Postdoc (m/f/d) for a collaborative project

The Institute of coastal research at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht hosts a number of highly motivated and experienced researchers in the broad field of coastal research. Our research focus lies on numerical modelling of coastal processes with specific expertise in modelling of atmosphere and marine biogeochemistry and interactions between different environmental compartments on regional and coastal scales. At Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht we develop numerical models with the aim to determine the past and current state of the environment and to identify the major drivers for future changes in the system.

The working group for Matter Transport and Ecosystem Dynamics at the Department of System Analysis and Modelling invites applications for a postdoc position in the frame of a collaborative project between HZG and The Alfred-Wegener-Institut Sylt. The position is initially limited to 36 months.

The aim of the project is to investigate climate-induced variations in food web structures of the coastal North Sea to explain observed changes from a pelagic to a benthos-dominated shallow water system in warmer winters using a combination of long-term observations, experimental work and modelling with the GCOAST model system and data-driven modelling. The successful applicant will therein focus i) on the analysis of long-term observational and modelling datasets, assess their consistency and identify long-term variations in the coastal North Sea biogeochemistry and foodweb; ii) on model developments and applications required to address underlying processes related to the observed changes. Here we specifically aim to couple conceptually different marine ecosystem modelling approaches into an End-to-End ecosystem model framework within the HZG model system GCOAST. While the main working place is the HZG in Geesthacht, the willingness to spend 6 month in total as a visiting scientist at the AWI Sylt is mandatory to ensure a constructive collaboration between the project partners.

Your tasks:
• data analysis: Assess and explore existing long-term simulations and observations to identify decadal and multi-decadal changes in the hydrodynamics, biogeochemistry and identify the climate drivers using advanced statistical methods
• model development: Couple conceptually different species-specific and functional group model approaches into an End-to-End Model framework and employ simulations to explore the climate sensitivity of trophic coupling and ecosystem structure
• work as an integrative part of a motivated multidisciplinary team within the institute and external academic partners
• write scientific publications in peer reviewed journals
• presentation of results at meetings and international conferences

Your profile:
• PhD in oceanography, geosciences, marine biology, environmental sciences or related disciplines
• experience in Data analysis using statistical methods
• expert knowledge on marine ecosystem modelling
• expert knowledge in physical-biological model coupling (knowledge of FABM would be an advantage)
• interest in physical-biogeochemical process interactions in the marine realm
• knowledge in scientific programming with FORTRAN and related analysing programming languages (e.g. MATLAB, R, Python)
• very good knowledge of English (written and oral)
• good communication skills and ability to work in an interdisciplinary team of various fields of geosciences.

We offer you:
• multinational work environment with over 1,000 colleagues from more than 50 nations
• extensive options of vocational training (i. a. expert seminars, language courses or leadership seminars)
• flexible working hours and various models to ensure the compatibility of family and career
• excellent infrastructure, including a scientific in-house library as well as modern work spaces
• an appropriate salary related to the German public tariff (TV-AVH) plus the usual social benefits for the public employment sector.

The promotion of equal rights is a matter of course for us. Severely disabled persons and those equaling severely disabled persons who are equally suitable for the position will be considered preferentially within the framework of legal requirements.

Interested? Then we are looking forward to receiving your comprehensive application documents (cover letter, CV, transcripts, certificates etc.) indicating the reference number 2020/KS 5. Closing date 01.11.2020