25/2026 Research Assistant with the goal of a doctorate (f/m/d)

Vacancy

Our Mission: Discovering and describing life and earth - with people, through dialogue.

The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN) is an excellent and integrated research museum of the Leibniz Association with an international reputation and globally networked research infrastructure. It is active in three closely interlinked fields: collection-based research, collection development and cataloguing, and research-based public and educational work. Over the next ten years, the Museum für Naturkunde will realise its plan for the future. New laboratories and jobs for cutting‑edge research will be created. At the same time, one of the world's most comprehensive natural history collections with over 30 million objects will be housed in modern collection buildings and completely digitised in the process. The implementation of the Future Plan, funded with a total of 660 million euros from the Federal Government and the State of Berlin, will only succeed with strong interdisciplinary national and international partners.

Become part of our team as

• Position: Research Assistant with the goal of a doctorate (f/m/d)
• Work schedule: part-time 75 %
• Duration: starting as soon as possible for a period of 36 months; third‑party funding
• Salary Level: E 13 TV‑L
• Code: 25/2026

Project Description

Conduct scientific research tasks within the DFG project: "Macroevolutionary patterns in Avialae (Dinosauria: Theropoda)" under the supervision of Dr Christian Foth. The aim of this project is to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of Avialae during the Mesozoic and early Cenozoic as foundation for subsequent macroevolutionary analyses of different character complexes exploring their role for the evolution of flight and the survival of the K‑Pg mass extinction.

Your tasks

• Scientific investigation of the phylogenetic relationships of crown birds and their stem‑line representatives (non‑avian theropods)
• Collection and documentation of morphological, developmental and ecological data
• Application and adaptation of various scientific/statistical methods (e.g., phylogenetic analyses, phylogenetic regression methods, principal component analysis, disparity and rate analyses) and protocols
• Scientific analysis and synthesis of the collected data
• Independent publication of research results in peer‑reviewed journals
• Presentation of results at international conferences

Your profile

• Completed university degree (M.Sc.) in Biology or Geology/Palaeontology
• Expertise in the fields of (1) palaeontology/zoology of reptiles, (2) evolution, and (3) phylogeny/cladistic
• Basic knowledge of statistics
• Knowledge and experience in developing and conducting independent research projects
• Excellent English language skills
• High level of self‑motivation, independent work, ability to work in a team, and interdisciplinary communication skills
• Knowledge of publishing scientific papers in the life or geosciences and the guidelines of good scientific practice
• Basic computer skills in text and image processing (Word, Excel)
• Experience with phylogenetic analyses and software such TNT, Mesquite
• Experience with statistical analysis programs such as R
• Experience with image editing and processing programs such as ImageJ and Photoshop
• Experience with handling CT data and 3D reconstructions

We offer you

• Exciting working environment in an attractive research museum with varied tasks in a dynamic and future‑orientated market
• Very good public transport connections in the centre of Berlin
• Extensive further training opportunities on a personal and professional level
• Flexible working hours and a wide range of options for balancing work and family life (e.g. flexi‑time or individual part‑time models)
• Depending on the job, mobile working is possible for up to 60% of individual working hours
• Remuneration according to TV‑L with company pension scheme (VBL), special annual payment and capital‑forming benefits
• Employer subsidy for the “VBB Firmenticket” (company ticket) or “Deutschlandticket Job” (Germany ticket job)
• Employee events, company health management and German and English language courses
• 30 days’ holiday plus 24 December and 31 December off

Special Notes

In support of equal rights applications from qualified women are particularly welcome. Handicapped individuals will be given preference in cases of identical qualifications.

We look forward to receiving your application with the usual documents (cover letter, curriculum vitae, certificates) by , preferably via our online application portal.

For information on the application procedure, please contact

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