PhD position (m/f/d)

The Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN) is a member of the Leibniz Association and is based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. SGN conducts natural history research with almost 800 employees and research institutions in six federal states. Within SGN, the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F) explores the interactions between biodiversity, climate, and society.

Senckenberg BiK-F invites applications for a

PhD position (m/f/d)

in “Seed dispersal and plant regeneration”

We are seeking a candidate (m/f/d) with a strong background in tropical ecology and a keen interest in studying seed dispersal by birds and plant regeneration. The position is part of the DFG Research Unit 2730 „Environmental changes in biodiversity hotspot ecosystems of South Ecuador: Response and feedback effects”.

You will record seed rain, measure plant functional traits and conduct seed-sowing experiments to investigate plant regeneration in tropical dry and mountain rain forests in Southern Ecuador. You will join an international and dynamic working environment at SBiK-F and form part of a large collaborative research team (www.tropicalmountainforest.org ). The position involves extended stays and independent field work in Southern Ecuador and will be conducted in collaboration with another PhD student. It also comprises strong quantitative components, e.g., analyses of functional diversity and contributions to parameterizing a dynamic vegetation model.

Position requirements

• Master degree in Ecology or a related field
• Strong quantitative skills and programming skills in R
• Experience with field work in remote and/or tropical areas
• Ability to work under physically demanding conditions
• Strong interest in the analyses of functional traits and plant regeneration
• Prior taxonomic knowledge of Neotropical plants and birds is beneficial
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, basic skills in Spanish are advantageous

Salary and benefits are according to a public service position in Germany (TV-H E 13, 65% part- time position). The contract should start on February 1st 2022 and will be restricted to 3 years. SGN supports equal opportunity of men and women and therefore strongly invites women to apply.

Equally qualified handicapped applicants will be given preference. The place of employment will be Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The employer is the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung.

You would like to apply?

Please include the reference to this position (ref.#11-21021) in the subject line and include a cover letter describing your motivation to apply, a detailed CV, full credentials/certificates (including a full transcript of records of your MSc degree) and contact details of two academic references, as well as a copy of your most important publication and/or a summary of your Master thesis.

Please submit your application by 24October 2021 via e-mail as a single PDF file to:

Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung

Senckenberganlage 25

60325 Frankfurt

E-Mail: recruiting(at)senckenberg.de

www.senckenberg.de