Open Positions

Description

Do you have sound knowledge of land ecosystems, climate change and land use change? Do you have very good systematic review and text mining skills? Are you keen to apply these to address societal and ecological research challenges? If so, we can offer you a post-doctoral position within C4LaNd.

Lines of research include:

• Develop the overarching questions of the Nexus review and a structure of the foreseen manuscripts
• Lead the systematic literature review and subsequent synthesis and assessment
• Utilize modern tools for automated text mining and content analysis, including machine learning approaches
• Coordinate with contributing researchers to this effort
• Lead drafting and revision of manuscripts
• Document the workflow

Requirements

• PhD degree in environmental science, ecology, meteorology, or related areas
• Experience in systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses, including machine learning techniques for content analyses
• Capacity to synthesise and assess information from diverse literature sources
• Organisational skills and experience in leading group-efforts
• Fluency in English
• Delight in engaging within a multi-disciplinary international team
• Willingness to travel

Salary

Salary and benefits will be based on the Collective Agreement for the German Public Service Sector (TV-L). Funding will be initially for a two-year period with the possibility of extension up to five years.

Application deadline, selection and expected start date

Applications should include a letter of motivation, CV, and contact details of two references. Applications are open until May 17. Interviews will be conducted before mid June. We expect the position to start ca. October/November 2026.
Please apply here.

Contact person

For inquiries, please contact almut.arneth∂kit.edu

Project Summary

One fully funded project on “Ethics of care and just mobility transitions” is available. This joint PhD project will be primarily based at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) with a minimum 12-month stay at the University of Melbourne.

Project Description:

A just transition involves respecting the perspectives of many stakeholders. So far climate ethics focuses (mainly) on future generations, energy ethics recently has put the focus (also) onto often marginalized groups that may be severely impacted by an energy transition (e.g Heffron et al 2017, Jenkins 2021). A just transition needs to address both aspects. As an answer to this challenge, care ethics has been suggested to augment considerations of energy ethics (Gram-Hanssen 2024, Frigo et al 2023). Also in the emerging inter- and transdisciplinary field of mobility and transport justice a potential central role of care ethics has been discussed (e.g. Verlinghieri et al 2020).

The research question to be addressed here is as to how the ethics of care can augment research on fairness and equity of mobility and land use. While often ethical considerations are added as an afterthought in regional and urban planning, the aim of this project is to develop a blueprint of how to integrate ethical aspects into the full cycle of urban and regional planning, including mobility and land use. A particular focus will be set on how to ethically balance competing interests and how to integrate t he uncertainties of potential impacts.

This is a conceptual project and uses tools mainly from (analytic) philosophy. The work involves key fields of applied ethics (mobility justice, energy ethics, research ethics, and engineering ethics) as well as political philosophy (capabilities approach) and normative ethics (care ethics). The project aims to blend philosophy with stakeholder engagement, for example, by the use of public forms of reflective equilibrium (Wolff & De Shalit 2007, 2024) or reflective equilibrium stakeholder workshops (e.g. Brandstedt et. al 2024). While also considering mobility or transport transitions more broadly, the focus will be on indigenous mobility justice and a close link with project 1.

This PhD project examines how care ethics can help the planners and designers of mobility transitions to identify and address ethical problems that are preliminarily assumed to involve high empirical uncertainties as well as competing values. A moral framework based on care ethics considerations to address value conflicts in design and planning is devised. The PhD project will also examine in detail how such a ‘micro ethical approach’ can be linked to considerations of (transport, mobility or energy) justice. Here it will be explored to what extent the capability approach may serve as a connecting link between the care ethical approach on the micro level and macro or meso ethical approaches to justice, or whether care ethics (e.g. Held 2006, Tronto 2013) can itself provide such a macro ethical framework for mobility (energy) justice.

References

Brandstedt, E., Busch, H., Lycke, E., & Ramasar, V. (2024).
Winds of change: An engaged ethics approach to energy justice. Energy Research & Social Science, 110, 103427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2024.103427

Gram-Hanssen, K. (2024).
Beyond energy justice: Ethics of care as a new approach in the energy system, Energy Research & Social Science, 111 (103470). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2024.103470.

Frigo, G., Milchram, C. & Hillerbrand, R. (2023).
Designing for Care. Science and Engineering Ethics 29(16). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-023-00434-4

Heffron, R.J. & D. McCauley (2017).
The concept of energy justice across the disciplines, Energy Policy 105, 658–667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.03.018.

Held, V. (2005).
The Ethics of Care: Personal, Political, and Global. Oxford University Press.

Jenkins, K.E.H., Sovacool, B.K., Mouter, N. , Hacking, N. , Burns, M.-K. & McCauley, D. (2021).
The methodologies, geographies, and technologies of energy justice: A systematic and comprehensive review. Environmental Research Letter 16 (4), 043009. https://doi.org/10.1088/ 1748-9326/abd78c

Tronto, J. C. (2013). Caring democracy: Markets, equality, and justice. New York University Press.

Verlinghieri E, Schwanen T. Transport and mobility justice: Evolving discussions. J Transp Geogr. 2020 Jul;87:102798. doi: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102798. Epub 2020 Jul 14. PMID: 32834675; PMCID: PMC7359804.

