.

The supervisor will be Professor Per Juel Hansen. An assessment committee will be appointed to evaluate the applications. The final selection of a successful candidate will be made based on the recommendations of the evaluation committee.

The position is open from 01.10.2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. The University wishes our staff to reflect on the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Terms of employment are covered by the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff. Terms of appointment and payment will be according to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Negotiation for salary supplement is possible.

The application, in English, must be submitted electronically. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents – all in PDF format:

• Motivation letter
• Research plan
• Curriculum vitae
• Diplomas (Master and PhD degree or equivalent)
• Complete publication list
• Separate reprints of 3 particularly relevant papers

The deadline for applications is 24.07.2026, 23:59 GMT +2. Interviews are expected to be held in week 33.