Environmental / Soil Postdoc (f/m/x) – Modeling of Soil Functions

The UFZ The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) with its 1,100 employees has gained an excellent reputation as an international competence centre for environmental sciences. We are part of the largest scientific organisation in Germany, the Helmholtz association. Our mission: Our research seeks to find a balance between social development and the long-term protection of our natural resources. The job The position in the Soil Modeling working group in the Department Soil System Science should be filled as soon as possible and is currently limited until 31.12.2025. An extension is possible subject to the availability of funds.It will contribute to the development of a systemic soil model to predict the impact of climate change and agricultural soil management on soil functions. This will be done in cooperation with other departments and external partners as part of the current program-oriented research at UFZ. Your tasks You will use a newly developed, systemic soil model to simulate changes in soil functions (productivity, carbon storage, water storage and filtering, nutrient recycling, habitat for biological activity) in response to agricultural soil management and climate change. This will be done in close cooperation with farmers and in connection to long term field experiments. Your modeling tasks will include both retrospective simulations, to demonstrate the validity of model assumptions and the reliability of the results, as well as prospective and explorative simulations to evaluate future scenarios in terms of changes in climate and/or land use. With this, we also expect you to make a significant contribution to the further development of the model. We offer The freedom to master even the most demanding challenges between basic research and practical applicationThe chance to work in interdisciplinary, international teams and benefit from a variety of perspectives Firstclass integration into national and international research networks to work together on global challenges Excellent research infrastructure and research data management to optimally support your work Flexible working hours and a wide range of options for balancing work and care responsibilities through our family office Competent support and advice for international colleagues arriving at the UFZ from the 'International Office' Special annual payment, capital-forming benefits and subsidised Germany Job Ticket A workplace in a vibrant region with a high life quality and social and cultural diversity Your profile PhD in soil science, agricultural science or related disciplineProfound knowledge of soil processes with special focus on either carbon and nutrient dynamics or the interaction of soil biological communities with abiotic soil properties.Experience in modeling natural systemsExperience in analyzing data and statistics with R (or comparable)Ideally programming skills in C++Good communication skills and willingness to work in an interdisciplinary groupExcellent command of English and German