Wolff, J., & De-Shalit, A. (2007). Disadvantage. Oxford University Press.

Wolff, J., & De Shalit, A. (2024). City of Equals (1st ed.). Oxford University PressOxford. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198894735.001.0001

Supervision team

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT):
Principal Supervisor: Prof Rafaela Hillerbrand
ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7890-3715

The University of Melbourne:
Principal Supervisor: Prof Wolfram Dressler
ORCID Profile: 0000-0003-1105-3805

Salary

Salary and benefits will be based on the Collective Agreement for the German Public Service Sector (TV-L, 75%.).
Funding is available for 3.5 years.

Application deadline, selection and expected start date

Applications are open until May 17. Please note that applications will close once a suitable candidate is identified. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit their application as early as possible.

Description and background

More information will follow.

Motivation

A wide range of novel farming options is being promoted to address land use challenges, including agroecological approaches (e.g., diversified and low-input systems) and high-tech solutions (e.g., digital and precision agriculture). While these systems can demonstrate promising results in pilot programs or experimental settings, their potential for scaling up at the farm and landscape levels is often unclear. This project will investigate the conditions under which these novel land-use systems can be adopted more widely, as well as the factors that enable or hinder their transferability.

Research Focus

The exact focus and case study design will be tailored to the candidate’s background, interests, and the C4LaNd research program. Indicative research questions are:

• How feasible is the adoption of selected novel land-use systems at the individual farm level, particularly in terms of economic and financial performance?
• Which nontechnical and social factors (e.g., risk perceptions, norms, networks, and institutional settings) affect the transferability and uptake of these systems in different contexts?
• What leverage points, policy instruments, and support measures can assist in scaling up promising systems at the farm and landscape levels?

Methods and Data

The project combines quantitative and qualitative approaches with a strong focus on farm-level analysis:

• Enterprise budgeting and farm-level optimization will be used to evaluate the financial feasibility of alternative land-use systems.
• Interactive agent-based modeling using the MPMAS framework, developed at the University of Hohenheim, to explore adoption dynamics and interactions among farm holdings at the landscape scale.
• Use of farm-level datasets collected at UHO, complemented by data and scenarios from KIT and UoM.
• Interviews and focus group discussions with farmers and other stakeholders at the landscape scale to identify social, institutional, and behavioral drivers and barriers to scaling up.

Requirements

• An above-average master's degree (either completed or in progress) in agricultural sciences, environmental/resource economics, sustainability science, or a closely related field.
• Profound knowledge of quantitative research methods relevant to the position, such as farm-level economic analysis and optimization and/or agent-based modeling. Experience with qualitative social science methods (key informant interviews, focus group discussions, Net-mapping) is a plus.
• A strong interest in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of economics, the social sciences, and land use/agricultural systems.
• High motivation to work in an international, multidisciplinary research environment and contribute actively to the C4LaNd research and qualification program.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken). German language skills are advantageous but not mandatory.
• Willingness to undertake a one-year research placement at the University of Melbourne and comply with the formal requirements of a dual doctoral degree program in both locations.

Employment Conditions

Salary and benefits will be based on the Collective Agreement for the German Public Service Sector (TV-L, 75%). Funding is available for three and a half years.

Hohenheim University is an equal opportunity employer, and strongly encourages female researchers to apply. Hohenheim University is a founding member of the European Bioeconomy University (EBU) and the Euroleague for Life Sciences (ELLS), both being networks of leading European universities cooperating in the fields of bioeconomy and natural resources.

Application deadline, selection and expected start date

Applications should be submitted as a single PDF and include:

• A letter of motivation that outlines your research interests and explains how they relate to this project and C4LaNd
• A curriculum vitae (CV)
• Contact details of two academic references

Applications are open until May 17. Please use our Application Portal Application Portal

Contact person

For questions regarding this specific research project, please contact:
Prof. Dr. Thomas Berger
Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute
Land Use Economics (490d)
University of Hohenheim

Description and background

This project will take a nexus-thinking approach in investigating the impact of interventions combining space reallocation and mobility service implementations in suburbia that are aiming to avoid and shift individual motorized mobility. Specifically, the project will study the impact of shared autonomous services designed to solve the last mile problem prevalent in suburbia. These services will be studied for their short-term and long-term impact on activity participation, destination and mode choice, and the discovery of rebound effects and other unintended consequences.
More information will follow.

Description and background

The position is based at the Institute for Industrial Production (IIP), Prof. Dr. F. Schultmann, in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Rebekka Volk (University of Freiburg, Chair of Sustainability Assessment of Technical Systems). The focus is on the structured analysis and resolution of urban land-use conflicts in the context of the renovation or upgrading of urban structures. The goal is to develop an optimization-based decision-support tool that identifies user-specific trade-offs and highlights potential solutions. The project is based on techno-economic and (local) ecological analyses of potential urban retrofits, as well as data collection/evaluation and systemic analyses of new technologies, with a focus on soil restoration, food production, energy generation, materials, and the creation and enhancement of urban green spaces and biodiversity through blue-green infrastructure in cities. This includes, for example, the application and further development of tools and guidelines for life-cycle-based planning, new construction, retrofitting, maintenance, and the resilient, sustainable use of urban areas and urban infrastructure. In particular, innovative quantitative and optimization approaches, as well as approaches for investigating acceptance, trade-offs, management, and decision support for the sustainable development of urban neighborhoods, are to be conceived, developed, and applied.

