Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN), Frankfurt am Main

For its Entomology Information Center at the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute (SDEI) in Müncheberg, the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung headquartered in Frankfurt is seeking to fill the position of a

Researcher (m/f/d) – Text Mining for Biodiversity Knowledge (Entomology and Legacy Texts)

• full-time / part time
• Location: Müncheberg (Brandenburg)
• Employment scope: full-time / part-time (minimum 50%)
• Type of contract: initially limited to 3 years
• Remuneration: collective agreement of the German Länder, TV-L E13

Founded in 1817, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN) counts among the world’s leading research institutions in the field of biodiversity. At our twelve sites in Germany, scientists from over 40 nations conduct cutting-edge research on an international scale. The Senckenberg German Entomological Institute (SDEI) in Müncheberg (Brandenburg) maintains one of the largest insect collections in Germany. Established in 1886, the institute conducts basic research in taxonomy, phylogenetics, ecology, and biogeography to document and understand insect diversity. SDEI is organized into two departments with distinct roles. The Entomology Information Center manages the Entomological Special Library, an archive, and several entomological information services, and facilitates access to entomological literature and information. SDEI is located on the ZALF (Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research) campus in Müncheberg, near Berlin, and is integrated into regional, national, and international (biodiversity) research networks.

Your Tasks

• Develop and apply methods to extract biodiversity-relevant information (e.g. taxa, collectors, locations) from historical text sources such as species descriptions, specimen labels, type catalogues, archival documents, taxonomic and faunistic literature
• Design and test tools to identify and link key entities (e.g. species names, people, places), including disambiguation and semantic enrichment tailored to biodiversity and entomological contexts
• Build and optimize workflows for analyzing biodiversity and entomological texts, focusing on functional traits, historical context, and geographic scope relevant to current environmental challenges
• Integrate extracted information into biodiversity data infrastructures (e.g. DiSSCo, GBIF, Disentis Libroscope), ensuring alignment with FAIR data principles and compatibility with common formats (e.g. RDF, Darwin Core)
• Collaborate with experts in biodiversity, taxonomy, and collections at the SDEI and SGN to align text mining approaches with digitization strategies, collection development, and legacy data mobilization
• Advance inclusive knowledge extraction, with attention to taxa from the Global South, multilingual sources, and the contributions of historically underrecognized individuals (e.g. women and other marginalized contributors, local or Indigenous collectors)
• Promote open science and community engagement by publishing tools and datasets, supporting training and workshops, and contributing to emerging standards in biodiversity text analysis
• Disseminate research results through peer-reviewed publications, academic conferences, and collaborative research proposals

Your Profile

• MSc in biodiversity informatics, geoinformatics, Data Science (Natural Language Processing), computational linguistics, taxonomy (especially entomology), or ecology with strong data skills
• Experience with text mining of scientific and historical documents, including OCR post-processing and parsing of legacy texts
• Proficiency in scientific programming (preferably Python), version control (e.g. Git), and data standards such as RDF and Darwin Core
• Familiarity with named entity recognition, semantic annotation, and linking to external resources such as Wikidata, GBIF, GeoNames, and ORCID
• Peer-reviewed publication record appropriate to career stage
• Experience in acquiring or contributing to third-party funded research projects commensurate with experience
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment, very good communication skills in English; willingness to acquire German language skills is expected and will be encouraged

Desirable skills

• PhD in biodiversity informatics, geoinformatics, Data Science (Natural Language Processing), computational linguistics, taxonomy (especially entomology), or ecology
• International and interdisciplinary collaboration with researchers, curators, and data infrastructure teams
• Taxonomy or systematics (preferably entomology) and practical familiarity with biodiversity literature
• Use of biodiversity data infrastructures (e.g. GBIF, DiSSCo) and commitment to FAIR and Open Science practices
• Handling historical and multilingual biodiversity texts (e.g. in German, French, Latin, or Russian)

We offer

• An attractive job within the inspired and dynamic working environment of an internationally recognized research institution with the opportunity to shape the research profile of the department Entomology Information Center at SDEI
• The opportunity to build a distinctive academic track record in biodiversity text mining and analysis
• Access to an international network of scientists, policymakers and research organizations with close links to major initiatives such as DiSSCo, the Disentis Roadmap, and expert networks including CETAF and TDWG
• Flexible working hours – mobile working options – employee ID card with free admission to Senckenberg museums – annual special payment – collectively agreed vacation entitlement – company pension plan (ZVK)

Senckenberg is committed to diversity. We benefit from the different expertise, perspectives and personalities of our staff and welcome every application from qualified candidates, irrespective of age, gender, ethnic or cultural origin, religion and ideology, sexual orientation and identity or disability. Women are particularly encouraged to apply, as they are underrepresented in the field of this position; in the case of equal qualifications and suitability they will be given preference. Applicants with a severe disability will be given special consideration in case of equal suitability. Senckenberg actively supports the compatibility of work and family and places great emphasis on an equal and inclusive work culture.

How to apply?

Please send your application (letter of motivation with a short description of your previous and current research foci, a CV, certificates of academic achievements, list of publications as well as letter(s) of recommendation, if available) electronically (as a single PDF) to stating the reference #09-25003 by October 17, 2025 or apply online, using the application form on our website www.senckenberg.de/de/karriere/bewerbung/

Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung

Senckenberganlage 25

60325 Frankfurt am Main

For specific questions about this role, please contact Dr. Jana Hoffmann at jana.hoffmann@senckenberg.de.

For data protection information on the processing of personal data as part of the application and selection process, please refer to the privacy policy on our homepage at https://www.senckenberg.de/en/imprint/

For further information about the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung please visit www.senckenberg.de