Jobs at GERICS
All job offers at a glance:
- PhD position - Global irrigation-atmosphere interaction
- PhD position - Stress-testing future climate-resilient city and neighbourhood concepts (Test4Stress)
- PhD Position - Model-based assessment of climate impacts on conflicting land use systems
- PhD Position - Participatory Methods for Impact chain assessment and backcasting
- PhD position - Mapping of heat-related systemic risk in cities (Map4Risk)
PhD position - Global irrigation-atmosphere interaction
The Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), a scientific organizational entity of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, invites applications for a PhD Position (75%), starting August 1st, 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter), as part of the "Helmholtz Institute for Climate Service Science" (HICSS) - a cooperation between GERICS and the University of Hamburg. The position is limited to 3 years and is intended to complete with a PhD. The place of employment is Hamburg.
GERICS develops science-based prototype products and services in support to government, administration and business in their efforts to adapt to climate change. It builds up a national and international network structure in order to integrate existing competences and knowledge, and to link various actors within the complex area of climate change.
As a PhD candidate, you will be part of a research group at GERICS in collaboration with the Meteorological Institute of the University of Hamburg. The goal of the project is to advance the understanding of large-scale irrigation-atmosphere interactions. You will use state-of-the-art global satellite remote-sensing data to analyse the impact of irrigation on cloud and rain formation. This will assist irrigation management and promote improved representation of irrigation processes in weather and climate models. Satellite data will be used to obtain a more accurate temporal mapping of irrigation activities. This enhanced mapping is then used for the analysis of cloud cover patterns and precipitation changes triggered by irrigated areas.
Equal opportunity is an important part of our personnel policy.
Your tasks:
- identify relevant satellite datasets of irrigated areas, as well as of hydrometeorological, land surface and vegetation variables
- apply modern statistical methods on these datasets to detect the timing of irrigation
- develop detection algorithms to identify signals in cloud and precipitation properties during periods of irrigation activities
- analyse interactions between irrigation, clouds, and precipitation considering differences in meteorological conditions, climate characteristics, topography, and land cover
- representation of HICSS at scientific and societal relevant conferences, workshops, and meetings; publication of findings in international peer-reviewed research journals
Ihr Profil:
- a university degree in meteorology, physics, or other related disciplines in natural sciences or earth sciences is essential
- experience in one or more of the following topics is beneficial: land - atmosphere exchange, clouds and precipitation, handling and analyzing satellite data or large gridded data sets
- experience in Python or similar programming languages, experience in Linux/Unix computer environments, and experience in statistical analysis and visualization
- very good written and oral communication skills in English. Willingness to publish the work in peer-reviewed scientific journals and to present the work at scientific and societal relevant conferences, workshops, and meetings
- willingness to engage in mandatory and voluntary PhD activities at the University of Hamburg
- willingness to work and engage in an international and interdisciplinary team at the Climate Service Center Germany and the collaborating research group at the University of Hamburg
- interest beyond the pure scientific analysis of data and processes is expected as the focus of GERICS is on the provision of decision-making knowledge
Content-related inquiries regarding this position can be directed to
and
We offer you:
- an exciting and varied job in a research centre with around 1,000 employees from more than 60 nations
- you will benefit from comprehensive academic training by joining the Graduate School of Integrated Climate and Earth System Sciences (SICCS)
- social benefits according to the collective agreement of the public service and remuneration up to pay group 13 (according to EntgO Bund)
- an excellent technical infrastructure and modern workplace equipment
- 6 weeks holiday per year; company holidays between Christmas and New Year's Day
- very good compatibility private and professional life; offers of mobile and flexible work
- PhD Buddy Program
- free assistance program for employees (EAP)
- corporate benefits
- office location in the heart of the city of Hamburg in the historic Chilehaus
Severely disabled persons and those equaling severely disabled persons who are equally suitable for the position will be considered preferentially within the framework of legal requirements.
Interested?
Then we are looking forward to receiving your comprehensive application documents (cover letter, CV, transcripts, certificates etc.) indicating the reference number code no. 2025/KG 1 until 02.06.2025.
