Postdoc in Movement Macroecology

Job description

at the Villum Center for Global Mountain Biodiversity, Globe Institute,

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen

We are looking for a highly motivated and dynamic person for a full time 2-year position as postdoc at the Villum Center for Global Mountain Biodiversity at the GLOBE Institute.

The starting date is flexible, but preferably October 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The position will be based at the Globe Institute.

The Institute’s main purpose is to address basic and applied scientific questions through interdisciplinary approaches.

The institute operates at the intersection of natural and medical sciences and the humanities.

Information on the institute can be found at .

The research will be conducted at the Center for Global Mountain Biodiversity, a Villum Center of excellence led by Professor Carsten Rahbek.

The Center comprises 20 scientific staff, technicians and students focused on understanding how mountains shape the distribution and diversity of life on Earth, with particular attention to tropical mountain biodiversity.

The Center works end-to-end.

Inspired by natural history knowledge, we engage in rigorous fieldwork around the world to build and improve an assemblage of biological data sets on species’ distributions and traits.

We use a range of tools from novel macroecological process-based and null models to cutting-edge DNA and genomic techniques.

This holistic approach strengthens our ability to address fundamental questions about the distribution and diversity of life on Earth.

For an overview of our macroecological mountain research, two review papers by Rahbek et al.

published in Science in 2019 offer a useful introduction to the background and scope of our work on global mountain biodiversity.

The Villum Center for Global Mountain Biodiversity is housed within the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate (CMEC; ) and the Section for Biodiversity at the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen.

CMEC is a leading center of excellence with a cross-disciplinary research program addressing fundamental questions on the origin, maintenance, conservation and future of life and biological diversity on Earth.

Our team of 40+ researchers—representing over 14 nationalities—juxtaposes faculty staff scientists from the fields of macroecology, historical biogeography, oceanography, evolutionary biology, community ecology, population biology, climate change research, conservation biology and environmental economics.

We prioritize teamwork and close collaboration—both within the Center and across our global research network.

Our group culture is supportive, inclusive, and driven by mutual respect, where diverse skills and experiences are valued.

We are committed to fostering not only scientific excellence, but also professional growth and career development at every stage

Job description

We are offering a 2 year postdoc position with Professor Carsten Rahbek.

In collaboration also with Professor Kasper Thorup, other researchers at the Center as well as external collaborators (primarily Professor Martin Wikelski from Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour in Germany), you will investigate how movement—as a fundamental ecological and evolutionary process—shapes past and present range dynamics.

The goal is to better understand the role of movement in shaping large-scale patterns of species assemblages and species richness.

The research will primarily focus on birds, though there may be opportunities to explore similar questions in other groups of organisms.

The project may also include fieldwork in the Andes, using state-of-the-art tracking technologies to study local movements of Polylepis birds among habitat patches and broader-scale dispersal events.

Your job

Applicants are expected to engage in ongoing collaborative research projects using the center’s data/resources and to contribute to further development of new projects.

For all the bird species we have high quality, curated distributions at ¼ degree spatial resolution, trait data, phylogenies, and genomic data for >5000 bird species (being part of the B10k program aiming at sequencing all bird species in the world) and associated data on the worlds mountain regions, geological data, land-use data and climate data for the past 800,000 years.

For the ca.

200 species associated with Polylepis forests, we have an additional dataset on the species occurrences and assemblages for ca 1,000 Andean valleys as well as data layers on the occurrences of Polylepis fragments in each valley throughout the Andes.

We hold population genomic data of 700 specimens representing 24 bird species inhabiting Polylepis forests.

Our expertise in Andean birds at the center is grounded in five decades of active fieldwork, and participation in our continuing field program remains an option.

Profile

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following skills and experience:

Essential experience and skills.



We seek an internationally competitive candidate with:

Desirable experience and skills:

Place of employment

The place of employment is at the Villum Center for Global Mountain Biodiversity located at Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100, Copenhagen K, Denmark.

About Globe Institute

The Globe Institute is part of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen.

The Institute’s main purpose is to address basic scientific questions through interdisciplinary approaches.

The institute operates at the intersection of natural and medical sciences and the humanities.

Information on the institute can be found at: .

The Globe Institute is committed to creating an inclusive and diverse environment where employees and students can belong and thrive.

See website for more information.

All qualified applicants will receive full consideration.

Candidates who, through their research, teaching, and/or service, contribute to diversity and competencies of our Institute are encouraged to apply.

The University of Copenhagen strives to offer a family friendly and flexible working environment with a sustainable balance between work- and private life, including parental leave schemes (up to 47 weeks for both parents) and up to six weeks of paid holidays per year.

Researchers that have not been tax liable in Denmark for the last 10 years can apply for a special (reduced) tax scheme.

The university offers a variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families.

Terms of employment

The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.

The position is limited to a period of 2 years.

The starting date is flexible, but preferably October 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Salary, pension and other conditions of employment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant organisation.

Currently, the monthly salary starts at 38,734 DKK/approx.

5,200 EUR (May 2025 level).

Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated.

The employer will pay an additional 18.07 % to your pension fund.

Foreign and Danish applicants may be eligible for tax reductions if they hold a PhD degree and have not lived in Denmark the last 10 years.

The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities.

The application, in English, must be submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Questions

For further information, please contact Professor Carsten Rahbek, .



Foreign applicants may find this link useful: (International Staff Mobility).

Application procedure

Your online application must be submitted in English by clicking ‘Apply now’ below.

Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:

Please include

 Deadline for applications: 31 July 23:59 CEST.

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process

After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee.

All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor.

Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You can read about the recruitment process at

University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender, nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation.

Appointment will be based on merit alone.

Required Skill Profession

Other General