Careers
Whenever there are any new positions available at the ICOS or related communities we will announce it on this page.
If you have information about related open vacancies, please email ICOS Communications at icos-comms (at) icos-ri.eu
Open positions in the ICOS field
Postdoc in Field Validation of Methane Mitigation Technologies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (deadline 1st May 2026)
The postdoctoral researcher will play a central role in the quantitative validation of a full-scale methane mitigation system operating in a commercial dairy barn environment. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing and executing a comprehensive field measurement and analysis program to document system performance under real-world conditions.
Key responsibilities include:
- Field measurements and instrumentation
- Deployment, calibration, and operation of sensors for methane (CH₄), ammonia (NH₃), and related gases
- Integration of measurement systems with ventilation and process data streams
- Ensuring data quality (QA/QC) in long-term monitoring campaigns
- Performance evaluation
- Quantification of methane removal efficiency under varying environmental and operational conditions
- Analysis of system energy consumption and overall efficiency
- Statistical analysis of seasonal and operational variability
- Data analysis and modelling
- Processing large, time-resolved datasets from field campaigns
- Linking measured performance to system design and operating conditions
- Supporting validation of models developed in other work packages
- Sustainability and impact assessment
- Contribution to life cycle assessment (LCA) of the system
- Quantification of climate and environmental benefits
- Scientific dissemination
Lead authorship of peer-reviewed publications on:
- Methane removal performance
- System energy use and environmental impact
- Contribution to reports and stakeholder communication
The position involves close collaboration with engineers, modelers, and industry partners, and requires regular presence at the field site.
We are looking for a candidate with:
- PhD in atmospheric chemistry, environmental engineering, or related field
- Strong experience with field measurements and environmental monitoring
- Demonstrated ability to work with large, real-world datasets
- Experience with gas-phase measurements (e.g., CH₄, NH₃, VOCs) is highly desirable
- Competence in data analysis tools (e.g., Python, MATLAB, R)
- Experience with uncertainty analysis and validation of environmental data
- Track record of scientific publishing
Deadline for applications is 1st May 2026.
Doctoral student in physical geography and ecosystem science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (MGeo), Lund University, Sweden (deadline 19th April 2026)
This PhD Project will work on the further development, testing and application of the LPJ-GUESS biosphere model for modelling tropical wetlands and estimating tropical methane emissions. The work is part of the EU-funded project IM4CA (https://im4ca.eu).
Work duties
The PhD student will carry out research related to the objectives of IM4CA. In particular, this project will employ a wetland CH4 emissions module for the African Tropics and provide bottom-up wetlands emission estimates. As a first step the tropical wetland CH4 emissions module will be developed based on the existing wetlands formulation in the global dynamic vegetation model LPJ-GUESS. As a next step, the process parameters of the improved module will be calibrated against local CH4 flux measurements representing tropical biomes. This calibration step will be based on a Bayesian optimisation approach that needs to be refined for this purpose here. The calibrated module will then be used to estimate pan-tropical wetlands CH4 emissions over the recent past.
The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties can also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).
Admission requirements
A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she:
- has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
- has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
- has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.
A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science if he or she has:
- at least 60 credits at Master’s level in Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science or comparable programme
Deadline for applications is 19th April 2026.
Post-doctoral fellow in CH4 modelling / data assimilation, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (MGeo), Lund University, Sweden (deadline 19th April 2026)
The Inverse Modelling group at the Department of Earth and Environmental Science (MGeo), Lund University, seeks to appoint a post-doctoral fellows to work on the quantification of boreal CH4 wetlands emissions based on assimilating relevant observational data.
Together with international collaborators the Inverse Modelling group develops and applies inverse modelling / data assimilation systems that employ a range of observations to constrain surface-atmosphere GhG (mainly CO2 and CH4) exchange fluxes. These systems are widely used in a variety of projects, in particular in the EU funded projects AVENGERS (which is coordinated by Lund University, https://avengers-project.eu) and IM4CA (https://im4ca.eu).
Work duties
The main duties involved in a post-doctoral position is to conduct research. Teaching may also be included, but up to no more than 20% of working hours. The position shall include the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning.
The post-doctoral fellow shall perform the following duties:
- Carry out further development, testing and application of a methane data assimilation system (CH4DAS)
- Carry out further development, testing and application of our regional inverse modelling system LUMIA
- Conduct experiments to simultaneously assimilate atmospheric concentration and ecosystem flux observations of methane to reduce uncertainties in boreal wetland CH4 emissions with a focus on Europe.
The research will be conducted at MGeo, Lund University, with the possibility of international collaborations with research partners in IM4CA. Participation in international meetings and workshops and communication of the research work is expected.
Deadline for applications is 19th April 2026.
Postdoctoral researcher for DIV4DROUGHT - Tree diversity effects on forest resilience to drought, French Centre for the Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity (CESAB), Montpellier, France (deadline 17th May 2026)
Widespread global reports of drought and heat-induced tree mortality have raised questions about the long-term persistence of forests and associated ecosystem services. Therefore, developing management strategies to safeguard forest functioning in a changing world is crucial. One such strategy involves increasing the biological diversity of forests (i.e., species richness, functional diversity, phylogenetic diversity or tree structural diversity) (Messier et al., 2022). Yet, the effect of tree species diversity on a forest’s ability to cope with drought remains elusive, with previous studies reporting positive, neutral, and negative effects (Decarsin et al., 2024; Grossiord, 2019; Pardos et al., 2021; Serrano‐León et al., 2025). A better understanding of the ecological and biological mechanisms at play is necessary to reconcile these divergent observations.
As part of the DIV4DROUGHT project, you will conduct a meta-analysis of existing evidence for tree diversity effects on forest drought resilience and its components, resistance, and recovery. To this aim, you will carry out a data synthesis, based on combined primary datasets from different international research networks, complemented with a systematic literature review. Beyond characterizing how tree physiological responses are influenced by tree diversity, the analyses will aim to elucidate the underlying mechanisms driving these responses, with the goal of identifying general patterns. You will explore these aspects by leveraging functional trait databases compiled by the consortium and working closely with process-based forest modelers.
This postdoctoral position will benefit from the exceptional context of the DIV4DROUGHT project, which brings together an international team of recognized experts in tree ecophysiology, forest community ecology, and climate–biosphere interactions, with strong expertise in field measurements, statistical analysis, and process-based modelling. The Div4drought consortium already gathered major primary datasets from international networks (TreeDivNet, FunDivEUROPE, GMAP, REFORM, among others) that have never been jointly analysed.
The postdoctoral researcher will interact closely with the DIV4DROUGHT consortium and actively participate in four in-person workshops held in Montpellier throughout the project.
You will be responsible for:
- Conducting a systematic, quantitative literature review
- Analysing the primary datasets collected by the Div4Drought consortium
- Engaging with the DIV4DROUGHT consortium and other collaborators to strengthen your mechanistic understanding of tree diversity effects on drought responses
- Leading the writing of scientific manuscripts
Deadline for applications is 17th May 2026.