University of Hamburg

Homepage: https://www.uni-hamburg.de/en.html

About the position:

We are looking for a PostDoc working in the project “PeTCaT – Rapid Permafrost Thaw Carbon Trajectories”, a large, international consortium project funded by Schmidt Sciences. The PostDoc position will be part of the working group “Dynamics of Soil Processes” at the University of Hamburg, and also work closely with the junior research group “COLDSPOT”. PeTCaT aims at closing key knowledge gaps and at reducing uncertainties in carbon cycle science. PeTCaT will quantify and project the development of abrupt thaw processes on a panarctic scale and address their impact on greenhouse gas production and release. The project aims at understanding permafrost vulnerability and carbon budgets at a global scale. The work will be conducted in close cooperation with the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Potsdam, and international project partners in Canada, USA, Sweden and the Netherlands. At the University of Hamburg the PostDoc will work in a team consisting of senior scientists, PostDocs, as well as a PhD student and technician hired through PeTCaT.

The research associate will contribute to work package 4 “The fate of abruptly-thawed permafrost carbon in terrestrial and aquatic systems” and study the turnover of permafrost organic matter in close cooperation with partners from AWI, the University of Alberta (Canada) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (USA). The project will focus on carbon cycle processes including organic matter decomposition, transport and stabilization. The successful candidate will be responsible for field observations such as plot-scale in-situ CH₄ and CO₂ flux measurements in Canada and Finland, and laboratory investigations on carbon decomposability and stabilization using samples from the different field sites of the project and from existing collections from other regions. The obtained data will feed into the development and improvement of a new soil model in ICON-ESM. The successful candidate will work in a dynamic team of experts, and use state-of-the-art laboratory facilities.

The research associate is expected to organize and participate in land expeditions to the Arctic lasting several weeks, and to collaborate closely with team members and project partners. Scientific results have to be presented in scientific meetings and conferences as well as through publications in scientific journals. We expect the candidate to be able to independently design scientific experiments. The PostDoc may also be involved in student supervision if desired. Applicants must have very good English language skills in speaking and writing.

Your profile:

A PhD in a relevant field as well as expertise in the following:

• biogeochemical cycles in high-latitude soils
• field measurements of carbon including greenhouse gas fluxes
• laboratory experiments on soil microbial processes
• soil chemical analysis and greenhouse gas measurements
• application of stable isotope analysis in studies on carbon fluxes in soils
• organization and participation in field campaigns
• Experience with working in the Arctic, a drivers licence B and German language skills are an asset.

For the full job ad and to reply, please visit: https://www.uni-hamburg.de/stellenangebote/ausschreibung.html?jobID=e566cd6db14f5f12cf6ea463db9b8b3bf9aee27d

Please use only the online system to apply. Applications sent by email will not be considered. For more more details about the position and instructions on how to apply, please visit our website.