Job Description

Place of work


Leipzig, Mobile working is possible.
Working time


65%
Contract limitations


limited contract / 3 years
Salary


Remuneration according to the TVöD public-sector up to pay grade 13 including attractive public-sector social security benefits.
Contact

Your contact for any questions you may have about the job:

emanuele.bevacqua@ufz.de


Your application


Please submit your application via our online portal with your cover letter, CV (please omit your

photo

, age, or marital status) and relevant attachments.


Diversity and Inclusion


The UFZ has a strong commitment to

diversity

and actively supports

equal opportunities

for all employees regardless of their origin, religion, ideology, disability, age or sexual identity.


We look forward to applications from people who are open-minded and enjoy working in diverse teams.


The UFZ


The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) with its 1,100 employees has gained an excellent reputation as an international competence centre for environmental sciences. We are part of the largest scientific organisation in Germany, the Helmholtz association. Our mission: Our research seeks to find a balance between social development and the long-term protection of our natural resources.


The job


We are looking for a PhD candidate for the interdisciplinary PhD Cohort SEESAW (Societal and environmental impacts of complex extremes in a changing world). The cohort aims to understand the impacts of hydroclimatic extremes with a focus on droughts and transitions from drought to floods by combining unique large-scale datasets of hydrometeorological observations, remote sensing, climate simulations and newspaper-based impacts.


Your tasks


The candidate will employ novel factual and counterfactual climate model simulations to assess the role of climate change and physical drivers in high-impact compound events related to droughts. The focus will be on attributing recent extreme events – such as widespread, long-lasting droughts, with consequences for crop production – to human-induced climate change. The events will be studied by implementing a storyline approach via running the CESM2 climate model in collaboration with Leipzig University partners (other models will be considered as well). By combining climate model output, the candidate will also assess how observed extreme events may unfold in a warmer, future climate. The candidate is also expected to interact with other PhD candidates of the SEESAW cohort to select extreme events and link hazard and impact perspectives together to improve our understading of high-impact events, supporting better preparedness to complex hydroclimatic extremes in a changing climate.


We offer


Excellent supervision and optimal professional and interdisciplinary qualification through our HIGRADE graduate programme The freedom to master even the most demanding challenges between basic research and practical application The opportunity to work in interdisciplinary, international teams and benefit from a wide range of perspectives Firstclass integration into national and international research networks to work together on global challenges Excellent research infrastructure and research data management to optimally support your work A wide range of options for balancing care responsibilities and work through our family office Competent support and advice for international colleagues arriving at the UFZ from the ‘International Office’ Special annual payment, capital-forming benefits and subsidised Deutschland-Job-Ticket A workplace in a vibrant region with a high life quality and social and cultural diversity

Your profile


A master degree in Physics, Data Science, Meteorology, Environmental Science, Earth System and Climate Sciences, Mathematics, or related fields. Curiosity, self-motivation, and enthusiasm for innovative scientific research. Programming skills (Python, R, bash, or alternatives) or willingness to learn. Proficient English skills Analytical skills and capability to think “out-of-the box”. Experience in working with climate data. Experience with atmospheric physics or interest in understanding physical processes that cause weather/climate extremes. Experience with supercomputers or at least Linux systems and handling large datasets is advantageous.

Application deadline: 28.11.2025


More information about jobs at the UFZ:

www.ufz.de/career
# LinkedIn @UFZ

# Family Support

# International Office

# Accessibility

# Diversity, Equity & Inclusion