PostDoc Position in Alpine Plant /Soil Biota Ecology

85% / starting date January 2025

The Physiological Plant Ecology (PPE) group of the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Basel, Switzerland is looking for a Postdoc (85%) in Alpine Plant Ecology (supervised by Dr. Erika Hiltbrunner).

Your assignments

The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and aims at capitalizing on a long-term experiment in an alpine grassland in the Swiss Alps, studying species-specific responses to recurrent snow manipulations and summer drought by investigating the soil microbiome and root symbionts of the alpine plant species.

The field work will be conducted at a unique research site in the Swiss central Alps with seasonal stays at the Alpine Research and Education Station Furka (www.alpfor.ch). Soil microbiome analysis will be performed in a specialized lab.

Your profile

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a Ph.D in biology, ecological genetics, environmental sciences or a related discipline. Good skills in R statistics are required and experiences in handling big data sets are of advantage. The candidate should be willing to work under sometimes harsh alpine field conditions. Teamwork within the group and associated partners requires good spoken and written English and (favourably) some German language skills.

We offer you

We offer an interesting position in an interdisciplinary research environment at the University of Basel and field work conditions within a smaller team in an exclusive alpine setting. The research will be carried out within a 3-year project, preferably starting on 1st of January 2025 (otherwise funds will be shortened). Salary and social benefits are provided according to University of Basel rules.

Application / Contact

Please send your complete application (CV, letter of motivation, contact information of two references) via our online recruiting platform by 30th October2024. We accept only online applications. Additional information can be obtained from PI Dr. Erika Hiltbrunner (erika.hiltbrunner@unibas.ch; please do not send applications to this email address).