PhD fellowship in Bioenergy witCarbon Capture and Storage

• Job portal
• All vacancies

Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Section for Forest and Bioresources, invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage. The project is part of the project “BECCS as a tool to achieve net-negative GHG emissions in Europe”, which is financed by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Start date is 1 January 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is considered a requirement to meet the temperature targets of the Paris Agreement, by compensating hard to abate GHG emissions and by removing already emitted CO2 from the atmosphere. To achieve negative emissions, CDR must be based on non-fossil carbon sources, e.g., carbon in biomass. Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) offers a potentially low-cost opportunity for CDR, which is already developed to a comparably high technology readiness level enabling rapid implementation.

While the use of biomass for heat and electricity (BE) production is well established in several European countries only few BECCS facilities operate on commercial scale.

Biogenic carbon is a limited resource and considerate use of it is paramount for sustainable development. Furthermore, biomass production is connected to land use, with land use change being a potential driver of GHG emissions and climate change. Deploying BECCS in large region wide scales consequently raises a number of unanswered questions. Do we achieve most climate benefits with temporary carbon storage in ecosystems managed for storage or with BECCS?

The complex interactions between ecosystems and surrounding technoeconomic systems raise significant scientific questions about the climate effect of BECCS. The scientific challenge is to develop a deeper understanding of the carbon dynamics in time and space of the system-complex comprising, ecosystems, e.g., forests, and the surrounding techno- economic systems (harvest, processing, and consumption of goods and services).

• Experience and interest in systems thinking and systems analysis.
• Good understanding of ecosphere-technosphere interactions with focus on carbon and greenhouse gases.
• Experience in techno-economic assessment.
• Qualifications in spatial analysis and GIS.
• Experience in quantitative, predictive or stochastic modelling, data analysis, and machine learning.
• Experience with Python and advanced AI frameworks applied to bioresources.

The position is located within the Silviculture, Trees and Bioresources research group. The research group is highly diverse, encompassing expertise in systems analysis, forestry, growth modelling, and ecological restoration. Together, these areas aim to advance the understanding, development, and management of forest ecosystems to support a wide range of ecosystem services, including carbon storage, material and energy provision, groundwater regulation, and biodiversity conservation.

The group is a part of the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen.

We are located on Frederiksberg Campus in Copenhagen and offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment.

The department is planning to increase its focus on the climate change mitigation potential of forests in upcoming projects. We therefore welcome applications from candidates with a broader interest in the intersection of forests, forest-based climate solutions, biosphere-atmosphere interaction, climate policy, and related themes.

Associate Professor Niclas Scott Bentsen, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, nb.dk, Phone: .

Depending on your level of education, you can undertake the PhD programme as either:

A three-year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme), if you already have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree.

An up to five-year full-time study programme within the framework of…