Job description: Student assistant (m/f/d) in the field of microfossil analysis

Background
The research of our section at the AWI in Potsdam (Polar Terrestrial Environmental System) primarily focuses on ecosystem dynamics in high-latitude regions (e.g., Siberia and Alaska) and their responses to past climate change. Our aim is to uncover long time-scale (e.g., the last 10,000 - 40,000 years) and recent changes in plant community composition and diversity. In addition to traditional methods such as pollen grain analysis, which requires a high level of precision, cleanliness, and careful handling of highly concentrated acids, we also use sedimentary (ancient) DNA to track spatial and temporal shifts in taxonomic composition.

Your Tasks

• Sediment core subsampling
• Preparation of sediment samples for pollen grain analysis
• Preparation of sediment samples for charcoal or macrofossil identification

Your Profile

• enrolled at an University
• interest in the topic
• basic knowledge of biological/chemical laboratory processes

The preparation of a bachelor's or master's thesis (e.g. students of biology, environmental science, geosciences) during the time as a student assistant at the institute is desirable.

Further Information

You are interested?
Please send a cover letter and CV (summarized in one PDF) to both Weihan Jia (weihan.jia@awi.de) and Dr. Kathleen Stoof-Leichsenring (Kathleen.Stoof-Leichsenring@awi.de; 0331-58174-5662).

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.