Reference Number
10624 \n
\u00a0\u2013 The position is dependent on the approval of the project. \u2013 \n
This position is part of the RESET project, where we investigate the impacts of Enhanced Weathering on soil organic carbon, develop inorganic geochemical proxies, and identify social and governance pathways towards large-scale deployment, in three interlinked PhD positions. \n
Enhanced Silicate Weathering (ESW) promises to achieve large volume CO2 removal (CDR) with millennium-scale storage and at competitive cost by distributing finely ground reactive (ultra)mafic minerals on agricultural soils. Within the framework of the BMFTR-funded consortium CDRTerra, our project (RESET: Developing Roadmaps to Scalable Carbon Dioxide Removal by Enhanced Silicate Weathering) seeks to identify the potential and challenges of the large-scale deployment of ESW for durable CO2 removal. \n
We are looking for a motivated PhD student to lead the inorganic geochemical aspects of the project, which will include processing and interpreting metal concentrations and isotope ratios from experiments and field deployments. You will also work closely with organic geochemists and social scientists to gain a holistic view of the impacts and potential of ESW and CDR in general. \n
Your responsibilities: \n
\n
1. Generating high-quality inorganic geochemical data via clean room processing and purification of samples, and analysis by (multi-collector) ICP-MS \n
2. Integrating results into geochemical mass-balance frameworks \n
3. Staying up-to-date on scientific literature in the field of (Enhanced) Weathering \n
4. Planning and conducting fieldwork within Germany \n
5. Preparation and publication of manuscripts detailing results in appropriate peer-reviewed journals; data management and archiving according to FAIR principles; presentation of results at national and international conferences \n
Your qualifications: \n
\n
6. MSc in a geoscience-relevant field, and curiosity and desire to become an expert in CO2 removal techniques \n
7. Strong numerical skills and ideally experience with a scientific programming language (e.g. Python, Matlab, etc). \n
8. Fluency in written and spoken English; German is an advantage, but not required \n
9. Past experience with one or more of the relevant topics (e.g. CDR, weathering or enhanced weathering, isotope geochemistry, etc.) and\/or techniques (clean-laboratory work, isotope ratio measurements, geochemical mass-balance, etc.) is a distinct advantage \n
What we offer: \n
\n
10. Ambitious and varied tasks in a dynamic and international research environment \n
11. State-of-the-art equipment \n
12. Public service benefits \n
13. Extensive training opportunities \n
14. Professional career advice offered by our in-house Career-Centre \n
15. Flexible working hours and conditions \n
16. Support with finding a good work-life balance offered by benefit@work \n
17. Institute day-care centre on site \n
18. Working at the Albert Einstein science park on the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam \n
19. Work place within walking distance of Potsdam main train station, or just a short ride on the shuttle bus \n Start date: 1st November\u00a02025
Fixed-term: 3 years
Salary: The position is classed as salary group 13 according to \u201cTV\u00f6D Bund (Tarifgebiet Ost)\u201d. The salary group is determined on the basis of the Collective Wage Agreement and the respective personal qualifications.
Working hours: Part-time 75% (currently 29.25 h\/week)
Place of work: Potsdam \n\n
Have we piqued your interest? \nIf so, we look forward to receiving your application by 15th September 2025 .\n\nRequested documents: CV and cover letter\n\nDesirable documents: certificates (grades), references\n\nPlease use our online application form only.\n \n\n
The GFZ actively promotes diversity and explicitly welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of ethnic and social origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation and identity, religion\/belief, age and physical characteristics. We also promote an inclusive working environment in which everyone can fully develop their own talents. Anyone who has been recognised as severely disabled, will be given preferential consideration in the event of equal suitability and qualification in accordance with the provisions of the German Social Code IX. In case of further queries regarding gender equality, please do not hesitate to contact our Equal Opportunities Officer. \n
\u201cDiversity in perspectives\u201d is one of GFZ's core values. As an integral part of supporting diversity at our centre, we actively promote women in science and in leadership positions. We among others do this through our gender equality plan and the cascade model measures which we actively implement to enable sustainable equal opportunities in academic career paths. The GFZ thus committedly strives for gender equality in science, including in leadership positions, and strongly encourages women to apply. \n\n
Your personal data will be processed for the purpose of conducting the selection procedure on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 b, Art. 88 GDPR in conjunction with Art. 26 of the Data Protection Act for the State of Brandenburg. After completion of the procedure, application documents will be deleted in compliance with data protection regulations. \n\nIn case of any further queries relating to the field of activity, please contact Dr. Patrick Frings and\/or Prof. Dirk Sachse via email. If you have any general questions about the application process, please contact our recruiting team at our phone number +49 (0) 331-6264-28787.","validThrough":"2025-09-15T23:59:59+02:00","hiringOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"GFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum f\u00fcr Geoforschung","sameAs":"http:\/\/www.gfz.de","logo":"https:\/\/gfz.concludis.de\/download\/design\/MTU2OTQyMA==\/GFZ_concludis.jpg"},"jobLocation":{"@type":"Place","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Potsdam","postalCode":"14473","addressCountry":"DE"}},"employmentType":["PART_TIME","TEMPORARY"]}