Doctoral Research Associate in Landscape Ecology

The Institute of Landscape Ecology at the University of Münster (WWU), Germany, seeks to fill the position of a

Doctoral Research Associate

(Wissenschaftliche/r Mitarbeiter/in)

(salary level TV-L E13, 75%)

to begin on 1 June 2021 or later. The fixed-term position is limited to three years and allows the candidate to carry out research on his/her dissertation.

We are looking for a PhD student to work with us on the DFG project “Carbon4D: A landscape-scale model of soil organic carbon mineralization in space, depth, and time”. Carbon4D is a joint research project of the research group for remote sensing and spatial modelling in Münster and the department of soil ecology in Bayreuth. The aim of the project is to develop a landscape-scale 4D (space, time, depth) model of soil organic carbon mineralization to gain a better understanding of patterns and trends of a key component of the global carbon cycle.

The prospective candidate will be mainly responsible for the development of the 4D model by applying remote sensing techniques and machine learning strategies. The candidate will publish results in peer-reviewed journals and present them at conferences. A close collaboration with the Bayreuth department of soil ecology is intended for model development and interpretation. The candidate will also be responsible for installing and maintaining ground truth sensors placed in the study area.

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate who wants to work at the interface between landscape ecology and geoinformatics. The candidate should possess a higher education degree (diploma, master’s degree or equivalent) in geoinformatics, landscape ecology, geography or a comparable programme, with a strong focus on remote sensing and/or spatial modelling. For data analysis and processing, sound knowledge in R and/or Python is mandatory. Prior experience with applying machine learning methods for spatial modelling of environmental variables is highly desirable. The candidate should demonstrate a keen interest in ecological research questions, especially in the field of soil science. Due to planned ground truth data collection in the Fichtelgebirge (the study area of Carbon4D), the candidate should be willing to perform fieldwork. Prior experience with planning fieldwork is desirable. The candidate will design and conduct research in an interdisciplinary team and publish research in international scientific journals. Therefore, fluency in spoken and written English is required, as well as excellent team skills.

The University of Münster is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing the proportion of women academics. Consequently, we actively encourage applications by women. Female candidates with equivalent qualifications and academic achievements will be preferentially considered within the framework of the legal possibilities. The University of Münster is committed to employing more staff with disabilities. Candidates with recognised severe disabilities who have equivalent qualifications are given preference in hiring decisions.

Enquiries can be directed to Prof. Hanna Meyer (hanna.meyer@uni-muenster.de). Please send your application (in German or English) with a letter of motivation, CV and copies of your degree certificates in a single PDF via e-mail to hanna.meyer@uni-muenster.de by 5 March 2021.

In your application, please refer to Professorpositions.com