Research Assistant - 0.75 working-time

We are seeking a research-oriented and highly motivated individual with a strong enthusiasm for both merging fieldwork under challenging conditions with precise laboratory work in the DFG-funded project “Carbon balances as a function of the bofedales pastoralist system in the tropical high Andes (CarBotAs).” The project aims to improve our understanding of the complex interactions between energy and water cycles and carbon sequestration and storage (in biomass and soils) within the bofedales-based pastoral system of the Peruvian high Andes. Specifically, we seek to investigate how ecosystem primary productivity, as influenced by water availability, management practices, and grazing intensity, interacts with the overall carbon cycle in these high-altitude wetland ecosystems. The project is a collaboration between climatology and soil science and combines field sampling in Peru with laboratory analyses at TU Berlin. Field campaigns in Peru will be conducted in close cooperation with local partners and universities.

Your research will focus on the coupling between soil carbon storage, greenhouse gas fluxes, and biomass production as a function of water availability. The objective is to better understand how microclimate and the allocation of organic matter between above- and belowground biomass influence carbon fluxes and storage. Ideally, you have experience with plant-soil system and incubation experiments, physical soil fractionation, and the analysis of soil organic matter, and are eager to contribute your expertise to this interdisciplinary research project.

As a Research Associate in the Soil Science Group (Prof. Dr. Carsten Müller) within the Institute of Ecology at TU Berlin, we will support your professional development and if applicable doctoral studies through an excellent scientific environment, hands-on project experience, international scientific networking, regular supervision, targeted training in research skills, and support for your long-term career development.

• Planning, conducting, and evaluating fieldwork in Peru, particularly soil and vegetation sampling and measurements of climate-relevant greenhouse gases
• Laboratory analyses in Berlin to characterize soil samples, including physical soil fractionation, soil organic matter analysis, and elemental analyses (C, N, P)
• Conducting plant-soil system pot and incubation experiments to investigate biogeochemical processes at the vegetation–soil interface
• Analyzing and interpreting data regarding the effects of different levels of water availability on biogeochemical cycles in bofedales vegetation–soil systems
• Presenting research findings at national and international conferences and publishing results in peer-reviewed scientific journals

• Successfully completed university degree (Master, Diplom or equivalent) in Soil Science, Geoecology, Environmental Sciences, Biogeochemistry, Plant Ecology, or a related field
• Strong knowledge of soil and biogeochemical processes, particularly at the vegetation–soil interface
• Experience with laboratory-based chemical analyses (e.g., C/N analysis, elemental analyses, isotope measurements)
• Willingness to participate in multi-week field campaigns in the high mountains of Peru
• Experience in data analysis and statistical evaluation of scientific data, ideally using R or Python
• Excellent written and spoken English; German language skills are advantageous but not required
• Initial practical experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of scientific experiments, particularly incubation experiments for trace gas analysis (ideally as part of a thesis project) desirable
• Experience with high-mountain field campaigns and a strong interest in planning and conducting fieldwork under demanding environmental conditions advantageous
• Enthusiasm for high-quality research, creativity, perseverance, and teamwork desirable
• Strong organizational skills, a high sense of responsibility, and the ability to work independently, systematically, and goal-oriented desirable
• Excellent scientific communication skills, both written and oral desirable
• Knowledge of Spanish desirable

Please send your application, quoting the reference number, together with a cover letter that highlights your motivation to apply, CV, degree certificates and, if applicable, 2 references, combined into a single PDF file (max. 4 MB) by email only to Bettina Jander at: bewerbung@boku.tu-berlin.de.
If the application requirements are not met, your application will not be considered.

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To ensure equal opportunities between women and men, applications by women with the required qualifications are explicitly desired. Qualified individuals with disabilities will be favored. The TU Berlin values the diversity of its members and is committed to the goals of equal opportunities. Applications from people of all nationalities and with a migration background are very welcome.