Postdoc Position at University of Potsdam, Germany – Open topic in Earth and Environmental sciences

The Research Focus of Earth Sciences (RFES) at the University of Potsdam is seeking to fill the position of an Academic Staff member/ Postdoctoral researcher with an own/ open research topic. The position is available on the base of a full-time employment (40-hour work week – 100 %) and is limited to a duration of two years. Employment could start on October 1, 2016. The salary is determined by the collective bargaining agreement for public employees in Germany (TV-L 13 Ost). This is a temporary position limited to a term of 24 months in accordance with Section 2 §1 of the Academic Fixed-Term Contract Law (WissZeitVG).

With its initiative, the RFES is stepping up its efforts to promote young scholars and recruit excellent research fellows. Successful candidates will be invited to work within the vibrant research environment at the RFES in Potsdam-Golm, with access to research facilities both at the university and at neighboring research institutes in the Potsdam-Berlin region. Primarily, the position provides support to compete for external early-career research grants (e.g., the Emmy-Noether program of the German Science Foundation, ERC, S. Kovaleskaya program of the A. v. Humboldt Foundation) and to establish an independent research group at the University of Potsdam.

Applicants must hold a PhD degree in Earth and/or Environmental Sciences or associated fields. Applicants should have independent research experience after their PhD. Experience in different research environments is welcomed. Applications should be submitted via email to: earthscience@uni-potsdam.de . Applications should include a 4-page proposal for a research topic to be developed, a CV, a list of publications, and names of two referees. Application should send their application via email, including the requisition number 121/2016, by 30.06.2016 at the latest to earthscience@uni-potsdam.de.

Key selection criteria are the quality of the proposal, its innovative potential, and its likely contribution to the state of knowledge in Earth and Environmental Sciences. We welcome applicants whose work may link to one or more research groups at the University’s Research Focus of Earth Sciences. A further criterion includes an excellent publication record.

The University of Potsdam is a national and international center of innovation, teaching, and technology transfer. The University of Potsdam’s Earth Sciences are among the premier strategic areas of research, where more than 20 research groups address topics spanning changes of Earth’s surface, climate impacts, and deep-seated processes in the planet’s interior. Building on Potsdam’s 150-year-long tradition of cutting-edge research in the Earth Sciences, the university recently formed the Research Focus on Earth Sciences (RFES), which closely collaborates with extramural research institutions in the region. This partnership has helped to create new opportunities for supporting students and junior researchers.