Biodiversity Industrial PhD/

Why do we need you?

Do you want to close the gap between academic knowledge and sustainable landscape architecture practice? We are looking for an Industrial PhD on biodiversity in the urban environment, in collaboration with Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate (CME), Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, to join our global design community. As our new Industrial PhD in biodiversity you will be working with landscape architects and engineers to create a new methodology and increase biodiversity through our projects.

It is our ambition to pioneer sustainable change through our work. Our projects and solutions aim to inspire, innovate, and set not just best practice, but next practice. You will join a global company that has been growing successfully since its founding in 1959. To continue this journey, we are looking for an Industrial PhD with expertise in biodiversity for urban environments.

What are we offering?

Joining our Copenhagen office, you will be part of a company working with international projects of all scales and sizes. From climate adaption, plazas, green facades, wetlands, logistic centers, masterplans, headquarters, and cultural buildings and housing. You will be a part of an organization with a creative culture and history of delivering award-winning architecture. The academic part of the PhD (approx. 50 % of the PhD time) is based at the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate (CMEC) at the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen.

The primary aim of this research is to develop a framework for rapid biodiversity assessments in urban settings using remote sensing data. The proposed methodology will help landscape architects with identifying opportunities for biodiversity enhancement in urban environments. Through interdisciplinary research, the candidate will:

• Examine current methodologies for quantifying urban biodiversity via remote sensing, contrasting these with empirical datasets.
• Identify urban habitat types and features with potential for biodiversity enhancement.
• Develop a methodology to evaluate biodiversity potential in various design scenarios, considering factors such as soil type, vegetation structure and composition, topography, and geographical context.
• Validation of the framework based on field data and architectural case studies.

What are we looking for?

This PhD project aims to address the declining biodiversity in urban environments and explore sustainable design solutions that promote biodiversity and ecosystems. The objectives of the project include examining state-of-the-art research within quantifying biodiversity in the urban environment using remote sensing as well as developing an integrated framework tool for evaluating design scenarios for biodiversity in construction projects.

For this role, we believe your starting point is:

• Meet the academic criteria from Innovation Fund Denmark, such as a relevant master’s degree, with a grade of at least 10 or equivalent for foreign. education. For more information please refer to Guidelines Industrial Ph.d. 2024
• Strong understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems.

It would also be advantageous if you have:

• Experience with monitoring of biodiversity, including field-based assessment of habitat structures and biodiversity.
• Experience with remote sensing as a tool in biodiversity monitoring.