"Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d) in the field of "Effects of climate and management on carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions from German forests""

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – The Research University in the Helmholtz Association creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is our goal to make significant contributions to mastering the global challenges of mankind in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees of KIT cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in research, academic education, and innovation.

We are looking for the Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMKIFU), KIT-Campus Alpin, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen as of January 1, 2026 limited to 3 years for a Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d) in the field of "Effects of climate and management on carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions from German forests".

The division "Landscape Biogeochemistry" of the Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research / Atmospheric Environmental Research (KIT/IMKIFU) at Campus Alpin in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, invites applications for a postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d).

The announced position is embedded in the BMFTR-funded collaborative project "ForestOvershoot" and will be carried out in close collaboration with project partners from German research organizations, universities and the private sector. Within the project KIT Campus Alpin LandscapeDNDC model will be applied to quantify ecosystem functions of forests, such as climate protection services (sink/source function for greenhouse gases) as influenced by nitrogen and water availability. We will assess threats to these services retrospectively, but also by simulating future developments based on assumptions about forest management as well as climate and atmospheric deposition changes.

The successful candidate will

• Initialize, evaluate and adapt the process-based LandscapeDNDC model on selected sites using available measurements.
• Prepare input data for national scale applications and run LandscapeDNDC simulations; retrospectively and as scenario studies.
• Interpret and discuss model results in close collaboration with project partners.

We seek a highly motivated person experienced in forest and biogeochemical modeling who likes to get to the bottom of things and enjoys working in a team with the following qualifications:

• A successfully completed academic university degree (Master's) with a completed doctorate in environmental sciences, forestry, geoecology, physics, chemistry, or any related field
• Sound programming skills (C/C++, Fortran, SVN, Git, Python, R, Bash)
• Experience in forest ecosystem modeling
• Understanding of biogeochemical carbon and nitrogen cycles in plant-soil systems
• English language proficiency and ability to write scientific publications
• Strong communication and teamwork skills

Become a member of staff of the only German University of Excellence that conducts large-scale research on the national level. Work under excellent working conditions in an international environment and be active in research and academic education for our future. Benefit from specific training when starting your job and from a wide range of further qualification offers. Use our flexible working time models (flexitime, work from home).

We prefer to balance the number of employees (f/m/d). Therefore we kindly ask female applicants to apply for this job. Recognized severely disabled persons will be preferred if they are equally qualified.

Please apply online until November 9, 2025 using the vacancy number 430/2025 to Ms Kristin Rink, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Human Resources, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany. For further information, please contact PD Dr. Ralf Kiese (ralf.kiese@kit.edu).

Information about the LandscapeDNDC model can be found at https://ldndc.imk-ifu.kit.edu/. You can find further information on the internet: www.kit.edu.