University of Gottingen PhD student Scholarship at Junior Research Group Landscape Resilience 2026

The successful candidate will conduct research within the newly established junior research group and the Competence Center for Landscape Resilience at the University of Göttingen. The Competence Center is funded by the Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation and is located on the Campus Center for Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL). The doctoral candidate will develop landscape resilience indices with a particular focus on droughts and heat waves. The project will encompass various land uses and land cover types, with a focus on already disturbed landscape units. A key task is the application of advanced statistical methods to investigate how landscape configuration can influence resilience. To this end, the candidate will integrate geodata from diverse sources, particularly remote sensing (e.g., optical, hyperspectral, thermal). A crucial aspect of developing and evaluating these approaches is the collection and integration of data from targeted field campaigns and continuous environmental monitoring. The results will then be critically assessed with regard to current and future land-use practices.
The successful candidate is expected to present research findings at national and international workshops and conferences, publish in international peer-reviewed journals, and actively participate in the ongoing activities of the junior research group, including public outreach.

Table of Content

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

Summary

• Application DeadlineJanuary 25, 2026
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorUniversity of Göttingen
• City to studyLower Saxony
• School to studyUniversity of Göttingen
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• An attractive research environment with a 3-year postdoctoral position for early-career researchers, financial support for travel and conference participation, and access to infrastructure and equipment. The university offers postdoctoral researchers diverse opportunities for professional development and career advancement, flexible working hours and options for mobile working, paid leave, and a diverse and inclusive work environment with a strong commitment to diversity and equality.
• With its nearly 300-year-old university, Göttingen is a vibrant German city with a lively academic atmosphere. According to international rankings, the University of Göttingen is one of the leading universities in Germany and Europe for forestry and agricultural sciences. The excellent environment at the CBL, with leading scientists in these fields, offers a unique opportunity to conduct your own research in a dynamic and interdisciplinary research setting.

Requirements

The successful applicant must possess relevant, topic-related qualifications, i.e., a completed Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in a field relevant to the assessment of landscape resilience, such as environmental science, geosciences, forestry or agricultural sciences, or geoinformatics.
Furthermore, the following qualifications are required:

• Advanced statistical knowledge and skills in processing and analyzing geodata,
• Solid methodological knowledge in remote sensing and environmental monitoring,
• Willingness to work in the field in rural or wooded areas with occasional multi-day field campaigns,
• A Class B driving licence; an EU remote pilot licence (A2) is an advantage,
• Excellent English skills; German skills are an advantage.

The following are also desirable:

• Demonstrated interest in a scientific career, e.g. through work as a student assistant or initial experience in publishing scientific results,
• Good communication skills, demonstrable e.g. through teaching experience or presentations at conferences

Application Documents

Your application must include the following documents (in the order listed below, combined into a single PDF file):

• cover letter,
• CV (with optional references),
• abstract or summary of your Master's thesis (max. 1 page),
• certificates, and
• transcripts.

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Application Deadline

How To Apply

Please  submit your application, including all relevant documents, by January 25, 2026, exclusively via the application portal http://obp.uni-goettingen.de/de-de/OBF/Index/76217 . For further information, please contact Ms. Birgitta Maria Putzenlechner, email: [email protected], phone: +49 551 3923375.

For more information, kindly visit University of Gottingen scholarship webpage.