2026 Research Associate (Postdoc) at the University of Hamburg

Duties include teaching and research in the respective department or institute. Research associates may also pursue independent research and further academic qualifications as well as acquire teaching experience. These duties are intended to promote academic achievement. Therefore, at least one-third of set working hours will be made available for the associate’s own academic work.

The Postdoc should complement research activities of the Experimental Marine Zooplankton Ecology group at IMF and is expected to develop a research concept tailored for activities with a short-term (up to three years) and a long-term (up to six years) perspective. The concept should address current and future impacts of global change on marine zooplankton communities (i.e. zooplankton responses to multiple-stressors using experimental approaches, ranging from small-scale laboratory to larger-scale mesocosm approaches). Grant applications for third-party funding from national and / or international funding agencies are a necessity. The Postdoctoral Fellow should be active, open-minded and contribute to the groups’ activities.

Involvement in teaching and supervision activities within the BSc program (B-MARSYS) and the MSc program (i-MARSYS) at IMF with 4 LVS (teaching hours per week during the lecture period of a semester) as well as the willingness to supervise BSc, MSc and PhD students at IMF/University of Hamburg are a prerequisite.

Table of Content

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

Summary

• Application DeadlineFebruary 6, 2026
• Study LevelPostdoctoral Fellowships
• SponsorUniversity of Hamburg
• City to studyHamburg
• School to studyUniversity of Hamburg
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• Reliable remuneration based on wage agreements
• Continuing education opportunities
• University pensions
• Attractive location
• Flexible working hours
• Work-life balance opportunities
• Health management, EGYM Wellpass
• Educational leave
• 30 days of vacation per annum
• An open, multicultural and integrating working environment.

Requirements

• A university degree in a relevant field, plus doctorate.
• A ccompleted doctoral degree in Marine Biology, Aquatic Ecology, Biological Oceanography, Limnology, Environmental Science or related fields is required. This position will attract young, promising scientists with a PhD completion not earlier than 2021 working on a broad range of fields with a focus on experimental marine ecology.
• The successful candidate should have an excellent track record of publications in peer-reviewed journals, experience in grant applications & project contributions, very good written and oral English language skills, expertise in zooplankton ecology and/or taxonomy, experience using experimental approaches to study zooplankton in the lab and in-situ, demonstrated skills in experimental design and analyses in aquatic ecology and proven computational capabilities (e.g. R, Python).
• Experience in planning and conducting large-scale experiments (i.e. indoor/outdoor mesocosm experiments), cultivation of plankton organisms, outreach activities and experience in academic teaching and supervisions of BSc, MSc and/or PhD students will be considered as beneficial.
• The candidate should be self-motivated, reliable, organized / structured, proactive, constructive, engaged in teaching and supervision and with a positive, team-player attitude.

Application Documents

• cover letter
• CV
• copies of degree certificate(s)

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

Application Deadline

How To Apply

• Use only the online application form to submit your application with the Application documents.

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