Personal Qualifications

You hold a master's degree in geoinformatics, industrial engineering, (business) informatics, urban planning, civil engineering/informatics, or a comparable field of study.
You have an interest in and enjoy conducting quantitative analyses and, in particular, have experience in programming—especially SQL, PostgreSQL, and QGIS (and possibly also Python and Java)—as well as in the development and integration of computer-aided models. Domain knowledge is desirable but not required.
In addition to professional qualifications, we expect a high level of commitment, strong self-organization skills, and excellent German and English language skills.

Salary and Benefits

Salary and benefits will be based on the Collective Agreement for the German Public Service Sector (TV-L, 75%.). The experience level depends on qualifications.

We offer you an attractive and modern workplace with access to KIT’s excellent facilities, a varied and responsible role, a wide range of professional development opportunities, a supplementary pension under the VBL scheme, flexible work schedules, a subsidy for the JobTicket BW, and a cafeteria.

Application deadline, selection and expected start date

Applications should include a letter of motivation, CV, certificates and transcripts of records.
Applications are open until May 31.
Please apply by email to: Applications_Chair_of_Production@iip.kit.edu

We prefer to balance the number of employees (f/m/d).
Recognized severely disabled persons will be preferred if they are equally qualified.

Contact person

For further information, please contact: Prof. Dr. Rebekka Volk
Phone: +49 761 203 2716

Description and background

For a study area in Victoria, Australia, this topic will identify areas where transport infrastructure could be potentially removed or retrofitted to allow for the regeneration of natural areas of ecological and cultural value.
More information will follow.

Description and background

Do you have an interest in urban environments, climate change, and biodiversity? Do you enjoy working with spatial data, models, and decision-making approaches? Are you motivated to contribute to sustainable solutions for cities?

If so, we offer you the opportunity to pursue a PhD within the international and interdisciplinary graduate school C4LaNd, Cluster 2 (Rethinking Urban Spaces), with partners at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the University of Melbourne, and the University of Hohenheim.

The PhD position “Optimizing Blue-Green Infrastructure for Climate and Biodiversity” is based in Campus South at KIT in Karlsruhe within the junior research group GRUSS lead by Dr. Benz, with close collaboration with the University of Melbourne. The position is embedded in a joint supervision framework, including a research stay of one year in Melbourne and a joint (cotutelle) PhD degree. In Melbourne the position is placed in the group of Prof. Wu.

The overarching question of the doctoral research will be:
How can blue-green infrastructure in cities be designed to jointly enhance biodiversity conservation and urban climate adaptation under increasing land-use pressure?

Lines of research include:

• Explore how biodiversity in urban areas can be assessed using conservation-based frameworks (e.g. Natura 2000 / FFH)
• Analyze spatial patterns of urban green infrastructure and their ecological characteristics
• Investigate how different urban green configurations influence urban climate, particularly heat stress
• Compare alternative design strategies for blue-green infrastructure
• Identify trade-offs and synergies between biodiversity conservation and urban climate adaptation
• Contribute to the development of multi-objective optimization approaches for urban land-use decisions
• Develop ideas for analysis, publications, and integration within the C4LaNd programme

Requirements

• M.Sc. degree in environmental sciences, geography, ecology, climate science, environmental engineering, urban planning, or related fields
• Interest in urban sustainability, biodiversity, and climate adaptation
• Experience with spatial data analysis (e.g. GIS)
• Programming skills (e.g. Python or R) and/or modelling skills are an advantage
• Experience in interdisciplinary research is an advantage
• Interest in quantitative methods and decision-support approaches
• Fluency in English
• Motivation to work in an international and interdisciplinary research environment
• Willingness to spend an extended research period (one year) at the University of Melbourne

Salary

Salary and benefits will be based on the Collective Agreement for the German Public Service Sector (TV-L, 75%.).
Funding is available for 3.5 years.

Application deadline, selection and expected start date

Applications should be submitted as a single PDF and must include a letter of motivation, CV, contact details of two references, and transcripts of records.
Applications are open until May 17. Interviews will start from mid June. We expect the position to start late 2026.

Contact person

For further information, please contact: Susanne Benz

Description and background

This project examines how values, regulation and incentives shape cooperation and decision-making in land-use and infrastructure contexts where local actors face trade-offs between economic benefits and the provision of global public goods, and moreover where governments have to coordinate at different regional levels (local, national, supranational).
More information will follow.

Description and background

This project explores how Indigenous biocultural and local biodiversity values are articulated, negotiated, and integrated into renewable energy and land-use transition planning in biodiverse and contested landscapes. Grounded in political ecology and anthropology, it responds to concerns that technocratic planning and biodiversity modelling approaches often marginalise community perspectives and Indigenous priorities.
More information will follow.

