About us:

The unit of Physical Geography and Earth System Interactions at LMU’s Department of Geography investigates the interactions between ecosystems and climate, and how these are altered by the anthropogenic use of land. Our group develops and applies the latest generation of carbon, vegetation and Earth system models and integrates them with observations. The team is strongly involved in large national and international collaborations such as the Global Carbon Project, CMIP, IPCC, CDRterra, several Horizon Europe projects and the national Earth System Modeling Strategy (natESM).

We are looking for you:

Doctoral researcher modeling climate and carbon cycle impacts of forestry strategies (m/f/x)

in Munich

Your tasks and responsibilities:

Climate change is threatening Europe’s forests, making them more susceptible to storms, drought and pests and posing challenges for the timber and forestry industries. At the same time, forests are associated with growing and increasingly diverse demands from society. The project “LabForest’, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, investigates the influence of silvicultural measures in interaction with disturbance events in a “living lab” on the University’s own forest across the disciplines of forestry, hydrology, geography, biology, wood technology and economics. Promising silvicultural measures are advance regeneration, in which young trees are planted under older ones, and leaving deadwood in the forest. LabForest examines these methods in comparison with traditional forestry strategies and assesses the effects on various ecosystem services, biodiversity and economic efficiency. The results will be used in research and teaching and will be passed on to the forestry and timber industry and the public.

YOUR TASKS:

• Parameterize soil and vegetation properties in the land surface model JSBACH to the University Forest site
• Develop and implement a simplified scheme of advance regeneration for JSBACH
• Perform simulations for present and various future climate conditions
• Assess and compare the climate mitigation potentials of alternative management strategies
• Publish results in internationally renowned scientific journals and achieve a doctorate.

Your qualifications:

• M.Sc. degree (or equivalent) in geography, geoecology, physics or another related discipline by the time employment starts,
• good programming skills (such as fortran, python),
• excellent communication skills in English (our working language),
• ability to work independently with a hands-on mentality, team spirit, helpfulness and reliability.
• Training or experience in atmosphere, vegetation or climate modeling is advantageous, but not essential.

Benefits:

• the chance to be part of a dynamic team working at the frontier of climate science.
• A 70% E13 TV-L position, commensurate with work experience, for 36 months starting April 2025 or soon thereafter,
• career development through the LMU qualification program,
• a stimulating working environment at one of Germany’s top-ranked universities, in the vibrant and internationally diverse city of Munich.
• Our institute is located in the centre of Munich with excellent public transport links.

People with disabilities who are equally as qualified as other applicants will receive preferential treatment.

Contact:

Please send an application outlining your fit for the position (including a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, copies of scientific degrees, and the names and contact information of two references) by e-mail (one PDF-attachment with max. 5MB only including all documents) with subject „LabForest-2025“ to climate.jobs@geographie.uni-muenchen.de. Deadline for application is February 24, 2025. For further information please contact Prof. Dr. Julia Pongratz (julia.pongratz@lmu.de) or Dr. Wolfgang Obermeier (wolfgang.obermeier@lmu.de).

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