Phd position in forestry

A part-time position (65% of regular weekly working hours) is available. The position is limited until August 31, 2029.

The position is contingent upon project approval. It serves as a doctoral position for early-career researchers within the framework of the third-party funded project ”  VitalChange – Vitality-Promoting Mixed Forest Management of Beech and Pine under the Influence of Climate Change ,” supported by the Agency for Sustainable Resources (fnr). The project aims to analyze the decline in the vitality of beech and pine in monocultures and mixed stands along a moisture gradient. Multiple tree-ring-based variables will be used to comprehensively and retrospectively assess the decline in tree vitality. The following research questions will be addressed:
1) Do mixed stands of beech and pine exhibit higher tree vitality under the influence of frequent and extreme droughts and combined climate events in the recent past compared to the corresponding monocultures?
2) Up to which threshold values ​​of extreme climatic conditions does the advantage for tree vitality increase for this specific tree species mixture according to the stress gradient hypothesis? 
3) Does the favored tree species change with regard to vitality depending on site conditions, and is there a transition range in which mutualism with regard to vitality can be expected? 
Furthermore, the project will investigate whether and how the current vitality status can be quickly and comprehensively quantified using modern methods. For this purpose, trees will be recorded with a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) at the time of core extraction, and the current vitality status determined via the tree rings will be correlated with parameters from point clouds.

A successfully completed Master’s degree in Forestry or related fields is a prerequisite for participation.
 
The tasks include

• Identification of research holdings in Germany
• Fieldwork for core sampling and laser scanning
• Preparation and measurement of the extracted drill cores
• Evaluation of the acquired laser scans
• statistical analyses of the research data
• Writing scientific publications

Additional requirements

• Excellent German and English skills, both spoken and written.
• Willingness to spend extended periods in the field
• Driving licence class B in Germany
• Basic knowledge of terrestrial laser scanning
• Basic knowledge in tree-ring research
• Basic knowledge of R
• good communication skills

Please submit your application documents as a  single PDF file.

The University of Göttingen aims to increase the proportion of women in areas where they are underrepresented and therefore strongly encourages qualified women to apply. It is also committed to being a family-friendly university and promotes the compatibility of academic/professional life and family. The university is particularly dedicated to the professional inclusion of employees with severe disabilities and therefore welcomes applications from people with severe disabilities. In cases of equal qualifications, applications from people with severe disabilities will be given preference. Any disability or equivalent status should be included in the application to ensure the applicant’s interests are protected. Please  submit

your application, including all relevant documents, by August 23, 2026, exclusively via the application portal : http://obp.uni-goettingen.de/de-de/OBF/Index/76617 For further information, please contact Mr. Lars Sprengel, email: lars.sprengel@uni-goettingen.de, phone: +49 551 3923644.

Please note:
Submitting your application constitutes your consent to the processing of your application data by us, in accordance with data protection regulations. Further details regarding the legal basis and data usage can be found in the information sheet on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).