Research Associate (Postdoc) in Animal Network Ecology § 28 Subsection 2 HmbHG, University of Hamburg, Germany, Europe

Last Date: 05.01.2024.

Your responsibilities

Duties include teaching and research in the respective department or institute. Research associates may also pursue independent research and further academic qualifications as well as acquire teaching experience. These duties are intended to promote academic achievement. Therefore, at least one-third of set working hours will be made available for the associate’s own academic work.

You will perform your own research within the area of ecology, develop own projects, apply for research funding and publish in high quality journals. You will contribute to lab research in the area of animal biodiversity, species interactions and global change, develop collaborations within the team and beyond, (co)supervise students and PhD theses. You will be an active part of scientific life in the lab (seminars, retreats, journal club, etc.) and beyond (workshops, conferences, etc.), and help establish high scientific standards (open science, lab culture, efficient procedures, etc.).

You will teach in BSc and MSc programs in Biology with a total duty of 4 LVS (teaching hours) in the initial term. Part of the teaching duty has to be fulfilled by teaching the fundamentals of zoology (animal biodiversity, morphology, field trips, etc.) in German language, but there is also freedom to develop specialized courses according to your own preferences.

Your profile

A university degree in a relevant subject plus doctorate.

Further essentials:

you are enthusiastic about ecological research and your research focus involves insects (or other animals) and/or modeling of biotic interactions, ideally in a food web/network context
strong quantitative skills (at least good command of statistics in a coding based language)
ability to teach (practical) zoology, which requires at least basic knowledge of German
experience in scientific publishing: at least one first author paper published (or accepted) in a high-quality peer-reviewed journal, and more papers (as first or co-author) submitted or published
strong writing and communication skills
open-minded, critically thinking and quality-oriented attitude

Optional assets:

strong taxonomic knowledge of an arthropod group or good overview of arthropod identification
good knowledge of German Flora

We offer

Reliable remuneration based on wage agreements
Continuing education opportunities
University pensions
Attractive location
Flexible working hours
Work-life balance opportunities
Health management
Educational leave
30 days of vacation per annum

The new Lab of Animal Network Ecology, led by Prof. Dr. Jochen Fründ, investigates dynamic species interaction networks by combining field experiments, observational studies, data synthesis and modeling. We focus on mutualistic and antagonistic interactions of insects with other organisms, and are particularly interested in temporal dynamics (timing, rewiring) on different time scales. It is an exciting time to join the lab, as there is a lot of freedom for shaping the lab‘s research, supported by excellent resources in the beautiful location in the botanical garden in Klein Flottbek, and great opportunities to establish further collaborations in the dynamic research environment of Universität Hamburg and the LIB (Leibniz Center for Analysis of Biodiversity Change).

Universität Hamburg—University of Excellence is one of the strongest research educational institutions in Germany. Our work in research, teaching, educational and knowledge exchange activities is fostering the next generation of responsible global citizens ready to tackle the global challenges facing us. Our guiding principle “Innovating and Cooperating for a Sustainable Future” drives collaboration with academic and nonacademic partner institutions in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and around the world. We would like to invite you to be part of our community to work with us in creating sustainable and digital change for a dynamic and pluralist society.

Severely disabled and disabled applicants with the same status will receive preference over equally qualified non-disabled applicants.