Research Assistant

Research Assistant / Doctoral Researcher in Soil Ecology (m/w/d), EG 13 TV-H, EG 13 TV-H, part-time (currently 30 hours per week)
**Application deadline**:
16.10.2025
**Date of hire**: as soon as possible
**vacancy number**: 38756
Climate change affects the functions of agricultural soils, particularly their filtering, buffering, and production functions. The joint research project “Adaptation to drought and extremes: The surface soil-groundwater buffer under climate stress (ADAPT)” investigates changes in soil functions under climate stress. The effects of climate change on soil functions can be evaluated either directly through single
- or multi-factor experiments or by means of pedotransfer functions. In soil column experiments, the filtering and buffering functions are therefore determined and indirectly derived from soil properties. The aim is to predict changes in soil functions under different climate scenarios and under adapted and optimized water management. To this end, soils from two watersheds in Hesse are characterized in terms of their texture, water retention, and hydraulic properties and compared with the filter and buffer functions determined in the column experiments.
The more intense drying cycles associated with climate change influence the conversion of organic matter, affecting the filtering and buffering properties as well as the carbon storage capacity of soils. The increased dynamics of organic matter are being investigated by analyzing carbon mineralization, microbial C utilization efficiency, and quantifying priming effects.
**Tasks**:

- Participation in the planning and implementation of experiments with unsaturated soil columns at the Kassel site to simulate drought and micropollutant stress scenarios.
- Soil description and soil sampling in Hesse.
- Physical and chemical analysis of disturbed and undisturbed soil samples to characterize the soils of the column experiments in the laboratory in Witzenhausen.
- Evaluation of experimental data using statistical methods to quantify the effects of different climate scenarios on agricultural soils.
- Derivation of the filter and buffer function and potential carbon sequestration under the assumption of different climate scenarios.
- Conducting experiments to determine C mineralization and microbial C utilization efficiency.
- Close collaboration with soil scientists, hydrologists, and microbiologists in the joint research project.

**Requirements**:

- Completed university degree (MSc or diploma equivalent to 180 ECTS) in Agriculture, Geoecology, Environmental Sciences or related fields. The required degree must be obtained by the start date at the latest.
- Knowledge of soil science, soil ecology, and soil hydrology.
- Very good written and spoken English skills.

**Beneficial additional qualifications**:

- Experience in describing, analyzing, and evaluating soils
- Experience in conducting and evaluating incubation experiments
- Commitment to producing high-quality, scientifically sound results
- Excellent communication skills to enable effective collaboration with partners

Letter of motivation and description of research interests (max. 1 page, in English)
Curriculum vitae (in English)
Copy of degree certificate(s)
Proof of at least 2 references is required
Further information may be found on the project website
**Our Offer**:
As an employee of the University of Kassel
- you will be offered an interesting and diverse range of tasks within the framework of a modern and ambitious university,
- you will be part of an interdisciplinary team with a good and collegial working atmosphere,
- you will have the opportunity to participate in professional and interdisciplinary further education measures,
- is your workplace with good connections to public transport, which you can currently use free of charge.

In addition, you will benefit from the advantages of employment in the public service such as:

- an additional company pension (VBL),
- an optional child supplement in accordance with TV-Hessen, a family-friendly university (including childcare for emergencies),
- an annual bonus
- an entitlement to capital-accumulation benefits,
- a promotion of voluntary commitment,
- low-cost participation in university sports and a full range of fitness activities as part of Unifit, as well as workplace health management

You can find more jobs at stellen.uni-kassel.de
FAQ
bewerbungen[at]uni-kassel.de
The University of Kassel is very interested in the professional satisfaction of its employees. It is distinguished as a family-friendly university and, in the interests of equal opportunities, strives to offer everyone the same opportunities for development and to counteract existing disadvantages. It promotes the Family Welcome Service and also the Dual Career Service for positions that are scientifically and academically filled. One of the strategic goals of the University of Kassel is to significantly increase the proportion of women in research