2026 PhD researcher in the area of Biodiversity at the University of Jena

Prof. Aletta Bonn’s Professorship of Biodiversity and People seeks to fill the position of a PhD researcher (m/f/d) in the area of Biodiversity and Health commencing on 1 April 2026 or at the earliest opportunity. The place of work will be iDiv in Leipzig.

The doctoral candidate will work on the DFG-funded project “BEhealthy - Interacting effects of forest management, biodiversity, and climatic events on human health” in cooperation with Prof. Scherer-Lorenzen and Prof. Christiane Werner, University of Freiburg, as part of the Biodiversity Exploratories (https://www.biodiversity-exploratories.de/). Experimental studies are planned to investigate the influence of biodiversity on various health parameters, as well as the involvement of interested citizens and experts from associations, nature conservation, forestry and tourism.

Your responsibilities:

• Plan, prepare, implement and evaluate field and laboratory studies to investigate the processing of naturalistic acoustic, visual and olfactory stimuli
• Coordinate and implement forest walks and forest experience studies with participant surveys in the Exploratories areas
• Participate in the generation and selection of stimulus material that reflects suitable variations in terms of forest biodiversity
• Recruit and supervise participants
• Statistically evaluate data in R, MatLab or similar programs
• Communicate results to interested associations, authorities and citizens
• Write scientific publications

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Application Documents
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineFebruary 19, 2026
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorUniversity of Jena
• City to studyThuringia
• School to studyUniversity of Jena
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• An exciting position in an international, English-speaking work environment
• A modern, family-friendly workplace with attractive conditions (flexible working hours, mobile working) and a company pension scheme (VBL)
• Remuneration based on the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector of the Federal States (TV-L) at / up to salary scale 13 — depending on the candidate’s personal qualifications—, including a special annual payment in accordance with the collective agreement.
• 30 days of vacation per calendar year plus two days off on December 24 and 31
• Participation in the PhD programme of the iDiv graduate school

Requirements

• Successfully completed scientific degree (M.Sc.) in biology, psychology, neuroscience or comparable qualification
• Experience in database management and statistical analysis
• Programming skills in R or MatLab are desirable
• Experience in working with test subjects or groups and in conducting surveys are desirable
• Fluent written and spoken German and English
• Good team player, friendly and professional manner
• Flexible and independent working style with a clear focus on science

Are you hesitating because you don't meet one or some of the requirements? Please do not hesitate to apply and give us a chance to get to know you.

Application Documents

Please include the following documents in German or English with your application:

• A comprehensive letter of motivation, including your reasons for applying (‘Why are you applying for this position?’)
• A curriculum vitae
• A copy of your master's and/or bachelor's degree certificate or diploma
• Two letters of reference or, if this is not possible, the names of two referees with contact details

Check also:
2026 Fully Funded Humboldt Research Fellowship
2026 Konrad Adenauer Foundation Scholarship

Application Deadline

How To Apply

• Applications are made via the Online Application Portal.

For more information, kindly visit the University of Jena website.