Friedrich Schiller University is a traditional university with a strong research profile rooted in the heart of Germany. As a university covering all disciplines, it offers a wide range of subjects. Its research is focused on the areas Light—Life—Liberty. It is closely networked with non-research institutions, research companies and renowned cultural institutions. With around 17.000 students and more than 10.000 employees, the university plays a major role in shaping Jena’s character as a cosmopolitan and future-oriented city.

Friedrich Schiller University is a traditional university with a strong research profile rooted in the heart of Germany. As a university covering all disciplines, it offers a wide range of subjects. Its research is focused on the areas Light—Life—Liberty. It is closely networked with non-research institutions, research companies and renowned cultural institutions. With around 18,000 students and more than 8,600 employees, the university plays a major role in shaping Jena’s character as a cosmopolitan and future-oriented city. The German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig explores how biodiversity can be recorded, how it develops in the course of evolution, how it changes, what consequences it has for the functioning of ecosystems and how it can be preserved in the long term. iDiv is jointly funded by the University of Leipzig, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ and will be continued with generous support from the federal states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony after termination of the DFG funding. More information about iDiv: www.idiv.de. The advertised position is based in the research group “Theory in Biodiversity Science” of Prof. Ulrich Brose – the Ecological Networks Lab (EcoNetLab). We seek to fill the position of a

Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) Ecological Networks

commencing on 1 March 2025 or shortly thereafter and limited for 3 years, with the possibility for an extension. This is a full-time position with 40 hours per week; place of work is iDiv in Leipzig.
Ecological Networks Lab (EcoNetLab) is one of the research groups at iDiv (Theory in Biodiversity Science). The research topics covered include (i) describing natural communities by ecological networks comprising the species and their trait-based interactions and (ii) understanding metacommunities as spatial networks of habitat patches linked by animal movement. Thereby, we aim to understand environmental and anthropogenic constraints on biodiversity as well as the consequences of biodiversity change for ecosystem functions. More information on the working group is available at www.idiv.de/econetlab.
Research topic:
Research topics can be chosen within the research fields of ecological networks, predator-prey interactions, animal movement and meta-communities. We are looking for conceptual and mechanistic approaches that generalize across species and ecosystems. Our research in the working group combines models or concepts with experiments and meta-studies, offering a wide range of possible research topics and productive collaborations.

Your responsibilities:

• You develop your own research agenda based on concepts or quantitative models
• You work with ecological databases or published experimental data
• You write scientific papers in internationally peer-reviewed journals
• You present your research at national and international meetings and conferences
• You teach at the Master level and support teaching at the Bachelor level

Your profile:

• PhD degree in biology, ecology, or a similar discipline
• Knowledge of ecological theory and concepts (e.g., metabolic scaling, food webs, animal movement, meta-populations or meta-communities)
• Ability to develop your own research agenda as described in the section “Research topic”
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English

We offer:

• An intellectually stimulating, independent and varied scientific activity with creative opportunities
• An international, English-speaking research environment with regular integrative group activities and a collaborative atmosphere
• A broad scientific network which offers ample opportunities for collaborations within iDiv and beyond
• Participation in our targeted iDiv postdoc programme which offers workshops, coaching, mentoring and networking events on career development for postdocs
• A modern, family-friendly working environment, attractive working conditions (mobile work) and an employer pension scheme
• Remuneration based on the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector of the Federal States (TV-L) up to salary scale E13 depending on the candidate’s personal qualifications, including a special annual payment in accordance with the collective agreement.

Participating Institutions:

This is a full-time position (40 hours per week). In principle, the job is also suitable for part-time employment. The extent to which a part-time request can be granted, in particular with regard to the location and scope of the part-time work, will be assessed on the basis of the needs of the service.
Candidates with severe disabilities will be given preference in the case of equal qualifications and suitability.

Applications should include the following documents:

• A detailed letter of motivation including a rationale (“Why do you apply for this position?”), description of your research interests (“What is driving your interest in ecology?”) and a sketch of a research plan (“What research agenda would you like to pursue?”)
• A curriculum vitae
• A copy of your master`s and doctoral certificate
• The contact details of two academic references
• A list of your publications