Area of research: PHD Thesis
Job description:
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 in line with our vision: “Taking the pulse of our Earth to safeguard a habitable planet”.
For section 4.4 "Hydrology" (department 4 “Geosystems”), we are looking for a: Reference Number 11554
This position is part of the Research Unit “RING: Rotation in Physics, Geodesy, and Geophysics”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). RING brings together expertise from several universities, research institutions and a Federal Agency across Germany to improve measurements with laser-optical instruments to observe changes in Earth rotation. The overall goal is to use these observations to enhance geodetic and geophysical applications, such as quantifying mass variations in the Earth system by climate variability and change. The open position is part of the RING project P6, which analyses the effects of atmospheric and hydrological dynamics on long-period rotational measurements, as a joint effort of GFZ, the German Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
We are looking for a candidate to investigate the hydrological dynamics in the surroundings of a ring laser at the Geodetic Observatory Wettzell, operated by BKG. The goal is to assess if and how groundwater storage variations and soil moisture changes affect the ring laser measurements through mass-attraction effects and due to tilts caused by surface deformation. The research will be based on hydrological and hydrogeophysical monitoring on the grounds of the observatory and on hydrological modelling of water fluxes and storage variations at local and regional scales. All tasks will be carried out in close collaboration with BKG.
Your responsibilities:
- Deploy a hydro-geophysical monitoring system at the Wettzell observatory, including soil moisture sensors and transects for Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT)
- Derive spatial and temporal variations of water storage from new and existing sensor data
- Implement a local physically-based hydrological model (preferably HYDRUS) to simulate water fluxes and storage dynamics in the surroundings of the ring laser
- Adapt methods for modelling the hydrological mass attraction effect on tiltmeters that are co-located with the ring laser, and develop correction methods for these effects
- Contribute to project activities and deliverables
- Interpret, publish and present findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals and workshops
About You:
Essential Qualifications:
- Master’s degree or equivalent in geophysics, geodesy, hydrology or related fields
- Understanding of hydrological processes
- Knowledge of environmental process models such as physically-based hydrological modelling (e.g., HYDRUS)
- Very good command of spoken and written English
- Programming skills, preferably in Python
- Excellent teamwork and communication skills for collaboration in an interdisciplinary environment
Desirable Qualifications:
- Expertise with hydrological, geophysical or geodetic monitoring devices
- Experience in potential field modelling with elementary bodies
- Willingness to work in the field (adverse weather conditions included)
- Driver’s license
What we offer:
- Ambitious and varied tasks in a dynamic and international research environment
- State-of-the-art equipment
- Public service benefits
- Extensive training opportunities
- Professional career advice is offered by our in-house Career-Centre
- Flexible working hours and conditions
- Support with finding a good work-life balance offered by benefit@work
- Institute day-care centre on site
- Working at the Albert Einstein Science Park on the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam
- Workplace within walking distance of Potsdam main train station, or just a short ride on the shuttle bus
Start date: 1st January 2027
Fixed-term: 3,5 years
Salary: The position is classed as salary group 13 according to “TVöD Bund ”. The salary group is determined on the basis of the Collective Wage Agreement and the respective personal qualifications.
Working hours: Part-time 75% (currently 29.25 h/week)
Place of work: Potsdam
Have we piqued your interest? If so, we look forward to receiving your application by 25th October 2026. Please use our online application form only.
Required documents:
- CV
- Letter of motivation
- Grades, transcripts and certificates for your master's degree in a single document - if not available, a confirmation from your institution of the completed degree by the application deadline
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. We also promote an inclusive working environment in which everyone can fully develop their own talents. 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 further queries regarding gender equality, please do not hesitate to contact our Equal Opportunities Officer.
"Diversity in perspectives" is one of GFZ's core values. As an integral part of supporting diversity at our centre, we actively promote women in science and in leadership positions. We, among others, do this through our gender equality plan and the cascade model measures, which we actively implement to enable sustainable equal opportunities in academic career paths. The GFZ thus committedly strives for gender equality in science, including in leadership positions, and strongly encourages women to apply.
In case of any further queries regarding the field of activity, please contact Prof. Dr. Andreas Güntner 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.
This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.