PhD position - Stress-testing future climate-resilient city and neighbourhood concepts (Test4Stress)
The Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), a scientific organisational entity of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, invites applications for a PhD Position (75%), starting on 1 August, 2025, or thereafter upon agreement, in the Helmholtz Institute for Climate Service Science (HICSS) Project Test4Stress. The position is limited to 3 years and is intended to complete with a PhD. The employment location is Hamburg, Germany.
GERICS develops science-based prototype products and services in support to government, administration and business in their efforts to adapt to climate change. It builds up a national and international network structure in order to integrate existing competences and knowledge, and to link various actors within the complex area of climate change.
The PhD position is also supervised by Prof. Dr. Jana Sillmann, who is co-leading the Research Unit for Sustainability and Climate Risks (FNK). This Research Unit is devoted to inter- and transdisciplinary research and education on human-induced environmental change.
The successful candidate will work in the project Test4Stress – “Stress-testing future climate-resilient city and neighbourhood concepts”, which is part of the cluster Trans4Heat – “Paths for sustainable transformation to reduce heat-induced systemic risk to critical infrastructure” in the Helmholtz Institute for Climate Service Science (HICSS). HICSS is a cooperation between the Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS) and Universität Hamburg (UHH). Within the Test4Stress project scientists from the group of Prof. Jana Sillmann (UHH) and scientists from GERICS work jointly to: i) Co-develop stress-testing heatwave scenarios compounding with social & infrastructural events in a participatory approach with local and regional stakeholders ii) investigate how critical infrastructure, mobility, and the 15-min concept / 30-min territory concept can be sustained under stress iii) Shape future pathways and increase the climate-resilience of Hamburg and Heide. Within the cluster Trans4Heat, the results of Test4Stress contribute to identify enablers and barriers for transformation towards a climate resilient city and neighbourhood.
The successful PhD candidate will analyse climate simulations and interact with stakeholders to develop physically plausible heatwave scenarios for the city of Hamburg and the rural region of Heide in Schleswig-Holstein. In a participatory approach, the candidate will conduct stress-test workshops in Hamburg and Heide with stakeholders and local decision-makers with the aim to identify pathways to greater climate resilience.
Equal opportunity is an important part of our personnel policy.
Your tasks:
- Analysis and bias adjustment of an existing large ensemble of regional climate model simulations for Hamburg and Heide
- Development of impactful heatwave scenarios for Hamburg and Heide
- Investigate potential societal, infrastructural, and/or environmental conditions compounding with the heatwave
- Interaction with stakeholders to update the stress-test scenario
- Conducting the main stress-test stakeholder workshops in Hamburg and Heide
- Support project and cluster workshops
- Present research findings at national and international conferences
- Write scientific publications
Content-related inquiries regarding this position can be directed to
and
Your profile:
- M.Sc. degree in geography, environmental science, sustainability, related disciplines or interdisciplinary master programs
- Experience in handling of geographic- and/or climate data
- Experience or willingness in carrying out participatory methods and stakeholder interaction
- Interest in working in an interdisciplinary project
- Fluency in English (spoken and written)
- Fluency in German (spoken and written) would be desirable
- Interest in teamwork in an interdisciplinary and international environment
We offer you:
- An exciting and varied job in a research centre with around 1,000 employees from more than 60 nations
- You will benefit from comprehensive academic training by joining the Graduate School of Integrated Climate and Earth System Sciences (SICCS).
- Social benefits according to the collective agreement of the public service and remuneration up to pay group 13 (according to EntgO Bund)
- An excellent technical infrastructure and modern workplace equipment
- 6 weeks holiday per year; company holidays between Christmas and New Year's Day
- Very good compatibility private and professional life; offers of mobile and flexible work
- PhD Buddy Program
- Free assistance program for employees (EAP)
- Corporate benefits
- Office location in the heart of the city of Hamburg in the historic Chilehaus
Severely disabled persons and those equaling severely disabled persons who are equally suitable for the position will be considered preferentially within the framework of legal requirements.
Interested?