Description and background

The position is located in Karlsruhe, Germany, at KIT-IIP and will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Frank Schultmann.
This doctoral project is embedded in Cluster C3: Rethinking Rural Spaces and addresses a key challenge of the emerging bioeconomy: the increasing competition for land associated with the growing demand for biomass-based materials. Bio-based products such as wood-based construction materials, bioplastics and bio-based chemicals may contribute to climate-change mitigation by substituting fossil-based alternatives. At the same time, their expansion may intensify pressures on land, biodiversity and other ecosystem services, and may create new trade-offs with food production, renewable energy deployment and nature conservation. The doctoral research will investigate these interactions in a spatially explicit manner and develop decision-support approaches for identifying more sustainable biomass-utilisation pathways.
The project will combine geographic information systems (GIS), scenario analysis and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)  to assess where, and under which ecological, economic and policy conditions, material uses of biomass can support climate goals while minimising negative impacts on ecosystems and rural societies. The work is expected to generate both methodological advances and practically relevant insights for planning, governance and value-chain design in the bioeconomy. A particular strength of the position lies in its integration into the international and interdisciplinary C4LaNd environment.
The project is closely connected to collaboration with the University of Melbourne, especially with research on participatory decision-making for multi-use rural land. Within the training group, doctoral researchers are expected to undertake a 12-month research stay  at the partner institution and to contribute actively to the broader interdisciplinary research and training programme. 

Research tasks

The doctoral candidate will contribute to the development of a spatially explicit assessment of competing biomass-utilisation pathways and their implications for biodiversity conservation and climate-change mitigation. This includes the identification and harmonisation of relevant spatial datasets, the development of land-use and policy scenarios, the analysis of trade-offs and co-benefits between biomass use, food production and conservation, and the application of MCDA to compare alternative pathways and landscape configurations. The position also involves the scientific interpretation of results in relation to land-use governance, sustainability standards and planning instruments for the bioeconomy.

Candidate profile

Applicants should hold an excellent Master’s degree in a relevant field such as industrial ecology, business and environmental sciences, geography, environmental engineering, sustainability assessment, bioeconomy or a related discipline. A strong interest in interdisciplinary research on land use, climate change, biodiversity and sustainable value chains is essential. Experience with GIS, spatial data analysis, quantitative modelling or sustainability-assessment methods is highly desirable. Familiarity with MCDA, scenario analysis, land-use systems or bioeconomy research would be advantageous. Very good written and spoken English is required, as is the willingness to work in an international research environment, to complete a one-year research placement at the University of Melbourne, and to contribute actively to scientific publication and participation in international conferences and project-related dissemination activities.

Salary

Salary and benefits will be based on the Collective Agreement for the German Public Service Sector (TV-L, 75%.).
Funding is available for 3.5 years.

Application procedure

Applications uploaded as a single pdf should include a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, copies of academic transcripts and certificates, and the contact details of two academic references.
Applications are open until May 17, or until the position has been filled. 

Contact

For further information on the position, applicants may contact Prof. Frank Schultmann at KIT-IIP

Further Reading

Heck, R., Rudi, A., Lauth, D., & Schultmann, F. (2024). 
An Estimation of Biomass Potential and Location Optimization for Integrated Biorefineries in Germany: A Combined Approach of GIS and Mathematical Modeling. Presented at the European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE) in 2023 and published in the according Special Issue on Integrated Approaches to Biomass Sustainability in Sustainability, 16(16), 6781. This paper is particularly relevant for applicants interested in GIS-based biomass assessment and spatial optimisation in bioeconomy contexts. 

Description and background

This PhD project will examine how community and participatory decision-making processes operate within NBS initiatives in multi-use rural landscapes, and what justice implications arise as landscapes are re-imagined and reorganised under NBS frameworks.
More information will follow.

Project Summary

One fully funded project on the study of “An analysis of expanding road infrastructure on indigenous land rights, food security and forest cover in southern Palawan, the Philippines” is available. This joint PhD project will be primarily based at the University of Melbourne with a minimum 12-month stay at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

Project Description:

Across the Southeast Asian uplands, expanding road infrastructure increasingly penetrates remnant forests and Indigenous territories, with major consequences for land rights, food security, and biodiversity (Clements et al., 2014; Reddiar and Osti, 2022). In the Philippines, where only 10 percent of original forest cover remains, new road networks linked to critical minerals mining, oil palm and tourism estate expansion are affecting forests long managed by Indigenous peoples (Sze et al., 2022; Nolos et al., 2023; Mason et al., 2025). As the country’s last ecological frontier, Palawan loses roughly 5,500 hectares of forest annually as roads penetrate forest reserves and ancestral lands (Nolos et al., 2023), yet their impacts remain poorly understood.

Research Question: What are the origins and impacts of road networks on land rights, food security, and forest cover in southern Palawan? How and why do different types of roads emerge, and who wins and loses from them?

This PhD project examines the historical and contemporary rise of road networks penetrating the upland forests of southern Palawan, where Indigenous communities face intersecting pressures on land, resources, and governance. It analyses how roads intersect with ncestral domain claims, livelihood changes, shifting land classifications, territorial disputes, and changing accessibility, and how these processes affect Indigenous food security, forest cover, and biodiversity.

