PhD/Postdoc: Stable Isotope Geochemistry & Climate Modelling
Listed on 2026-02-16
-
Research/Development
Research Scientist -
Science
Research Scientist, Environmental Science
Doctoral or Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d) Stable Isotope Geochemistry and Modelling
Employer
Senckenberg is one of the world’s leading research institutions in the field of Biodiversity and Earth System Research, with eight research institutes across Germany and scientists from over 40 nations. Our headquarter is located in the thriving commercial metropolis of Frankfurt (Mainhattan) in the heart of Germany, which also hosts one of our most famous facilities, the Senckenberg Natural History Museum.
The mission of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre is to study the complex interactions between biodiversity and climate change.
Biogeosciences (BG)
Climate:
Past, Present & Future (CL)
Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology (GMPV)
Type
Contract
Level
Experienced
Open
Preferred education
PhD
22 February 2026
Posted
4 February 2026
Job announcement . #11-26003
Senckenberg – Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research (SGN), headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, is seeking to fill the following position at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), starting as of 01. April 2026:
Doctoral or Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d)
Stable Isotope Geochemistry and Modelling
(Full-Time / Part-Time options are available)
Location:
Frankfurt
Employment scope:
Doctoral (75%) / Postdoctoral Researcher (100%)
Type of contract:
Fixed-term contract until 30 September 2029
Remuneration:
Collective agreement of the state Hesse (TV-H) / E13
Senckenberg is one of the world’s leading research institutions in the field of Biodiversity and Earth System Research, with eight research institutes across Germany and scientists from over 40 nations. Our headquarter is located in the thriving commercial metropolis of Frankfurt (Mainhattan) in the heart of Germany, which also hosts one of our most famous facilities, the Senckenberg Natural History Museum.
The mission of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre is to study the complex interactions between biodiversity and climate change.
The announced position is embedded in a coordinated Focus Unit Project (FUN) within the TERRA (Terrestrial Geo-Biosphere Interactions in a Changing World) excellence cluster ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). ), a collaboration between Senckenberg and the Universities of Tübingen and Hohenheim. It is part of a focus research unit of biologists, geologists and earth system modellers who together aim at fundamentally advancing our understanding of “The past and future of the C 4 grasslands of the world”.
We will develop a novel approach for simulating C 4 grasslands in interaction with C 3 grasslands and trees based on Eco-Evolutionary Optimality (EEO) within the framework of the LPJ-GUESS Dynamic Global Vegetation Model. Geologists in the team will advance the state-of-the-art in reconstructing Oligocene to Miocene C 3 /C 4 transitions, which will be used to test the new vegetation model.
The new EEO-based vegetation model should then also be used to predict future transitions and biome shifts to ultimately answer the question to what extent C 4 grasslands, savannahs and their unique biodiversity will persist under future climate change.
Your Tasks
- Using state-of-the-art clumped and stable isotope geochemistry or biomarker analytics develop a paleo climatic framework outlining the Neogene development of C4 ecosystems
- Contribute to community efforts in compiling and evaluating long-term proxy data pertinent to the development of C4 ecosystems
- Contribute to data-model comparisons in close collaboration with climate and vegetation modelers
- Collaborate with geologists and climate modelers in the team to infer the climate conditions and CO 2 concentrations at which C 3 /C 4 transitions occurred in the past
- Publish results in scientific journals with highest scientific standards
Your Profile
- Master or doctoral degree in Earth Sciences or related fields
- A strong interest (for postdoctoral candidates also experience) in stable isotope geochemistry and analysis.
- Expertise in data analyses and willingness to collaborate closely with colleagues in climate and vegetation modeling
- Experience isotope geochemical work is…
(If this job is in fact in your jurisdiction, then you may be using a Proxy or VPN to access this site, and to progress further, you should change your connectivity to another mobile device or PC).