Research Associate for the Projects “Carbon dynamics and climate futures in drylands of Southern Africa (M3)” and “Costs and consequences of extremes in a changing climate (A3)” in CLICCS § 28 Subsection 3 HmbHG
Institution Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, Department of Earth System Sciences, Sustainability and Climate Risks
Salary level
Start date 01.09.2026, fixed until 31.08.2029 (This is a fixed-term contract in accordance with Section 2 of the academic fixed-term labor contract act [Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, WissZeitVG]).
Application deadline 20.06.2026
Scope of work part-time
Weekly hours 65 % of standard work hours per week
The Cluster of Excellence “Climate, Climatic Change, and Society” (CLICCS) investigates climate dynamics and climate-related social dynamics, as well as the interactions between the two. To this end, we are looking for colleagues from a wide range of disciplines, including the natural sciences as well as the social sciences. We are proud to work together in a truly integrating manner. Our partners, e.g., the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Helmholtz Centre Hereon or the German Climate Computing Centre are also hiring. All jobs:
Your responsibilities
Duties include academic services in the project named above. Research associates may also pursue further academic qualifications outside of their work responsibilities. They may also pursue doctoral studies outside of working duties.
Doctoral candidates are members of the structured doctoral program of the School of Integrated Climate and Earth System Sciences (SICSS), which provides high-quality, interdisciplinary, and internationally oriented training.
We are seeking a motivated PhD researcher to investigate how extreme climate events, especially droughts, affect crop and livestock production in Namibia and other southern African regions. The project will use biophysical process models to assess climate impacts and adaptation options, and will link the results to a global agricultural sector model with enhanced resolution for southern Africa. More information is available at .
Your profile
A university degree in a relevant field.
This degree should be in Geosciences, Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Sciences or a related field. Strong skills in programming with R or Python are an advantage. Experiences in biophysical crop modeling, statistics, script-based data processing and/or machine learning are beneficial. This position belongs to a cooperative effort within the Cluster of Excellence, linking subprojects M3 and A3, and will be jointly supervised by Prof. Dr. Uwe Schneider and Dr. Kerstin Jantke. The successful candidate should be team-oriented, interested in conducting interdisciplinary research, and proactive. Excellent English communication skills (spoken and written) are required.
We offer
Universität Hamburg—University of Excellence is one of the strongest research educational institutions in Germany. Our work in research, teaching, educational and knowledge exchange activities is fostering the next generation of responsible global citizens ready to tackle the global challenges facing us. Our guiding principle “Innovating and Cooperating for a Sustainable Future in a digital age” drives collaboration with academic and nonacademic partner institutions in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and around the world. We would like to invite you to be part of our community to work with us in creating sustainable and digital change for a dynamic and pluralist society.
The University of Hamburg is committed to equity. Diversity enriches our university life, whether in our studies, research, teaching, education, or workplace. We therefore welcome all applications, regardless of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnic or social background, age, religion or belief, disability, or chronic illness.
Severely disabled and disabled applicants with the same status will receive preference over equally qualified non-disabled applicants.