Using spatial analysis and ethnographic methods, the project traces the spatial and temporal dynamics of road expansion, land use conversion, livelihood changes, forest degradation and biodiversity declines. It integrates satellite imagery, planning documents, and community sketch maps to quantify forest cover change and model relationships between road density, agricultural transitions, and biodiversity.

Grounded in political ecology and Indigenous land politics, the project examines how competing claims intersect along roads as socioecological corridors that facilitate market integration while catalysing dispossession and reconfigurations of customary authority. hrough ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and spatial analysis, it generates a multiscalar account of road building as a political project reshaping ancestral lands, food systems, forest cover, and biodiversity in southern Palawan.

References

Clements, Gopalasamy Reuben, et al. (2014)
"Where and how are roads endangering mammals in Southeast Asia's forests?." PloS one 9.12 (2014): e115376.

Dressler, W. (2021).
Defending lands and forests: NGO histories, everyday struggles, and extraordinary violence in the Philippines.  Critical Asian Studies, 53(3), 380-411.

Mason, D., Dressler, W., & Novellino, D. (2025).
Extracting Value, Losing Ground: The Critical Minerals Boom in Palawan. New Mandala. June 13, 2025. https://www.newmandala.org/extracting-value-losing-ground-the-critical-minerals-boom-in-palawan/

Nolos, R. C., Zamroni, A., & Evina, K. F. P. (2023).
Drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Palawan, Philippines: an analysis using social-ecological systems (SES) and institutional analysis and development (IAD) approaches. Geography, environment, sustainability, 15(4), 44-56.

Reddiar, I. B., & Osti, M. (2022).
Quantifying transportation infrastructure pressure on Southeast Asian World Heritage forests. Biological conservation, 270, 109564.

Sze, J. S., Childs, D. Z., Carrasco, L. R., & Edwards, D. P. (2022).
Indigenous lands in protected areas have high forest integrity across the tropics. Current Biology, 32(22), 4949-4956.

Supervision team

The University of Melbourne:
Principal Supervisor: Prof Wolfram Dressler
ORCID Profile: 0000-0003-1105-3805

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT):
Principal Supervisor: Prof Rafaela Hillerbrand
ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7890-3715

Desirable qualifications

Include a background in anthropology and/or human geography; ethnographic methods, spatial analysis, proficiency in, or willingness to learn, Filipino and/or a relevant Palawan dialect; excellent written and spoken English; a scholarly record including published journal articles and/ or media pieces; cultural sensitivity and research integrity; and willingness to conduct fieldwork in remote rural settings.

Application deadline, selection and expected start date

Applications are open until May 17. Please note that applications will close once a suitable candidate is identified. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit their application as early as possible.

Description and background

Do you have knowledge of land ecosystems, climate change and land use change? Do you have good quantitative and coding skills? Are you keen to apply these to address societal and ecological research challenges? If so, we can offer you to earn your PhD degree within the multidisciplinary, international research training group C4LaNd.
The PhD position 'Ecosystem and biodiversity impacts of novel land-use futures' is within the Global Land-Ecosystem Modelling Group at KIT’s 'Campus Alpin' in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, partnered with Melbourne’s Quantitative Ecology Group

The overarching question of the doctoral research will be:
How do different, novel land-use futures affect ecosystem state and function globally, what are implications of these for biodiversity and ecosystem services in the present day and under future climate change?

Lines of research include:

• Familiarize yourself with the LandSyMM modelling framework and in particular its ecosystem model LPJ-GUESS
• Simulate how a range of novel future land-use change scenarios, available from LandsyMM simulations affects ecosystem carbon cycling and a range of other ecosystem processes and services
• Explore how a range of biodiversity indicators such as species habitat availability and extinction risk would be affected under a suite of land use futures
• Explore literature and other data sources to support interpretation of outputs and model evaluation
• Develop ideas for model applications, simulation set-up and analysis and publications
• Document code development and performance

Requirements

• M.Sc. degree in environmental science, ecology, meteorology, or related areas
• Knowledge in coding languages, ideally C++
• Proficiency in Python or R
• Fluency in English, written and spoken
• Delight in engaging within the environment of an international, multidisciplinary training programme
• Willingness to undertake a one-year research placement at the University of Melbourne and comply with formalities at both locations
• Readiness to engage within the LPJ-GUESS and LandSyMM communities
• Willingness to travel between KIT-Campus Alpin, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and KIT in Karlsruhe for C4LaNd courses

Salary

Salary and benefits will be based on the Collective Agreement for the German Public Service Sector (TV-L, 75%.).
Funding is available for 3.5 years.

Application deadline, selection and expected start date

Applications uploaded as a single pdf should include a letter of motivation, CV, contact details of two references, and Bachelor and Master studies transcripts.
Applications are open until May 17. Interviews will be conducted before mid June. We expect the position to start ca. Oktober 2026.
Please apply here.