Then we are looking forward to receiving your comprehensive application documents (cover letter, CV, transcripts, certificates etc.) indicating the reference code number no. 2025/KG 3 until 04.06.2025.
PhD Position - Model-based assessment of climate impacts on conflicting land use systems
The Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), a scientific organizational entity of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, invites applications for a PhD Position (75%), starting August 1st, 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter), as part of the "Helmholtz Institute for Climate Service Science" (HICSS) - a cooperation between GERICS and the University of Hamburg. The position is limited to 3 years and is intended to complete with a PhD. The place of employment is Hamburg.
GERICS develops science-based prototype products and services in support to government, administration and business in their efforts to adapt to climate change. It builds up a national and international network structure in order to integrate existing competences and knowledge, and to link various actors within the complex area of climate change.
This 3-year position, part of the Helmholtz Institute for Climate Service Science (HICSS) ClimateBridge project cluster, focuses on developing innovative climate services for landowners in Harburg County and the Brazilian Amazon.
The successful candidate will work on the ClimateConnect project, a key component of the HICSS ClimateBridge cluster, which aims to generate practical climate solutions for landowners in these regions.
This project aims to:
1. Simulate climate impacts on agro-environmental systems using a state-of-the-art biophysical process model
2.Assess adaptation opportunities for land-users under changing climate conditions
3.Assess land use change including wetland restoration in the Hamburg-Harburg region
4.Contribute model output to a user-friendly dissemination tool to provide actionable climate information directly to farmers
By bridging the gap between complex climate data and practical agricultural applications, this research will contribute to enhancing farm resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change.
Equal opportunity is an important part of our personnel policy.
Your tasks
- Climate Adaptation and Land Use Change Research - explore land use change and climate adaptation options for agricultural systems in the two focus regions (Hamburg-Harburg County and Brazilian Amazon) - co-construct with stakeholder and literature review the basis for informing adaptation strategies
- Model Proficiency and Application - learn the biophysical crop simulation model EPIC or an equivalent alternative - apply the model to simulate existing land management systems and land use change
- Data Collection and Management - gather and organize biophysical and social data from data providers, scientific literature, and stakeholder communications
- Scenario Analysis - conduct comprehensive analysis of land management options under various climate scenarios - employ biophysical process models to assess outcomes in both focus regions
- Database Development - create and maintain a model input and output database accessible to farm information devices
- Collaboration and Communication - actively collaborate and exchange information with project team members - participate in interdisciplinary research activities - participation in stakeholder co-design processes, i.e., with regional authorities, nature conservation organizations, farmers
- Reporting and Publication - prepare regular progress reports on research findings - contribute to scientific publications and conference presentations
Your profile
- Master's degree in Agricultural Science, Environmental Sciences, Agroecology, Geoecology, or a related field
- experience in quantitative assessments, including statistics and/or crop modeling
- proficiency in programming languages for data processing and analysis
- strong commitment to inter- and transdisciplinary research approaches
- excellent communication skills in German and English (written and verbal), Spanish and/or Portuguese would be an advantage
Informal enquiries can be directed to
and
We offer you
- an exciting and varied job in a research centre with around 1,000 employees from more than 60 nations
- You will benefit from comprehensive academic training by joining the Graduate School of Integrated Climate and Earth System Sciences (SICCS).
- social benefits according to the collective agreement of the public service and remuneration up to pay group 13 (according to EntgO Bund)
- an excellent technical infrastructure and modern workplace equipment
- 6 weeks holiday per year; company holidays between Christmas and New Year's Day
- very good compatibility private and professional life; offers of mobile and flexible work
- PhD Buddy Program
- free assistance program for employees (EAP)
- corporate benefits
- office location in the heart of the city of Hamburg in the historic Chilehaus
Severely disabled persons and those equaling severely disabled persons who are equally suitable for the position will be considered preferentially within the framework of legal requirements.
Interested?
Then we are looking forward to receiving your comprehensive application documents (cover letter, CV, transcripts, certificates etc.) indicating the reference number code no. 2025/KG 4 until 04.06.2025.
