With about 17,000 students, more than 300 professorships and around 160 degree programs, the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) is the technical university of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. As a place of top international research, it offers excellent working conditions and career opportunities. Those who study, research or work at RPTU experience a cosmopolitan environment and shape the future.

We are looking for an outstanding candidate (m/f/d) with a strong interest in working at the interface of plant ecology, biogeochemistry, and environmental microbiology. The successful applicant will employ a diverse set of methods to investigate how plant–soil–microbe interactions shape the carbon dynamics and greenhouse gas balance of floodplain, peatland, and marsh ecosystems. The position involves a range of approaches, including microbial community and functional gene analyses, chemical characterization of soils, vegetation, and porewater, gas flux measurements, planar optode imaging, and stable isotope tracing experiments. National and international field campaigns are an integral part of the project, and extended research stays at partner institutions may be required.The candidate is expected to publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals and present results at national and international conferences.

• a PhD in Microbial Ecology, Biogeochemistry, Ecosystem Ecology, or another related field
• extensive knowledge in plant-soil microbe interactions and/or ecosystem carbon cycling
• interest in planning field or lab-based mesocosm experiments
• good communication skills and a strong work ethic
• a valid driving license for traveling to field sites is desirable
• advanced computer programming and statistical skills
• fluency in English