Doctoral Researcher in Landscape Resilience

University of Göttingen

At the University of Göttingen -Public Law Foundation-, CBL - Nachwuchsgruppe Landschaftsresilienz, there is a position as

Doctoral researcher (all genders welcome)
Entgeltgruppe 13 TV-L/65%

to be filled. Starting date is as soon as possible. The position is limited to three years.

The successful candidate will carry out research within the newly established junior research group and competence center “Landscape resilience” (Kompetenzzentrum Landschaftsresilienz) at the University of Göttingen, Germany, which is funded by the Eva Mayr-Stihl Stiftung, based at the Campus Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL).

Background:

In times of climate change, forestry and agricultural land use in Germany and world-wide face enormous challenges to ensure the long-term provision of forestry and agricultural products and ecosystem services. To develop strategies for adapting land use in this way, we need to understand what makes land use and entire landscapes resilient to climate change. Thus, the research group focuses on assessing the resilience of landscapes to climate change across the sectoral boundaries of forestry and agricultural sciences.

Tasks:

The PhD candidate will develop landscape resilience indices with a particular focus on droughts and heatwaves. The project shall cover different land uses and land cover types, with an emphasis on disturbed landscapes. A central task will be the application of advanced statistical methods to investigate how landscape configuration influences resilience. Therefore, the candidate will integrate geodata from various sources, particularly from remote sensing (e.g. optical, hyperspectral, thermal). To develop and evaluate these approaches, a key aspect will be to acquire and integrate data from targeted field campaigns and permanent environmental monitoring. As an outcome, the results shall be critically evaluated in relation to current and future land management practices.
The researcher is expected to present findings at national and international workshops and conferences, publish results in international journals and engage in the ongoing activities of the junior research group, including public outreach.

Requirements:

The successful candidate must have an excellent educational background related to the topic. The person

• must hold a M.Sc. in a field relevant for the assessment of landscape resilience, such as environmental sciences, geosciences, forest or agricultural sciences, or geoinformatics,
• must have advanced statistical knowledge and skills for processing and analyzing geodata,
• must have solid methodological knowledge in remote sensing and environmental monitoring,
• must have willingness to carry out field work in rural or forested areas with occasional field campaigns of several days,
• must have a driver's license (class B), an EU remote pilot license (A2) is a bonus,
• must be fluent in English (German is a plus),
• should have demonstrated interest in a scientific career, e.g. by work experience as a student research assistant, first experiences in publishing scientific results etc.,
• should have good communication skills, e.g. demonstrated by teaching experience or presenting at a conference;

What we offer:

We offer an attractive research environment with a 4-year part-time funded early career researcher position, with support for travel and conference attendance and access to facilities and equipment. The university provides a broad range of opportunities for professional development and career advancement for postdoctoral researchers, flexible working hours and home office possibility, paid time off as well as a diverse and inclusive work environment with a strong commitment to diversity and equity.
With its almost 300-years old university, Göttingen is a vibrant German town with a vivid academic atmosphere. According to international rankings, the University of Göttingen is one of the leading universities in both Germany and Europe for Forest Sciences and Agricultural Sciences. The excellent environment at the CBL with leading scientists in these fields provides a unique opportunity to pursue one’s own research within a dynamic and interdisciplinary research environment.
Further information on the involved institutions can be found on the websites of the junior research group, the Campus Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, or of the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology.

Your application must include (in the following order, compiled in one pdf): letter of motivation, CV (with optional reference contacts), abstract or summary of your master’s thesis (max. 1 page), certificates and transcripts.

The University of Göttingen is an equal opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply in fields in which they are underrepresented. The university has committed itself to being a family-friendly institution and supports their employees in balancing work and family life. The University is particularly committed to the professional participation of severely disabled employees and therefore welcomes applications from severely disabled people. In the case of equal qualifications, applications from people with severe disabilities will be given preference. A disability or equality is to be included in the application in order to protect the interests of the applicant.

Please upload your application in one pdf file including the usual documents until 1/11/2026 on the application portal of the university using this link: http://obp.uni-goettingen.de/de-de/OBF/Index/76217. For more information get in touch with Birgitta Maria Putzenlechner directly via E-Mail: birgitta.putzenlechner@uni-goettingen.de, Tel. +495513923375 .

Please note:
With submission of your application, you accept the processing of your applicant data in terms of data-protection law. Further information on the legal basis and data usage is provided in the Information General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)