Student / Academic assistant - Monitoring of wheat development for model parametrization (19 hrs/...

Work group:

IBG-3 - Agrosphäre

Diploma & Master Thesis

At the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences – Agrosphere (IBG-3) we conduct research to improve our understanding of hydrological and biogeochemical processes in terrestrial systems. A combination of experiments, modelling, and innovative observation technologies is used to bridge the gap between model, process, and management scale. Our research contributes to the sustainable and resource- conserving use of soils and water and to the quantification of the effect of climate and land use change on terrestrial ecosystems.The CROP project (Combining ROot contrasted Phenotypes for more resilient agro-ecosystem) aims at estimating the beneficial impact of combining contrasted root phenotypes of wheat within a single field. We aim at evaluating the benefit of the combination on water, carbon and nitrogen flow and cycling on microbial activity, and yield. To achieve this goal, we are using a set of complementary experimental and modelling tools. On the experimental side, we are performing experiments in lab (columns) and field (lysimeters, minirhizotrons) conditions.

Your Job:

We are using isotopic monitoring and labeling techniques to determine the flows of water, carbon, and nitrogen in the system. We are working in collaboration with the University of Hohenheim for in-situ imaging methods (zymography) and molecular techniques to determine microbial activity and abundance.We are looking for a student or academic assistant interested in supporting the work of the PhD student responsible for the plant experiments of the project’s experimental cluster. The main tasks will be to help developing and implementing experimental designs to parametrize a plant growth model. The student helper is also offered the opportunity to be involved in other research projects.Your responsibilities / tasks:

• Conduction and monitoring of laboratory and field experiments (destructive and non-destructive measurements of wheat root and shoot traits, biochemical and physical soil parameters measurements)
• Participation in the development and optimization of established experimental setups
• Participation in the development and optimization of novel non-destructive water and carbon monitoring techniques for wheat plants
• Data analysis

Your Profile:

• You are a bachelor or master student of geo-, environmental, agricultural sciences or comparable tracks
• Good knowledge of English
• Ideally, you already possess basic knowledge of soil and plant sciences
• You are a team-player
• You are willing to participate to field campaigns

Our Offer:

We work on the very latest issues that impact our society and are offering you the chance to actively help in shaping the change! We support you in your work with:

• Possibility for further scientific and technical training
• Possibility to work in autonomy and/or under close supervision, according to the student’s preference
• International work environment
• Active participation in cutting-edge and interdisciplinary research in one of the leading research centers of Germany
• Possibility to conduct and design own experiments
• Salary for housing and cost of living
• The position is initially for a fixed term of 6 months.

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, e.g. in terms of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation / identity, and social, ethnic and religious origin. A diverse and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities in which everyone can realize their potential is important to us.

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.