Contact person

For inquiries, please contact almut.arneth@kit.edu

Further Reading

J. Burns, J. Raymond, T. Schmitt, E. Díaz-General, R. Alkemade, P. Alexander, et al. (2025, in review).
Seeds for Change: Global Biodiversity Narratives Contingent on Values-Based Interpretations of the Global Biodiversity Framework. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.5470815

B. Arendarczyk, S. Rabin, D. Bampoh, A. Arneth, M. Rounsevell and P. Alexander. (2025)
esponse of global forest management to changes in wood demand. Global Change Biology. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.70573

H. Camargo-Alvarez, D. Bampoh, V. Mazzola, P. Alexander, R. Henry, S. Rabin, Rounsevell, M., Arneth, A. (2025).
Assessing the impact of strictly protecting 30%-50% of global land on carbon dynamics in natural and agricultural ecosystems. Plants People Planet. DOI: 10.1002/ppp3.10612

Description and background

This PhD aims to develop and test a new robust decision framework that identifies water supply portfolios that:

• maximise water security and system resilience under current and future hydroclimatic extremes,
• deliver land-use and environmental co-benefits
• minimise economic cost, and
• remain robust across a wide range of plausible futures.

More information will follow.

Description and background

Do you have an interest in urban flooding, land-use planning, and climate adaptation? Do you enjoy working with spatial data, models, and decision-making frameworks? Are you motivated to apply your skills to real-world challenges in urban resilience and sustainability?
If so, we offer you the opportunity to pursue a Ph.D. within the international and interdisciplinary graduate school C4LaNd, based at the University of Melbourne, with a research placement at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Project Description

The PhD project “Strategic Land Buyback for Urban Flood Risk Reduction” will investigate how government-led property buyback (e.g., managed retreat) programs can be systematically designed to reduce long-term flood risk in urban areas.

Urban flooding is intensifying due to climate change, urbanisation, and increasing exposure in flood-prone areas. One emerging policy response is the acquisition of high-risk properties by governments, followed by conversion of these areas into floodplains, wetlands, or other nature-based solutions. While such programs have been implemented in several countries, they are often reactive and lack systematic approaches for prioritisation and long-term planning.

This project aims to develop a decision-support framework to address key questions such as:

• Which properties should be prioritised for buyback?
• How should acquisition programs be staged over time under limited budgets?
• How can land conversion contribute to long-term flood risk reduction and urban resilience?

Research Questions

The overarching research question is:
How can land buyback programs be strategically prioritised and staged to maximise long-term flood risk reduction under climate and urban development uncertainty?

Lines of research include:

• Develop and apply urban flood inundation models to assess flood hazard and risk.
• Analyse spatial patterns of flood exposure and identify high-risk property clusters.
• Investigate the role of land-use change and land conversion in modifying flood risk.
• Develop a decision framework for prioritising property acquisition under budget constraints.
• Explore trade-offs between flood risk reduction, economic cost, and spatial planning objectives.
• Conduct scenario analysis under alternative climate and urban development futures.
• Contribute to scientific publications and policy-relevant outputs.
• Document model development, data processing, and analytical workflows.

Requirements

• Masters’ degree in civil or environmental engineering, geography, environmental science, urban planning, or a related field
• Strong interest in urban flooding, land-use management, and climate adaptation
• Experience with programming (e.g. Python, MATLAB, or R)
• Familiarity with GIS and spatial data analysis
• Interest in quantitative modelling and decision-support approaches
• Fluency in English (both speaking and writing)
• Motivation to work in an interdisciplinary and international research environment
• Willingness to undertake a one-year research placement at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany and collaborate across institutions

Scholarship

The successful candidate will be enrolled at the University of Melbourne. Scholarship and conditions will follow University of Melbourne PhD funding arrangements.
Funding is expected for up to 3.5 years, including support for the international placement.

Application deadline, selection and expected start date

Applications should be submitted as a single PDF including a letter of motivation, CV, contact details of two referees, and academic transcripts
Applications are open until May 17 or until position filled. Interviews will start from mid June. We expect the position to start end 2026 - early 2027.

Contact person

For further information, please contact: A/Prof Wenyan Wu (University of Melbourne)

Description

Do you have a strong interest in forest ecosystems, climate extremes, and carbon cycling? Are you excited about linking physiological mechanisms to landscape-scale patterns to address pressing challenges related to forest dieback and climate mitigation? Are you motivated to work in an interdisciplinary and international research environment? If so, we invite applications for a PhD position in the Plant Ecophysiology Lab as part of the multidisciplinary, international research training group C4LaNd.
The PhD position, ‘Forest Vulnerability to Hotter Droughts´, is within the Plant Ecophysiology Lab at the KIT-Campus Alpin in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Project Background and Research Question

Forests across Europe and beyond are increasingly threatened by hotter droughts, which are leading to rising tree mortality and may undermine forests’ role as carbon sinks. However, forest vulnerability is not spatially uniform and varies strongly among species and environmental conditions. 
The overarching research question of this PhD project is: 
How do hotter droughts alter the physiological mechanisms and thresholds of tree mortality, and how can these processes be linked to landscape-scale patterns of forest vulnerability?

