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
We are looking for a PhD candidate for the interdisciplinary PhD Cohort SEESAW (Societal and environmental impacts of complex extremes in a changing world). The cohort aims to understand the impacts of hydroclimatic extremes with particular focus on long-lasting droughts and transitions from drought to floods by combining unique large-scale datasets of hydrometeorological observations, remote sensing, climate simulations and newspaper-based impacts.
Your tasks
The candidate will focus on identifying regions in Germany disproportionately affected by floods and droughts, with a particular emphasis on their reported impacts across multiple sectors, such as agriculture, forestry, energy, and recreation. The candidate will further develop existing impact datasets (see Sodoge et al., 2023 Weather and Climate Extremes) derived from the application of natural language processing to over 280 million newspaper articles. A core aspect of the role is to investigate the interactions between the drought and flood impacts. A data-driven approach will be used to identify spatio-temporal clusters and hotspot areas for adaptation.
The candidate is also expected to interact with other PhD candidates of the SEESAW cohort to select extreme events and link hazard and impact perspectives together to improve our preparedness for complex hydroclimatic extremes in a changing climate.
We offer
- Excellent supervision and optimal professional and interdisciplinary qualification through our HIGRADE graduate programme
- The freedom to master even the most demanding challenges between basic research and practical application
- The opportunity to work in interdisciplinary, international teams and benefit from a wide range 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
- A wide range of options for balancing care responsibilities and work 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 Deutschland-Job-Ticket
- A workplace in a vibrant region with a high life quality and social and cultural diversity
Your profile
- Master’s degree in Geography, quantitative Sociology, Computational Social Sciences, Earth System and Climate Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Digital humanities or similar
- Programming skills (Python, R or alternatives) or willingness to learn
- Proficient English skills
- Experience with NLP is an advantage
- Familiarity with spatio-temporal data analysis is a plus
- Curiosity, self-motivation, and enthusiasm for innovative research
- Motivation to work in a closely integrated international and interdisciplinary team
Place of work
Leipzig
Working time
65% (25.35 h / week)
Contract limitations
limited contract / 36 months
Salary
Remuneration according to the TVöD public-sector up to pay grade 13 including attractive public-sector social security benefits.
Contact
Your contact for any questions you may have about the job:
Mariana Madruga de Brito
mariana.brito@ufz.de
Your application
Please submit your application via our online portal with your cover letter, CV (please omit your photo, age, or marital status) and relevant attachments.
Diversity and Inclusion
The UFZ has a strong commitment to diversity and actively supports equal opportunities for all employees regardless of their origin, religion, ideology, disability, age or sexual identity.
We look forward to applications from people who are open-minded and enjoy working in diverse teams.
