Prof. Elberling presently leads the Center for Permafrost (CENPERM), one of the prestigious centres of excellence in Denmark. His main research areas surround geochemical and biological processes in soils across the globe where he primarily investigates how soil, plants, and microorganisms function in an integrated ecosystem that is affected by climate fluctuations. Greenland is his main focus area and at present.

He is a council member of the Royal Danish Geographical Society, and also a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. Prof Elberling provides his service as a reviewer for European Journal of Soil Sciences, Water Resources Research, Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, Nature, Cold Regions Science and Technology, Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Advances in Ecological Research, Global Change Biology, Applied Geochemistry, Danish Journal of Geography, Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, and Journal of Hydrology.

He has obtained MSc degree in hydrogeology from the Institute of Geology, University of Aarhus, Denmark, and a PhD degree in biogeochemistry from Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Canada & Institute of Geology, University of Aarhus, Denmark. He earned Dr Scient. Degree in environmental biogeochemistry from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark