45,000 students and 8,000 employees in teaching, research and administration, all working together to shape perspectives for the future – that is the University of Münster (WWU). Embedded in the vibrant atmosphere of Münster with its high standard of living, the University’s diverse research profile and attractive study programmes draw students and researchers throughout Germany and from around the world.
The Institute of Landscape Ecology in the Faculty of Geosciences at the University of Münster, Germany, is seeking to fill a position for a
Doctoral Research Associate
in Peatland Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Wissenschaftliche/r Mitarbeiter/in
(salary level TV-L E 13, 65%)
at the earliest possible date. We are offering a fixed-term part-time position (65% FTE) for 3 years. As part of this position, the successful candidate will be required to teach a pro rata proportion of the full-time employee’s teaching commitment of 4 hours per week during the semester.
Project description:
This project aims to quantify and understand the effect of climate variability and plant and soil function on the emission of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, and N2O) from degraded peatlands in northwest Germany. The project will focus on collecting high-resolution eddy covariance measurements and using methods to capture temporal trends in above- and below-ground plant traits to understand the balance of vegetation role and soil conditions on greenhouse gas fluxes measured with eddy covariance.
The successful candidate will join the Biosphere-Atmosphere Interaction (BAI) group within the Institute of Landscape Ecology (ILÖK) in the Faculty of Geosciences of the University of Münster.
Your tasks:
- establish and maintain an eddy covariance measurement system in the region of North-Rhine-Westphalia in Germany
- processes raw eddy covariance data into turbulent fluxes of CO2, CH4 and N2O, H2O, energy, and apply data quality assessments
- collect soil (e.g., IRIS method) and vegetation (photosynthetic traits) measurements
- - analyse data, present results, and publish in peer-reviewed journals
This position is tied to working towards a doctorate.
Our expectations:
- a master´s degree in environmental sciences, hydrology, ecology, or a closely related field with experiences in micrometeorology, soil science, microbial ecology, plant ecophysiology
- good statistical skills
- good communication skills and the ability to work in a team
- interest in carrying out regular fieldwork
- interest in and ability to solve technical challenges related to instrument maintenance
- experience with eddy covariance data collection method (or flux chamber or leaf gas exchange measurements) and strong computer programming (Python, R) skills would be a strong advantage
- interest in contributing to the teaching of the BAI group
- a valid driving license is required for travelling to the field site
- German language skills are not required but would be advantageous
- fluent English is essential
The University of Münster strongly supports equal opportunity and diversity. We welcome all applicants regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic or social background, religion or ideology, disability, age, sexual orientation or gender identity. We are committed to creating family-friendly working conditions.
The University of Münster is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing the proportion of women academics. Consequently, we actively encourage applications by women. Female candidates with equivalent qualifications and academic achievements will be preferentially considered within the framework of the legal possibilities.
Information about the Institute of Landscape Ecology can be found at: https://www.uni-muenster.de/Landschaftsoekologie. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Prof Mana Gharun mana.gharun@usys.ethz.ch (no applications).
If you are interested, please send a letter of motivation, a CV, copies of your BSc and MSc certificates and degree transcripts via email by 15 February 2023 to:
University of Münster
Institute of Landscape Ecology
Dr Beate Keplin
keplin@uni-muenster.de
You are kindly asked to send us your application electronically as a single PDF file. Please note that other electronic file formats cannot be considered.