PhD Position - Participatory Methods for Impact chain assessment and backcasting
The Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), a scientific organizational entity of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, invites applications for a PhD Position (75%), starting August 1st, 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter), as part of the "Helmholtz Institute for Climate Service Science" (HICSS) - a cooperation between GERICS and the University of Hamburg. The position is limited to 3 years and is intended to complete with a PhD. The place of employment is Hamburg.
GERICS develops science-based prototype products and services in support to government, administration and business in their efforts to adapt to climate change. It builds up a national and international network structure in order to integrate existing competences and knowledge, and to link various actors within the complex area of climate change.
This 3-year position, part of the Helmholtz Institute for Climate Service Science (HICSS) ClimateBridge project cluster, focuses on developing and testing new methods and tools for assessing needs of rural stakeholders for climate change adaptation planning in the Brazilian Amazon and Harburg County, Germany.
The successful candidate will work in the BeChange project, part of the HICCS ClimateBridge cluster. The project aims to address the complex socio-environmental challenges faced by small landholder stakeholders in the Brazilian Amazon.
The project has two main components:
1. Assessment of land use and perceived climate change impacts: Working closely with local stakeholders, the project will develop an impact chain related to land use, with particular emphasis on agricultural production, deforestation, and climate change, providing a comprehensive understanding of the region's complex socio-ecological system.
2. Backcasting Novo Progresso, Pará, Brazil and Harburg County, Germany: Through participatory methods, the project will identify possible actions and adaptation strategies to achieve desirable future states for climate-resilient development in the study regions. This approach recognizes the importance of local perspectives in shaping sustainable futures and empowers stakeholders to actively contribute to the transition towards more environmentally friendly practices.
The outcome of this research will enhance the development of climate service digital tools that promote behavioural change and contribute to informed decision-making for climate-resilient actions.
Equal opportunity is an important part of our personnel policy.
Your tasks:
- conduct workshops with local stakeholders, including rural producers, community leaders, and environmental organisations, to a) identify land use-related impact chains and b) co-create a vision for a sustainable and resilient future
- use participatory methodologies to outline the steps required to transition from the current state to the desired future state, focusing on key milestones such as reduced deforestation rates, improved agricultural practices, reduced mismanagement of land use and enhanced community engagement
- assist in the biophysical modelling system (link to ClimateBridge cluster) to local conditions in Novo Progresso and Harburg County to simulate and analyse the impacts of suggested agricultural practices under changing climate conditions
- develop a methodology and a timeline for implementing actions, including establishing local committees for sustainable land use planning and integrating adaptation strategies into agricultural policies
- gather feedback from local stakeholders on practical implementation to achieve the desired regional sustainable future
- report on the cluster projects implementation as well as prepare any other reports as needed
- participate in project meetings and present results at scientific conferences
- publish findings in international peer-reviewed journals
Your profile:
- Master's degree in Human Geography, Sustainability Sciences, Sociology, Spatial Planning, Communication Sciences or related fields
- strong knowledge of qualitative methods in empirical social research
- experience with participatory and creative research methods
- good knowledge of quantitative methods in empirical social research
- desired: experience in rural contexts in Latin America (particularly Brazil)
- willingness to conduct fieldwork in Brazil for several weeks
- fluency in Portuguese or Spanish, English (oral and written), knowledge of the German language is an advantage
- strong social, communication, and intercultural skills
Informal enquiries can be directed to
and
We offer you:
- an exciting and varied job in a research centre with around 1,000 employees from more than 60 nations
- You will benefit from comprehensive academic training by joining the Graduate School of Integrated Climate and Earth System Sciences (SICCS).
- social benefits according to the collective agreement of the public service and remuneration up to pay group 13 (according to EntgO Bund)
- an excellent technical infrastructure and modern workplace equipment
- 6 weeks holiday per year; company holidays between Christmas and New Year's Day
- very good compatibility private and professional life; offers of mobile and flexible work
- PhD Buddy Program
- free assistance program for employees (EAP)
- corporate benefits
- office location in the heart of the city of Hamburg in the historic Chilehaus
Severely disabled persons and those equaling severely disabled persons who are equally suitable for the position will be considered preferentially within the framework of legal requirements.
