PostDoc in Macroecology and Biome Mapping 70-100% (f/m/d)

The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL is part of the ETH Domain. Approximately 600 people work on the sustainable use and protection of the environment and on the handling of natural hazards.

The Research Group Dynamic Macroecology led by Dr. Niklaus E. Zimmermann studies questions related to spatial ecology, macroecology and -evolution and global biome dynamics. For this group, we are looking for the duration of 18 months (possibility of extension) for a

PostDoc in Macroecology and Biome Mapping 70-100% (f/m/d)

as part of an SNSF (ERC) Advanced Grant project (Predicting hotspots of climate change impacts on ecosystems from an eco-evolutionary biome framework). This project aims at mapping global biomes, projecting global change impacts on biomes, and testing a novel eco-evolutionary biome theory. In this project, you contribute to ongoing work on the development of a mapping pipeline of global biomes. For this, you use and analyze gridded data on climate, remote sensing and other factors as well as species occurrence data in combination with plant trait information. You will analyze biome boundaries and map the spatial distribution of important plant functional types globally. You further contribute to testing and refining a new biome biogeography theory by confronting its predictions with data and by generating key products for analysis. You will work in a dynamic group at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL in Birmensdorf, Switzerland, and you will collaborate with international partners.

You hold a PhD degree in ecology or a related field, and you have expert knowledge in macroecology, functional ecology, the processing and analysis of high-volume data sets, spatial ecology/modelling, and in coding with R/Python/GIT. Further assets are expertise in remote sensing, and experience in cluster computing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. The capability to develop new ideas independently is necessary, as are very good English skills (both written and oral). You are a curious, self-reliant person who is also an excellent team worker and values cooperation.

Please send your complete application to Beatrice Lamprecht, Human Resources WSL, by uploading the requested documents through our webpage. Applications via email will not be considered. Niklaus E. Zimmermann, email: niklaus.zimmermann@wsl.ch, will be happy to answer any questions or offer further information. The position remains open until filled. Evaluation of application starts May 11th 2026. Note that two other postdoc positions (here and here) are advertised at the same time and will be evaluated jointly. If you apply for more than one position, please indicate in the cover letter, which one you rank highest. WSL is committed to diversity and inclusion as core values. We actively promote gender equality and foster an open, inclusive work environment.