GFZ is Germany's national centre for solid Earth research. We advance the understanding of dynamic processes to address global challenges, from mitigating the impacts of natural hazards and sustaining our habitat amid global change to responsibly managing georesources. We are part of the Helmholtz Association, the largest German scientific organisation. With around 1,200 employees as well as ca. 500 guest researchers, we contribute to the Helmholtz Research Field Earth and Environment, aligning cutting-edge research with societal relevance and international collaboration. Our work integrates multidisciplinary studies across Earth's system components, leveraging advanced technologies and infrastructure to research solutions and to transfer our knowledge to society. We are doing this according to our vision: “Taking the pulse of our Earth to safeguard a habitable planet”.
In Section 4.7 “Earth Surface Process Modelling” (Department 4 “Geosystems”), we are looking for a:
Postdoctoral researcher (f_m_x) “Digital Twin for Critical Zones under Climate Change”
The Critical Zone (CZ) is the thin layer between the upper surface of unweathered rock (i.e., bedrock) and the vegetation's upper boundary, where snow, rock, soil, water, air, and organisms interact. This vital ecosystem functions as Earth's "skin", supporting the diverse biological communities that contribute to the health and sustainability of our planet. This position is part of the new innovation pool project (DT4CZ: Digital Twins for Critical Zone under Climate Changes) funded by the Helmholtz Association. We seek a candidate to build digital twins of the critical zone within catchment scales and assess how anthropogenic climate change impacts the critical zone, especially in cold and alpine regions. We will focus on two sites: Svalbard, Norway, and Illgraben, Switzerland.
The position will be supervised by Dr. Hui Tang from the Earth Surface Process Modelling section at the GFZ. The candidate will also work with partners from the Alfred Wegener Institute - Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI, Prof. Dr. Julia Boike), the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ, Dr. Christian Klassert), and the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences: Agrosphere at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ, Daniel Caviedes Voullieme).
Start date: As soon as possible
Fixed-term: 2 years with potential to extend one more year based on performance
Salary: The position is classed as salary group 13 according to “TVöD Bund (Tarifgebiet Ost)”. The salary group is determined on the basis of the Collective Wage Agreement and the respective personal qualifications.
Working hours: Full-time (currently 39 h/week); The position is generally suitable for part-time work.
Place of work: Potsdam
If so, we look forward to receiving your application by the 17th February 2025. Please use our online application form only.
Diversity and equal opportunities are integral components of our human resources policy. The GFZ actively promotes diversity and explicitly welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of ethnic and social origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation and identity, religion/belief, age and physical characteristics. Anyone who has been recognised as severely disabled, will be given preferential consideration in the event of equal suitability and qualification in accordance with the provisions of the German Social Code IX. If you have any questions, please contact our Representative Body for Employees with Disabilities at sbv[at]gfz-potsdam.de, who will be happy to assist you in the further application process. In case of further queries regarding gender equality, please do not hesitate to contact our Equal Opportunities Officer at gba[at]gfz-potsdam.de.
Your personal data will be processed for the purpose of conducting the selection procedure on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 b, Art. 88 GDPR in conjunction with Art. 26 of the Data Protection Act for the State of Brandenburg. After completion of the procedure, application documents will be deleted in compliance with data protection regulations.
The Helmholtz Centres named above in this job advert, will be involved in the selection procedure. Your personal data will, of course, be treated confidentially and will be communicated to the persons involved in the other Helmholtz Centres exclusively for the purpose of evaluating your professional suitability within the framework of this selection procedure. Once the procedure has been completed, the personal data will also be deleted there in compliance with data protection regulations.
In case of any further queries relating to the field of activity, please contact Dr. Hui Tang via email. If you have any general questions about the application process, please contact our recruiting team at our phone number +49 (0) 331-6264-28787.