Eidg. Forschungsanstalt WSL
Birmensdorf
Doctoral candidate in Soil Biogeochemistry under Drought
- 19 August 2026
- 100%
- Birmensdorf
Job summary
Join the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, a leader in environmental protection. Work in a collaborative environment with great benefits.
Tasks
- Investigate drought impacts on soil organic matter turnover.
- Utilize stable isotope tracing and radiocarbon techniques.
- Collaborate with researchers from multiple universities.
Skills
- Master's degree in Environmental Science or related field required.
- Strong communication and self-motivation skills essential.
- Field research aptitude and good English proficiency expected.
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About the job
The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL is part of the ETH Domain. Approximately 600 people work on the sustainable use and protection of the environment and on the handling of natural hazards.
Doctoral candidate in Soil Biogeochemistry under Drought
The Research Unit Forest and Soil Ecology assesses the impact of climate change and management on forests and their soils and is looking for a doctoral candidate in the Soil Biogeochemistry Research Group:
The doctoral candidate is going to work within the interdisciplinary DFG Research Group Forest Floor, which aims to assess the impacts of global change in particular drought on forest soils. The candidate will investigate the effects of drought on organic matter turnover and carbon storage in the soil. The research will involve stable isotope tracing, radiocarbon techniques and measuring carbon and nitrogen pools and fluxes in short and long-term drought experiments. The doctoral candidate will closely collaborate with other researchers and doctoral candidates from Universities Freiburg, Munich, Göttingen, Hamburg, and Vienna, to estimate the impacts of recurrent droughts on soil processes and functions under global change. Workplace will be at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL in Birmensdorf and the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at ETH Zurich.
The successful candidate holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science, Soil Science, Microbiology or related disciplines. Applicants should demonstrate strong communication skills, self-motivation, an aptitude for field research incl. good physical condition for moving safely over rough terrain, and a commitment to collaborative, interdisciplinary research. Good English skills (writing and speaking) are expected, knowledge of a Swiss national language is a plus.
Please send your complete application to Stefania Pe, Human Resources WSL, by uploading the requested documents through our webpage. Applications via email will not be considered. Frank Hagedorn, phone +41 (0)44 739 24 63, will be happy to answer any questions or offer further information. WSL is committed to diversity and inclusion as core values. We actively promote gender equality and foster an open, inclusive work environment.
