Research Associate; Postdoc in Animal Network Ecology § Subsection HmbHG

Research Associate (Postdoc) in Animal Network Ecology § 28 Subsection 2 HmbHG

Institution
Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, Department of Biology, Lab of Animal Network Ecology

Start date
01 April 2026 (or upon arrangement), fixed for a period of three years (This is a fixed-term contract in accordance with Section 2 of the academic fixed-term labor contract act [Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, WissZeitVG]).The contract provides for a maximum extension of up to three years depending on the associate’s achievements during the first stage. Providing that a position is available and that requirements have been fulfilled, the associate may apply for temporary civil servant status in accordance with Section 28 subsection 2 HmbHG.

Scope of work
full-time position suitable for part-time

Duties include teaching and research in the respective department or institute. Research associates may also pursue independent research and further academic qualifications as well as acquire teaching experience. These duties are intended to promote academic achievement. Therefore, at least one-third of set working hours will be made available for the associate’s own academic work.

You will perform your own research within the area of ecology, develop own projects, apply for research funding and publish in high quality journals. You will contribute to lab research in the area of animal biodiversity, species interactions and global change, develop collaborations within the team and beyond, (co) supervise students and PhD theses. You will be an active part of scientific life in the lab (seminars, retreats, journal club, etc.)

and beyond (workshops, conferences, etc.), and help establish high scientific standards (open science, lab culture, efficient procedures, etc.).

You will teach in BSc and MSc programs in Biology with a total duty of 4 LVS (teaching hours) in the initial term. Part of the teaching duty has to be fulfilled by teaching the fundamentals of zoology (animal biodiversity, morphology, field trips, etc.) and statistics in German language, but there is also freedom to develop specialized courses according to your own preferences.

A university degree in a relevant field, plus doctorate.

Further Essentials:

• You are enthusiastic about ecological research and your research focus involves either terrestrial animals (preferably insects) or modeling of biotic interactions
• strong quantitative skills (at least good command of statistics in a coding based language)
• ability to teach (practical) zoology, which requires at least basic knowledge of German
• experience in scientific publishing: at least one first author paper published (or accepted) in a high-quality peer-reviewed journal, and more papers (as first or co-author) submitted or published (Please include a pdf of your favorite own paper in the application documents)
• strong writing and communication skills
• open-minded, critically thinking and quality-oriented attitude

Optional assets:

• good knowledge of arthropod biodiversity / identification
• good knowledge of German Flora
• esearch focus on food webs / ecological networks

• Reliable remuneration based on wage agreements
• Continuing education opportunities
• University pensions
• Work-life balance opportunities
• Health management, EGYM Wellpass
• Educational leave
• 30 days of vacation per annum

The Lab of Animal Network Ecology, led by Prof. Dr. Jochen Fründ, investigates dynamic species interaction networks by combining field experiments, observational studies, data synthesis and modeling. We focus on mutualistic and antagonistic interactions of insects and spiders with other organisms, and are particularly interested in temporal dynamics (timing, rewiring, community shifts), biodiversity-functioning relationships and aquatic-terrestrial linkages. It is an exciting time to join our emerging lab, with a lot of freedom for shaping the lab‘s research, supported by excellent resources in the beautiful location in the botanical garden in Klein Flottbek, and great opportunities to establish further collaborations in the dynamic research environment of the University of Hamburg and the LIB…