Tasks

The doctoral researcher will:

• Investigate physiological mechanisms and mortality thresholds of trees under hotter droughts through experimental approaches
• Identify spatial patterns and hotspots of forest vulnerability using remote sensing data and climatic information
• Integrate experimental and landscape-scale observations to develop a mechanistic framework of heat-induced forest decline
• Publish results in peer-reviewed journals and present findings at international conferences

Requirements

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with:

• M.Sc. degree in ecology, environmental sciences, forestry, biology, earth system science, climate science, or a related field
• Experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Remote sensing and geospatial data analysis
• Plant ecophysiology
• Forest ecology or biogeochemistry
• Programming skills (e.g., R, Python, or similar) and motivation to work with large datasets
• Fluency in English, written and spoken
• Willingness to travel between KIT-Campus Alpin (IMKIFU), Garmisch-Partenkirchen and KIT in Karlsruhe for C4LaNd courses
• Interest in interdisciplinary collaboration within an international graduate programme
• Willingness to spend a one-year research stay at University of Melbourne, Australia

Salary

Salary and benefits will be based on the Collective Agreement for the German Public Service Sector (TV-L, 75%.).
Funding is available for 3.5 years.

Application deadline, selection and expected start date

Applications uploaded as a single pdf should include a letter of motivation, CV, contact details of two references, and Bachelor and Master studies transcripts.
Applications are open until May 17. Interviews will be conducted before mid June. We expect the position to start ca. Oktober 2026.
Please apply here.

Contact person

For inquiries, please contact nadine.ruehr@kit.edu

Description and background

This project will focus on coffee production landscapes in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Coffee is a globally important pollination-dependent crop that provides livelihoods for at least 60 million people, and Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of Arabica coffee. This includes plantations in the highly threatened Atlantic Forest Biome, where only 12.5% of the original extent remains. The optimisation involves incorporating the dynamic flows of multiple ecosystem services into a spatial planning framework for restoration (using Mixed Integer Programming).
More information will follow.

Description and background

Do you have knowledge of land ecosystems, climate change and land use change? Do you have good quantitative and coding skills? Are you keen to apply these to address societal and ecological research challenges? If so, we can offer you to earn your PhD degree within the multidisciplinary, international research training group C4LaNd.
The PhD position 'The role of animals for forest ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling' is within the Global Land-Ecosystem Modelling Group at KIT’s 'Campus Alpin' in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, partnered with Melbourne’s Quantitative Ecology Group
The overarching question of the doctoral research will be:
How does the presence or absence of full trophic chains affect carbon and nutrient cycling in natural ecosystems, in the present day and under future climate change?

Lines of research include:

• Familiarize yourself with the ecosystem models LPJ-GUESS and Madingley
• Further develop key processes in Madingley (e.g. selective or height-depended feeding; introduction of detritivores, etc.)
• Explore literature and other data sources to support this parameterization as well as model evaluation
• Conduct simulations and evaluate output against observations
• Develop ideas for model applications, simulation set-up and analysis and publications
• Document code development and performance

Requirements

• M.Sc. degree in environmental science, ecology, meteorology, or related areas
• Knowledge in coding languages, ideally C++
• Proficiency in Python or R
• Fluency in English, written and spoken
• Delight in engaging within the environment of an international, multidisciplinary training programme
• Willingness to undertake a one-year research placement at the University of Melbourne and comply with formalities at both locations
• Readiness to engage within the LPJ-GUESS and Madingley communities
• Willingness to travel between KIT-Campus Alpin, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and KIT in Karlsruhe for C4LaNd courses

Salary

Salary and benefits will be based on the Collective Agreement for the German Public Service Sector (TV-L, 75%.).
Funding is available for 3.5 years.

Application deadline, selection and expected start date

Applications uploaded as a single pdf should include a letter of motivation, CV, contact details of two references, and Bachelor and Master studies transcripts.
Applications are open until May 17. Interviews will be conducted before mid June. We expect the position to start ca. Oktober 2026.
Please apply here.

Contact person

For inquiries, please contact almut.arneth@kit.edu

Description and background

More information will follow.

Description and background

Do you want to pursue a PhD in Computer Science focused on the development of deep learning methods and apply these methods to a critical climate risk factor societies will face in the 21st century? If so, we encourage you to apply for our PhD position within the multidisciplinary, international research training group C4LaNd!

You will focus on advancing probabilistic deep learning models for spatiotemporal forecasting, with the primary goal of modelling multiple dimensions of wildfire risks, using data from both computer simulations and Earth observations (e.g., satellite data). A central component will be the development of improved algorithms, building on recent advances in AI such as versions of diffusion models. You will then apply these methodological developments to support climate change risk assessments. For example, your project will explore the combined impacts of climate change and changes in land use on biodiversity.

Ultimately, your wildfire model is intended to become a component of the dynamic global vegetation model LPJ-GUESS (https://web.nateko.lu.se/lpj-guess/download.html) and of the AI world model WOW of the Earth system (https://www.carl-zeiss-stiftung.de/en/project-overview/detail/wow-a-world-model-of-our-world). As such, your work will also lead to an improved online representation of wildfires in future climate and ecosystem simulations.

