Research Associate position – Phenotyping of Paludiculture Plants

The Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology , Experimental Plant Ecology Research Group, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Greifswald, is seeking to fill a full-time position, subject to funding approval, starting October 1, 2026 , and limited to a term ending June 30, 2031 .

Research Associate – Phenotyping of Paludiculture Plants

The position is to be filled. Remuneration is based on pay grade 13 TV-L (Collective Agreement for Public Service Employees in the German States – Science). The position is suitable for part-time work.

We are seeking highly motivated candidates for the collaborative peatland research project, funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. The new peatland research cluster combines the expertise of the University of Greifswald and the Greifswald Moor Centre e.V. 

Peatlands play a crucial role in achieving the ambitious goals of the Federal Climate Protection Act, the Peatland Conservation Strategy, and the Restoration Ordinance. Therefore, there is a significant need for research, particularly on rewetted peatlands. Both in-depth basic research and broad-based applied research are urgently required. The same applies to the associated publicly accessible research infrastructure. The project results will be exemplary and transferable in both national and international contexts. The research focus areas within the overall collaborative project are biodiversity and ecosystem services, water balance and water quality, and sustainable use/paludiculture. 

The advertised position involves the phenotypic research of paludiculture plants. Access to an extensive existing dataset, as well as living collections of microprovenances and genotypes for reeds and sphagnum moss, and field trials, is available. Furthermore, technical and horticultural support for the supervision of experiments is provided.

Job tasks:

• Independent research on paludiculture plants, e.g., reed (Phragmites australis) and peat moss (Sphagnum spp.) with regard to their performance under different site conditions in pot and field trials.
• Evaluation of existing and independently collected data, and writing high-quality scientific publications based on this data.
• Conceptualization and drafting of proposals to acquire further third-party funding for the topic
• Instructions for doctoral candidates and students 

Hiring requirements:

• Successfully completed university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in a related field at the time of hiring
• Excellent knowledge and confident application of phenotyping methods
• Detailed knowledge of data analysis in phenotyping approaches, preferably in R
• Extensive botanical knowledge, especially of bog plants
• Knowledge of peatland ecology
• Experience in scientific publishing
• Excellent knowledge of German and English
• Independent work with a hands-on mentality, team spirit, helpfulness and reliability

Other knowledge and skills that are significantly taken into account in the selection decision include: 

• Completed PhD in a related field
• Molecular genetic knowledge and experience in analysis

This job posting is open to all persons regardless of gender. Applicants with disabilities will be given preference if equally qualified.

The involvement of the staff council in the hiring and classification of academic/artistic staff, in accordance with Section 83 Paragraph 8 Sentence 3 in conjunction with Paragraph 1 Number 1 of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Staff Representation Act (PersVG M-V), only occurs upon request. The request can be submitted in written form via email along with the application.

Unfortunately, the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern cannot reimburse any costs you incur as part of the application process.

Please note that submitting your application constitutes your consent, under data protection law, to the processing of your application data by us. Further details regarding the legal basis and data usage can be found  here .

Applications with the usual documents should preferably be sent by email (one PDF file) quoting job posting number 26/Wi12 by 30.08.2026 to:

University of Greifswald,
Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology,
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kreyling,
Soldmannstr. 15,
17489 Greifswald

kreyling@uni-greifswald.de