At the University of Greifswald’s Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, there is a job vacancy in Prof. Dr. Juergen Kreyling’s “Experimental Plant Ecology” working group in the externally funded project “ArtINMin”, expected to be available from 1 March 2026, subject to budgetary regulations, for a full-time
(Postdoctoral) Research Associate.
The fixed-term contract is limited until 29 February 2028. The position is suitable for part-time employment. Payment will be made according to pay group 13 TV-L Wissenschaft.
The interdisciplinary joint project ‘ArtINMin – Long-Term Nitrogen Monitoring’ is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space within the WIR! Alliance ArtIFARM. The overall project goal is to develop a fertiliser monitoring system that records the influence of weather, soil cultivation and soil depth on the nitrate content in the soil throughout the entire vegetation cycle.
The position advertised here belongs to sub-project 2, ‘Monitoring Arable Land,’ and is intended to support the development of requirements for the measurement system and the formulation of a measurement and evaluation concept. The key to this is the planning and setting up of a mesocosm experiment with precisely defined nutrient contents in the soil substrates, in which the sensor technology can be tested, as well as the continuous monitoring of the mesocosms with regard to plant growth (e.g. with the aid of minirhizotrons).
Tasks:
- Support in identifying the requirements for the measurement system and selecting suitable sensor technology for analysis in the soil
- Planning and production of soil and later on soil-plant systems with precisely known and varying nitrogen availability in mesocosms
- Automation of the recording of plant growth and relevant environmental conditions
- Transfer of results and setting up of a field experiment
- Writing of scientific publications
Requirements:
We are looking for highly motivated candidates with above-average qualifications, enthusiasm for and experience in research, and a willingness to actively participate in an interdisciplinary project.
Successful candidates have:
- M.Sc. degree (or equivalent) in biology, ecology, agriculture, biomathematics, computer science, or similar by the time employment starts, a successfully completed doctorate in a related subject will be seen as an advantage
- Solid knowledge of plant ecology
- Expertise in computer science, especially automated microcontroller programming
- Experience in ecological research in controlled experiments and in the field, including the use of measurement technology, especially minirhizotrons, soil temperature and water content
- Experience and expertise in database management and software automation
- Experience with statistical analysis of experimental data, preferably in R
- Excellent English language skills
- Motivation to play an active role in an interdisciplinary research and teaching environment
- Class B driving licence
This vacancy is open to all persons, irrespective of gender. Severely disabled applicants with the same qualifications will be considered with preference.
In accordance with § 68(3) PersVG M-V, the Staff Council will only be involved in staff matters of the academic or artistic staff on request.
Unfortunately, application costs (e.g. travel expenses for interviews) will not be reimbursed by the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Please note that by submitting your application, you provide your consent pursuant to data protection law for our processing of your application data. Further information about the legal bases and the use of your data can be found here.
Applications comprising all usual documents must be sent with reference to the job advertisement number 25/Wi33 by 15 December 2025, preferably via email (one PDF file), to:
Universität Greifswald
Institut für Botanik und Landschaftsökologie
Experimentelle Pflanzenökologie
Herrn Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kreyling
Soldmannstr. 15
17489 Greifswald