Postdoc – Impact of newly designed biochars on plant performance and plant-mediated soil aggregation to improve agricultural soils

Your Job:

• Installation and operation of soil-based micro- and macrocosms in the greenhouse to study plant performance and plant-soil interactions
• Establishment of a workflow to analyse the impact of newly designed biochars on plant biomass quality, soil aggregate structure and plant-mediated aggregation via rhizodeposition
• Analyses and critical interpretation of results and their dissemination at scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed publications
• Collaboration within and contribution to the BioSc funded project “New Biochars for the Improvement of Agricultural Soils”
• Supervision of Master and PhD students

Your Profile:

• Completed master`s degree and PhD in plant sciences, horticulture, agronomy, soil science or a comparable field of study and a strong interest in plant-soil interactions
• Experience with greenhouse experiments, plant phenotyping and statistics skills are essential
• Experience with one or more of the following topics is of advantage: plant exudation, plant nutrition, plant polysaccharide biochemistry, soil aggregate formation, stable isotope labeling, biochars
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in an international and interdisciplinary team
• Excellent English communication and writing skills

Our Offer:

We work on the very latest issues that impact our society and are offering you the chance to actively help in shaping the change! We support you in your work with:

• A unique, interdisciplinary working environment in which an excellent infrastructure and state-of-the-art techniques are developed and applied to meet the major challenges of plant production in changing environments
• Attractive research campus, conveniently located in the Cologne-Düsseldorf-Aachen triangle of cities
• Comprehensive training courses and individual opportunities to support personal and professional development
• Targeted services for international employees, e.g. through our International Advisory Service
• Flexible working hours in a full-time position with the option of slightly reduced working hours
• 30 days of annual leave and provision for days off between public holidays and weekends (e.g. between Christmas and New Year)

We offer you an exciting and varied role in an international and interdisciplinary working environment. The position is limited until 30.06.2025, with possible long-term prospects. Salary and social benefits will conform to the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Public Service (TVöD-Bund), pay group 13, depending on the applicant’s qualifications and the precise nature of the tasks assigned to them.

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, e.g. in terms of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation / identity, and social, ethnic and religious origin. A diverse and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities in which everyone can realize their potential is important to us.