PhD position in Marine Biogeochemical Modelling

PhD position in Marine Biogeochemical Modelling

Employer

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel is a foundation under public law jointly financed by the Federal Republic of Germany (90%) and the State of Schleswig-Holstein (10%). It is one of the internationally leading institutions in the field of marine research.

The position is available for a funding period of 3 years. The salary depends on qualification and could be up to the class 13 TVöD-Bund of the German tariff for public employees. This is a part‑time position according to 75 % of a full‑time equivalent.

Preferred education

Master

19 April 2026

Posted

17 March 2026

Job description

In the frame of the Synergy Project WHIRLS funded by the European Research Council (ERC), the research unit Ocean Dynamics of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel offers a 3‑year PhD position in marine biogeochemical modelling. WHIRLS researches the role of ocean fine‑scale processes on climate and ecosystems. The focus is on the Agulhas Current System around South Africa as a global hotspot of eddy activity, ocean‑atmosphere heat exchange, and marine productivity. WHIRLS consists of 4 partners in France, Sweden, South Africa, and Germany.

The candidate will contribute to the numerical modelling, the analysis, and the interpretation of marine biogeochemistry model simulations based on NEMO. The main emphasis is on the role of the (sub)mesoscale dynamics in biogeochemical processes in the Agulhas region in the context of a changing climate. Fine‑scale ocean processes alter nutrient and oxygen fluxes and budgets, shape ocean productivity, and modulate the ocean’s ability to absorb and store carbon, with significant climate implications. The PhD candidate will investigate these processes with a range of global ocean biogeochemistry model configurations with enhanced horizontal resolution in the Agulhas region. The precise scientific and methodological focus of the project will be developed jointly with the PhD candidate, depending on scientific interests and strengths. The candidate will work in a team of scientists and numerical modellers at GEOMAR, also in the framework of international collaborators within WHIRLS.

Qualifications

Required:

• Completed master studies in oceanography, marine sciences, climate science, or another related field
• Experience in the analysis of data sets using programming languages (e.g. Python)
• Very good command of English (oral and written)

Additional skills and experiences that are advantageous:

• Experience in ocean dynamics
• Experience in ocean and/or biogeochemical modellingExperience in programming (e.g. FORTRAN)
• Experience in the analysis of large data sets and/or the development of diagnostics
• Ability to work in a team, open‑mindedness, and scientific creativity

Please send your application not later than 19 th April 2026