Land surface modeler in PeTCaT – Rapid Permafrost Thaw Carbon Trajectories

European Geosciences Union (EGU) Hamburg

Stellenbeschreibung:

Overview

Position: Land surface modeler in PeTCaT – Rapid Permafrost Thaw Carbon Trajectories
Employer: University of Hamburg, Department of Earth System Sciences
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Sector: Academic
Type: Full time
Level: Experienced
Salary: Open
Required education: PhD
Application deadline: 28 February 2026
Posted: 4 February 2026
Job Description: We are looking for a PostDoc working in the project “PeTCaT – Rapid Permafrost Thaw Carbon Trajectories”, a large, international consortium project funded by Schmidt Sciences. The PostDoc position will be part of the working group “Dynamics of Soil Processes” at the University of Hamburg. PeTCaT aims at closing key knowledge gaps and at reducing uncertainties in arctic components of the carbon cycle. PeTCaT will quantify and project the development of rapid thaw processes on a panarctic scale and address their impact on greenhouse gas production and release. The project aims at understanding permafrost vulnerability and carbon budgets at a global scale. The work will be conducted in close cooperation with the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Potsdam, and international project partners in Canada, USA, Sweden and the Netherlands. At the University of Hamburg, the PostDoc will work in a team consisting of senior scientists, PostDocs, PhD students and technicians.

Responsibilities

The research associate will contribute to work package 6 “Modeling of Carbon-Climate Feedback”. The PostDoc will join a group of ICON-Land developers and will concentrate on modeling rapid thaw processes, such as retrogressive thaw slumps in permafrost-affected ecosystems. The research associate is expected to collaborate closely with team members and project partners. Scientific results have to be presented in scientific meetings and conferences as well as through publications in scientific journals. We expect the candidate to be able to independently design scientific experiments. The PostDoc may also be involved in student supervision if desired. Applicants must have very good English language skills in speaking and writing.