Doctoral researcher in the TRANSMIT Project

At the University of Göttingen -Public Law Foundation-, CBL Sektion IV - Section for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and Forestry, there is a position as

Doctoral researcher in the TRANSMIT Project (all genders welcome)

Entgeltgruppe 13 TV-L/50%

to be filled. Starting date is 3/1/2026. The position is limited to 12/31/2028.

The successful candicate will carry out research within the project "Transboundary approaches to sustainable forest management for enhancing climate resilience and reducing disaster risk in the Himalayas (Acronym TRANSMIT)", funded by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Home Affairs. The project is coordinated at the Campus Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use and collaborates with partners in Germany (United Nations University Bonn, Global Fire Monitoring Center Freiburg), Nepal (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, ForestAction Nepal, Forest Fire Management Chapter), and India (Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education).

Background
Mountain forests of the Western Himalayas, including those in the Mahakali/Sharda River basin along the Nepal-India border, are increasingly affected by climate and land-use change, resulting in forest degradation and declining ecosystem services. TRANSMIT supports sustainable forest management in this region by generating detailed evidence from field-based forest inventories and by analysing past, present, and potential future forest dynamics under changing climatic and anthropogenic pressures. The project assesses forest-related ecosystem services and investigates the social and environmental drivers of deforestation, forest degradation, forest fire occurrence, and related disaster risks. A strong emphasis is placed on improving silvicultural understanding, forest condition assessments, and management planning that reflect both ecological processes and community needs. The project applies a transdisciplinary framework to link forest inventory and management with disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and active engagement of local stakeholders.

Tasks
The PhD candidate will:

• Conduct and supervise in-situ forest inventory at five predetermined study locations within the Mahakali/Sharda river basin.
• Perform dendrochronological analyses, including extraction and laboratory processing of stem core samples to evaluate annual growth-ring variations.
• Carry out cryoscopic analyses on tissue samples to determine freezing points as indicators of frost tolerance.
• Conduct stable isotope analyses to assess drought resistance of dominant tree species.
• Collaborate closely with project partners in Germany, Nepal, and India, contributing to joint analyses, reporting, and dissemination of results.
• Prepare scientific outputs, including peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and contributions to project reports.

Requirements:

• A completed academic university degree (Master's or Diploma) in forestry, with strong foundational knowledge in silviculture and sustainable forest management.
• Demonstrated experience with forest inventory methods, including the ability to independently lead, coordinate, and supervise an inventory team during field campaigns.
• Willingness and physical ability to conduct extended fieldwork in remote mountainous regions of Nepal and India for data collection.
• Competence and motivation to conduct laboratory analyses, including work with dendrochronological samples, cryoscopy, and stable isotope analysis (training can be provided).
• Strong scientific writing and communication skills and the ability to prepare peer-reviewed publications.
• Fluency in English (e.g., IELTS ≥ 6.0 or equivalent certification).
• Strong motivation to work in an interdisciplinary and international team, with openness to cross-cultural collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

Your application must include
(in the following order, compiled in one pdf): letter of motivation, CV (with optional reference contacts), abstract or summary of your master's thesis (max. 1 page), certificates and transcripts, additional supporting documents (optional).

The University of Göttingen is an equal opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply in fields in which they are underrepresented. The university has committed itself to being a family-friendly institution and supports their employees in balancing work and family life. The University is particularly committed to the professional participation of severely disabled employees and therefore welcomes applications from severely disabled people. In the case of equal qualifications, applications from people with severe disabilities will be given preference. A disability or equality is to be included in the application in order to protect the interests of the applicant.

Please upload your application in one pdf file including the usual documents until 1/9/2026 on the application portal of the university using this link:

. For more information get in touch with Simone Pfeiffer directly via E-Mail: , Tel

Please Note
With submission of your application, you accept the processing of your applicant data in terms of data-protection law. Further information on the legal basis and data usage is provided in the Information General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)