This PhD project will be based in the AI in Climate and Environmental Sciences research group (ki-klima.iti.kit.edu) at the Computer Science department of KIT in Karlsruhe, Germany. Your primary PhD supervisor will be Prof. Peer Nowack, and you will collaborate closely with Prof. Almut Arneth and Dr. Carolina Natel from KIT’s Atmospheric Environmental Research institute. Your Melbourne co-advisor will be Dr. Benjamin Henley.

Lines of research include

• Advancing deep learning methods for probabilistic spatiotemporal modelling.
• Using these methods to assess multiple dimensions of wildfire risk under future climate and land use scenarios, in particular concerning impacts on biodiversity.
• Collaborating with fellow C4LaNd PhD researchers and with modellers in the LPJ-GUESS and WOW research communities.
• Reviewing literature and other data sources to support your work.
• Presenting your results at national and international conferences.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in computer science, mathematics, physics, data science, or a related field.
• Strong programming skills, ideally in Python and C++.
• Fluency in English, written and spoken
• Delight in engaging within an international, multidisciplinary training programme.
• Willingness to undertake a one-year research stay at the University of Melbourne.

Salary

Salary and benefits will be based on the Collective Agreement for the German Public Service Sector (TV-L, 75%.).
Funding is available for 3.5 years.

Application deadline, selection and expected start date

Applications should include a letter of motivation, a CV, transcripts of your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees (for the latter, also preliminary transcripts), and the contact details of two academic referees.
Applications are open until May 17. Interviews will be conducted before mid June. We expect the position to start in November 2026.

Contact person

For inquiries, please contact Peer Nowack

Description and background

Do you have knowledge of land ecosystems, climate change and land use change? Do you have good quantitative and coding skills? Are you keen to apply these to address societal and ecological research challenges? If so, we can offer you to earn your PhD degree within the multidisciplinary, international research training group C4LaNd.
The PhD position 'Modelling Sustainable European Forests in a Future Climate' is within the Global Land-Ecosystem Modelling Group at KIT’s 'Campus Alpin' in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, partnered with Melbourne’s Quantitative Ecology Group
The overarching question of the doctoral research will be:
How can European forests be made ‘climate smart’ with synergies for multiple ecosystem services under different climate-change and socio-economic futures?

Lines of research include:

• Familiarize yourself with the ecosystem model LPJ-GUESS
• Further develop the parameterisation of European forest species in LPJ-GUESS
• Review literature and other data sources to support this parameterization
• Explore options of bringing plant functional trait-based approaches into the parameterization of European trees in the model
• Conduct simulations and evaluate output against observations
• Develop ideas for model applications, simulation set-up and analysis and publications
• Document code development and performance

Requirements

• M.Sc. degree in environmental science, ecology, meteorology, or related areas
• Knowledge in coding languages, ideally C++
• Proficiency in Python or R
• Fluency in English, written and spoken
• Delight in engaging within the environment of an international, multidisciplinary training programme
• Willingness to undertake a one-year research placement at the University of Melbourne and comply with formalities at both locations
• Readiness to engage within the LPJ-GUESS community
• Willingness to travel between KIT-Campus Alpin, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and KIT in Karlsruhe for C4LaNd courses

Salary

Salary and benefits will be based on the Collective Agreement for the German Public Service Sector (TV-L, 75%.).
Funding is available for 3.5 years.

Application deadline, selection and expected start date

Applications uploaded as a single pdf should include a letter of motivation, CV, contact details of two references, and Bachelor and Master studies transcripts.
Applications are open until May 17. Interviews will be conducted before mid June. We expect the position to start ca. Oktober 2026.
Please apply here.

Contact person

For inquiries, please contact almut.arneth@kit.edu

Further Reading

Smith, B., Warlind, D., Arneth, A., Hickler, T., Leadley, P., Siltberg, J., & Zaehle, S. (2014).
Implications of incorporating N cycling and N limitations on primary production in an individual-based dynamic vegetation model. Biogeosciences, 11(7), 2027-2054. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-2027-2014

Lindeskog, M., Smith, B., Lagergren, F., Sycheva, E., Ficko, A., Pretzsch, H., & Rammig, A. (2021).
Accounting for forest management in the estimation of forest carbon balance using the dynamic vegetation model LPJ-GUESS (v4.0, r9710): implementation and evaluation of simulations for Europe. Geosci. Model Dev., 14(10), 6071-6112. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-6071-2021

Ferretto, A., Anthoni, P., Pugh, T. A. M., Gregor, K., Thurner, M., Natel, C., Wårlind, D., Lindeskog, M., & Arneth, A. (2025).
The impact of changing forest composition in Europe - longest carbon turnover time in unmanaged and broadleaved deciduous forests. Plos One, 20(10), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0334118

Description and background

We propose to study tree and ecosystem responses to climate and environmental stresses in eucalypt forests along a climate gradient in southeastern Australia. The project will leverage substantial co-investment of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network and study tree and ecosystem responses on long-term ecosystem sites along a large climate gradient (290 – 1300 mm rainfall).
More information will follow.

Description and background

More information will follow.

Description and background

More information will follow.