Organizational unit
Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung Atmosphärische Umweltforschung (IMKIFU)
Job description
The Plant Ecophysiology Group ( focuses on research into how trees and forests respond to drought and other environmental change across scales and is looking for a highly motivated new colleague to support the team in spatial data analysis, statistical modelling and model-data integration .
* You will conduct research within the DFG-funded project " Estimating tree tissue ni trogen c ont e nt, r espiration and n et p rimary p roduction in boreal and temperate forests" (NicerNPP) .
* Within this project, you will integrate recent satellite-derived spatial products of forest biomass with complementary data on tree traits and species distributions to estimate plant respiration and net primary production (NPP) across boreal and temperate forests.
* For this task, you will compile and analyze a database of measured tree tissue respiration rates.
* You will then assess the environmental drivers shaping the spatial patterns of respiration and NPP and compare your results with existing NPP products as well as outputs from vegetation models.
* This work will support improved monitoring of key carbon fluxes for quantifying forest growth and carbon uptake and help enhance their representation in vegetation models, particularly under changing climate and species distributions.
* You are expected to publish your findings in internationally recognized journals.
Starting date
01.05.2026 oder schnellstmöglich
Personal qualification
* You have a PhD degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., Earth System Sciences, Geography, Environmental Sciences, Biology, Physics) or will hold this degree before starting this position.
* You have a strong research interest and background in the carbon cycle of forest ecosystems.
* You have strong programming skills (e.g., R, Python, C++).
* You have experience in data analysis, statistics, model-data integration and the application of remote sensing products.
* You are highly motivated and open to communicate with other researchers and technicians.
* You are interested to present your research at scientific conferences and project meetings.
* Excellent English skills are mandatory.
This is what we offer
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).
Salary
Salary category 13 TV-L, depending on the fulfillment of professional and personal requirements.
Contract duration
2 years. (with the potential option of an extension)
Application up to
February 6th, 2026
Contact person in line-management
For further information, please contact Dr. Martin Thurner (martin.thurner@kit.edu)