Closing date: 2026-01-03
With a broad range of disciplines, it shapes the future through excellent research and teaching. Through close collaborations with leading research institutions, innovative companies, and renowned cultural organizations, it advances interdisciplinary developments. With around 17,000 students and approximately 10,000 employees, it defines Jena as a vibrant, internationally connected city of science and innovation.
Originating in the ELLIS Unit Jena, the research project “AI Generalizability in Non-stationary Environmental Regimes: The Case of Hydro-climatic Extremes (GENAI-X)”, funded by the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung, addresses a fundamental AI challenge: achieving robust model generalizability in non-stationary environmental systems. Focusing on hydro-climatic extremes and their impacts, a multi-disciplinary team from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, the Jena University Hospital, and the Senckenberg Institute for Plant Form and Function (SIP) Jena jointly develops AI models that function reliably under constantly changing conditions.
Within the framework of the GENAI-X project D 3 PHENOLOGICAL SHIFT: Impacts of Extreme Events on Phenological Shifts and Ecosystem Functioning, the Plant Biodiversity Group of the Institute of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, FSU Jena, seeks to fill a
PhD Position (65%)
Combining field observations with remote sensing data
in plant phenology research
With this project we aim to harness the fast-growing phenology data from various sources, such as field observations, in-situ intervention experiments, and remote sensing, to curate a comprehensive data collection for causal modeling and as a basis for integration in climate models. The focus will be on data fusion, curation and in-depth analyses of a versatile multi-stream data source, including detailed species-level data for phenology-trait-environment relationships from elevational studies, experimental settings, semi-natural grasslands, phenological networks, PhenoCams, remote-sensing estimates, and meteorological features. This multi-scale, multi-species data source supports causal modeling of phenology representations across different plant species and communities.
Apply remote-sensing techniques, including terrestrial laser scanning techniques
Merge and curate phenological data from ground-based observations from individual plants and plant communities
Collect field data on plant phenology to complement existing data sets
Apply advanced statistics and AI methods to analyse phenological data from different data streams and across different spatial (and temporal) scales
Supervise student research assistants and thesis students supporting your field and computational research
Contribute to sharing your knowledge through publications, conference presentations, outreach activities and contributions to teaching
Work towards the completion of a PhD based in the project’s research area
Master's degree in ecology, geography or environmental science with expertise in remote sensing and plant ecology or a related field with an interest in analysing phenological changes across scales
Very good knowledge of remote sensing techniques, statistical analyses (in R), analyses of large sets (Big Data), and/or plant or vegetation
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills suitable for an interdisciplinary and intercultural work environment
Excellent English language skills
Integration into vibrant community in biodiversity science in Jena, including the Senckenberg Institute for Plant Form and Function (SIP) Jena, the integrative centre for integrative Biodiversity Science (iDiv), as well as the ELLIS unit
Close cooperation with the MPI-bgc (Alexander Winkler group) and another GENAI-X PhD student working on equation discovery and AI-powered phenology representations in the Max Planck Earth system model under the hybrid modeling paradigm
Comprehensive support for doctoral researchers through the Graduate Academy of the university and iDiv (yDiv) as well as our local and international network
University health promotion, a wide range of university sports activities and a family-friendly working environment with a variety of offers for families
Remuneration based on the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector of the Federal States (TV-L) at salary scale TV-L E-13, including a special annual payment in accordance with the collective agreement as well as additional fringe benefits and 30 days of paid vacation per year plus two days off on December 24 and 31
This is a part-time position with 65% (26 hours per week) of the working hours of a full-time employee.
Then apply by 03.01.2026 using our online form.
For further information for applicants and the information on the collection of personal data, please refer to Data privacy and information for applicants