University of Hamburg

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

About the position:

We are looking for a PhD student to work in the project "PeTCaT – Rapid Permafrost Thaw Carbon Trajectories”, a large, international consortium project funded by Schmidt Sciences. The position will be part of the working group “Dynamics of Soil Processes” at the University of Hamburg, as well as the junior research group “COLDSPOT”, a bridge group between the Alfred-Wegener Institute (AWI) and the University of Hamburg. 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 AWI in Potsdam, and international project partners in Canada, USA, Sweden and the Netherlands. At the University of Hamburg the PhD student will work in a team consisting of senior scientists, as well as PostDocs and a technician hired through PeTCaT.

This exciting PhD project will explore the biogeochemical functioning of rapid thaw features (e.g., thermokarst thaw slumps and wildfire-affected areas) at field sites in the European and North American Arctic. The project will contribute to work package 4 “The fate of abruptly-thawed permafrost carbon in terrestrial and aquatic systems”, and study the carbon dynamics in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum in such permafrost disturbance features. Specific questions of the project relate to the temporal change of carbon dynamics during plant successional stages from initial rapid permafrost disturbance until surface stabilization and vegetation recovery. The work will be carried out in close cooperation with partners from AWI, the University of Alberta (Canada) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (USA). Methods will be a combination of field measurements and novel laboratory experiments with intact plant-soil systems in climate growth chambers.

We are looking for a highly-motivated candidate with an interest in soil greenhouse gas dynamics, and in particular an interest to explore how processes in the microbe-plant-soil-atmosphere continuum regulate greenhouse gas fluxes in abrupt thaw features. We provide the opportunity to work in a dynamic team of experts, and to use state-of-the-art laboratory facilities. The PhD student is expected to participate in field expeditions and 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.

Your profile:

A M.Sc. degree in a relevant field as well as expertise in the following:

• experience and interest in biogeochemistry, plant science, geosciences or a closely related field
• experience in conducting practical work in the field and/or laboratory
• ability to conduct independent work
• willingness to participate in multi-week field expeditions to remote Arctic sites and work in diverse research teams
• strong oral and written communication skills including a proficiency in English
• experience with measurements of greenhouse gas dynamics, particularly the carbon cycle, are an asset
• a driver’s license class B, German language skills, and experience working in the Arctic are an asset

For the full job ad and instructions on how to apply, please visit: https://www.uni-hamburg.de/stellenangebote/ausschreibung.html?jobID=17944e003632973eb28339020b75413724dfcd3e

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.