Interested?
Then we are looking forward to receiving your comprehensive application documents (cover letter, CV, transcripts, certificates etc.) indicating the reference number code no. 2025/KG 5 until 04.06.2025.
PhD position - Mapping of heat-related systemic risk in cities (Map4Risk)
The Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), a scientific organizational entity of the
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, invites applications for a PhD Position (75%), starting August 1st, 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter), in the Helmholtz Institute for Climate Service Science (HICSS) Project Map4Risk. The position is limited to 3 years and is intended to be completed with a PhD. The employment location is Hamburg, Germany. The planned starting date is 01.08.2025 (flexible, upon agreement).
GERICS develops science-based prototype products and services in support to government, administration and business in their efforts to adapt to climate change. It builds up a national and international network structure in order to integrate existing competences and knowledge, and to link various actors within the complex area of climate change.
The PhD position is also supervised by Prof. Dr. Jana Sillmann, who is co-leading the Research Unit for Sustainability and Climate Risks (FNK). This Research Unit is devoted to inter- and transdisciplinary research and education on human-induced environmental change.
The successful candidate will work in the project “Map4Risk – Mapping of heat-related systemic risk in cities”, which is part of the “Trans4Heat – Paths for sustainable transformation to reduce heat-induced systemic risk to critical infrastructure” cluster. HICSS is a cooperation between the Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS) and Universität Hamburg. Within the Map4Risk project scientists from the group of Prof. Jana Sillmann and GERICS scientists work jointly to
i) create high-resolution maps identifying hotspots of current and future heat- related risk in Hamburg,
ii) evaluate the risk of critical infrastructure to heat stress and the associated influence of transformative climate actions by local communities and stakeholders,
iii) investigate the effectiveness of proposed climate actions in reducing the heat- related risks, which in-turn supports their implementation.
The PhD candidate will analyze existing urban climate data for Hamburg from different sources and link this data to quantitative and qualitative data on social risk factors to generate the risk map.
Equal opportunity is an important part of our personnel policy.
Your tasks:
- process and analyze present and future urban climate data from different sources
- preparation of social data, exposure data, and critical infrastructure data
- conduct surveys and interviews with stakeholders and local communities
- use GIS tools to integrate urban climate and social data
- conduct simulations with PALM-4U for small domains including climate actions
- support project and cluster workshops
- deliver data and model code in accordance with the FAIR criteria
- present research findings at national and international conferences
- write scientific publications
Your profile:
- M.Sc. degree in geography, environmental science, meteorology or related discipline
- experience in handling of geographic- and/or climate data
- experience with GIS tools
- experience with numerical atmospheric models, including urban climate models such as PALM-4U, MITRAS, ENVI-Met etc. is beneficial
- interest in working in an interdisciplinary project
- fluency in English (spoken and written)
- fluency in German (spoken and written) would be desirable
- interest in teamwork in an interdisciplinary and international environment
Informal enquiries can be directed to
and
We offer you:
- an exciting and varied job in a research centre with around 1,000 employees from more than 60 nations
- a well-connected research campus (public transport bus) and best networking opportunities
- individual opportunities for further training
- social benefits according to the collective agreement of the public service and remuneration up to pay group 13 (according to EntgO Bund)
- an excellent technical infrastructure and modern workplace equipment
- 6 weeks holiday per year; company holidays between Christmas and New Year's Day
- very good compatibility private and professional life; offers of mobile and flexible work
- PhD Buddy Program
- free assistance program for employees (EAP)
- corporate benefits
- office location in the heart of the city of Hamburg in the historic Chilehaus
Severely disabled persons and those equaling severely disabled persons who are equally suitable for the position will be considered preferentially within the framework of legal requirements.
Interested?
Then we are looking forward to receiving your comprehensive application documents (cover letter, CV, transcripts, certificates etc.) indicating the reference number code no. 2025/KG 2 until 08.06.2025