Scientist (f_m_x) in Remote Sensing and Forest Biomass Research

Scientific / postdoctoral posts

GFZ is Germany's national centre for solid Earth research. We advance the understanding of dynamic processes to address global challenges, from mitigating the impacts of natural hazards and sustaining our habitat amid global change to responsibly managing georesources. We are part of the Helmholtz Association, the largest German scientific organisation. With around 1,200 employees as well as ca. 500 guest researchers, we contribute to the Helmholtz Research Field Earth and Environment, aligning cutting-edge research with societal relevance and international collaboration. Our work integrates multidisciplinary studies across Earth's system components, leveraging advanced technologies and infrastructure to research solutions and to transfer our knowledge to society. We are doing this in line with our vision: “Taking the pulse of our Earth to safeguard a habitable planet”.

For section 1.4 "Remote sensing and Geoinformatics" (department “Geodesy”), we are looking for a: Reference Number 11344

The GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences is seeking a highly motivated Scientist (f_m_x). The position is part of the project "CCI BIOMASS - Research into forest dynamics and carbon storage in biomass". CCI BIOMASS, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), is designed to enhance our understanding of forest dynamics and biomass carbon pools through cutting-edge radar technology by underpinning the cal/val and user support for ESA's BIOMASS satellite mission.

As part of an interdisciplinary and international research environment, you will contribute to cutting-edge scientific research focusing on forest biomass dynamics, forest loss, and regrowth processes using large-scale Earth observation data.

• Analysis of global land cover datasets to develop statistically robust reference datasets on forest growth after deforestation, forest fires, and fragmentation 
• Development of scalable methodologies for global stratification maps capturing forest loss and reforestation areas 
• Scientific contributions to the ESA Biomass CCI Project 
• Planning, coordination, and implementation of research activities in vegetation remote sensing with a focus on biomass monitoring 
• Development and application of methods for: 
  • time series analysis
  • forest monitoring
  • satellite data processing
  • integration of reference and satellite datasets
  • cloud computing and big data analytics
• Interpretation, visualisation, and publication of scientific results 
• Presentation of research findings at national and international conferences, workshops, and symposia
• Collaboration with academic partners and international research institutions
• Support and scientific supervision of students, interns, and doctoral researchers
• Contribution to scientific publications, project proposals, and network development within the international Earth observation community

Essential Qualifications:

• A completed Master's degree in Remote Sensing, Geoinformatics, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Computer Science, or a related discipline
• Strong expertise in:
  • remote sensing and Earth observation
  • large-scale/global vegetation monitoring
  • statistical analysis and data science
  • forest biomass and carbon change analysis 
• Experience with processing and integration of remote sensing and reference datasets
• Programming skills in Python and/or R
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Very good written and spoken English skills

Desirable Qualifications:

• Experience with cloud computing environments and big data analytics 
• Knowledge of scientific publishing and interpretation of research results
• Experience in project management and international scientific collaboration is advantageous 

• Ambitious and varied tasks in a dynamic and international research environment
• State-of-the-art equipment
• Public service benefits
• Extensive training opportunities
• Professional career advice offered by our in-house Career-Centre
• Flexible working hours and conditions
• Support with finding a good work-life balance offered by benefit@work
• Institute day-care centre on site
• Working at the Albert Einstein Science Park on the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam
• Workplace within walking distance of Potsdam main train station, or just a short ride on the shuttle bus

As soon as possible

12 months

The position is classed as salary group 13 according to “TVöD Bund ”. The salary group is determined on the basis of the Collective Wage Agreement and the respective personal qualifications.

Full-time (currently 39 h/week); The position is generally suitable for part-time work.

Potsdam

If so, we look forward to receiving your application by

. Please use our online application form only.

motivation letter, CV, cerfificates/grades

Important Technical Note: Currently, email addresses associated with domains such as @hotmail.com, @outlook.com, or @live.de may experience occasional delays or restrictions in receiving messages. To ensure smooth communication during the application process, we recommend using an alternative email address and providing an additional contact method (e.g., a phone number).

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. If you have any further queries regarding gender equality, please do not hesitate to contact our Equal Opportunities Officer.

“Diversity in perspectives” 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.

Data protection information for applicants

In case of any further queries regarding the field of activity, please contact Christin Skala either via email or by phone at +49 331 6264-1191. If you have any general questions about the application process, please contact our recruiting team at our phone number +49 (0) 331-6264-28787.

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.