Research Scientist (f_m_x) - Seismology

Area of research

Scientific / postdoctoral posts

Job description

GFZ is Germany's national centre for solid Earth research. We advance the understanding of dynamic processes to address global challenges, from mitigating the impacts of natural hazards and sustaining our habitat amid global change to responsibly managing georesources. We are part of the Helmholtz Association, the largest German scientific organisation. With around 1,200 employees as well as ca. 500 guest researchers, we contribute to the Helmholtz Research Field Earth and Environment, aligning cutting‑edge research with societal relevance and international collaboration. Our work integrates multidisciplinary studies across Earth's system components, leveraging advanced technologies and infrastructure to research solutions and to transfer our knowledge to society. We are doing this in line with our vision: “Taking the pulse of our Earth to safeguard a habitable planet”.

For section 2.1 "Physics of Earthquakes and Volcanoes" (department "Geophysics"), we are looking for a: Reference Number 11320

We are interested in the physical relationship between magmatic/volcanic processes and earthquakes, and in the transport of crustal fluids to better understand seismicity, earthquake swarms, and the degassing of mantle‑derived CO₂. In the context of the Czech‑German INTERREG cross‑border project "Sustainable Trans‑Border Geothermal Development and Geohazards Monitoring" – "TransGeo", we are looking for a research scientist with experience in seismic data acquisition, automatic processing of large waveform datasets, and waveform‑based analysis of earthquake sources towards geological structural analysis for deep geothermal prospection.

During the project, we will conduct high‑precision seismicity studies to identify active faults and potential zones for geothermal exploration. Our university partners will complement this passive seismic imaging by carrying out a high‑resolution reflection seismic experiment. Throughout these efforts, outreach activities and close contact with local stakeholders and the population remain important components of the project.

Your responsibilities

• Contribution to the maintenance, installation and processing of a Large‑N seismic network, including data and metadata quality control
• Participation in regular consortium and working group meetings
• Preparation, co‑coordination and participation in public science events to inform the locals about the geology and the project, including the preparation of information materials
• Participation in active and passive seismic field experiments
• Development and testing of a real‑time local seismic catalogue for the Czech‑German border region, and integration of the seismicity results with geophysical imaging results from partners
• Publishing results as a joint effort in the team in a peer‑reviewed journal
• Presenting results at conferences and preparing draft versions of interim and final reports

About you

Essential qualifications:

• A MSc and a PhD in Earth Science, with a focus on seismology and geophysics
• Solid geophysical and seismological background
• Experiences with local earthquake analysis
• Documented experience in research and a convincing and strong publication record
• Experience in working and conducting third‑party projects
• Experience with seismological fieldwork and fieldwork coordination
• Good knowledge of multi‑language programming, including Python
• Documented experiences in continuous multichannel waveform data processing
• Familiar with seismology toolboxes (e.g., Pyrocko, ObsPy) and visualisation tools (e.g., GMT, ParaView, QGIS)
• Good written and oral skills in English

• Experience with Grond and Fomosto (Pyrocko)
• Driver license
• Multi‑lingual

What we offer

• Ambitious and varied tasks in a dynamic and international research environment
• State‑of‑the‑art equipment
• Public service benefits
• Extensive training opportunities
• Professional career advice offered by our in‑house Career‑Centre
• Flexible working hours and conditions
• Support with finding a good work‑life balance offered by
• Institute day‑care centre on site

Start date

1st October 2026

Fixed‑term

24 months

Salary

Classed as salary group 13 according to “TVöD Bund”. The salary group is determined on the basis of the Collective Wage Agreement and the respective personal qualifications.

Working hours

Full‑time (currently 39 h/week); the position is generally suitable for part‑time work.

Place of work

Potsdam

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The GFZ actively promotes diversity and explicitly welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of ethnic and social origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation and identity, religion/belief, age and physical characteristics. We also promote an inclusive working environment in which everyone can fully develop their own talents. Anyone who has been recognised as severely disabled will be given preferential consideration in the event of equal suitability and qualification in accordance with the provisions of the German Social Code IX. If you have any further queries regarding gender equality, please do not hesitate to contact our Equal Opportunities Officer.

“Diversity in perspectives” is one of GFZ's core values. As an integral part of supporting diversity at our centre, we actively promote women in science and in leadership positions. We, among others, do this through our gender equality plan and the cascade model measures, which we actively implement to enable sustainable equal opportunities in academic career paths. The GFZ thus committedly strives for gender equality in science, including in leadership positions, and strongly encourages women to apply.