Helmholtz Investigator Group Leader and Helmholtz Innovation & Exploration Group Leader; m​/f​/d​/x

Position

Helmholtz Investigator Group Leader and Helmholtz Innovation & Exploration Group Leader (m/f/d/x)

The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research

The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is a member of the Helmholtz Association (HGF) and funded by federal and state government. AWI focuses on polar and marine research in a variety of disciplines such as biology, oceanography, geology, geochemistry and geophysics thereby allowing multidisciplinary approaches to scientific goals.

Homepage:

Bremerhaven, Germany

Academic

Contract

Experienced

Open

PhD

19 January 2026

18 December 2025

AWI cooperates with leading universities in the Earth System Sciences who accompany the selection and support process. Currently we are inviting expressions of interest for the upcoming call for the Helmholtz Association Award:

As an internationally renowned Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) is one of the very few scientific institutions in the world that are equally active in the Arctic and Antarctic. It coordinates German polar research efforts, while also conducting research in the North Sea and adjacent coastal regions in Germany. Combining outstanding research infrastructure, cutting edge field work, and innovative modelling approaches the Alfred Wegener Institute explores nearly all aspects of the Earth system and its biodiversity – from the atmosphere to the ocean floor, from land and coasts to the ice-covered seas.

The Alfred Wegener Institute seeks Expressions of Interest from outstanding talents to apply for their own Investigator Group or Innovation Exploration Group (HGF call for application). The two-step process will start with an internal selection process of up to three candidates. The final selection of candidates will be carried out by external expert panels advising the president of the Helmholtz Association.

Helmholtz Investigator Groups (Standard Track) and Innovation Exploration Groups (Pilot Track) of successful applicants will be hosted at the AWI. Funding is on the order of €350,000 per year for a period of five years, with potential access to further substantial research infrastructure depending on internal negotiation within AWI.

The Following Eligibility Criterion Applies For Both Tracks

• The outstanding researchers are at maximum six years of academic age. Academic age is calculated as years after receiving the doctoral degree, deducting times due to the reasons named in the Helmholtz Call.

In addition, the following eligibility criteria apply:

• The outstanding researchers are at least two years of academic age.
• International research experience as demonstrated by a continuous research stay abroad for at least 6 months during the doctoral or postdoctoral studies.
• AWI internal candidates are eligible to apply if they have been employed at the AWI for no longer than one year at the time of application.

You can apply in any field of research in which you have recently excelled if it is generally related to the AWI's research program. This can be demonstrated by a grand idea supported by a first own publication and a CV fit for an ERC application. Helmholtz Investigator Group leaders collaborate closely with a German partner university. A potential partner university with indication of a contact person at the university should be specified in the application.

• The outstanding researchers have completed their PhD.

The initial AWI-internal selection of candidates for the Standard Track will take place in cooperation with a German university.

• Outstanding scientific achievements and research experience of the candidate (CV, publications, citation index, awards, etc.)
• Quality of the planned research project (innovation capacity, relevance, structure, coherence, feasibility)
• Leadership qualities and the ability to supervise inter(national) and diverse doctoral researchers
• C…