Postdoctoral researcher (f_m_x) in Earth System Modelling

Area of research:

Scientific / postdoctoral posts

Job description:

GFZ is Germany’s national centre for solid Earth research. We advance the understanding of dynamic processes to address global challenges, from mitigating the impacts of natural hazards and sustaining our habitat amid global change to responsibly managing georesources. We are part of the Helmholtz Association, the largest German scientific organisation. With around 1,200 employees as well as ca. 500 guest researchers, we contribute to the Helmholtz Research Field Earth and Environment, aligning cutting-edge research with societal relevance and international collaboration. Our work integrates multidisciplinary studies across Earth’s system components, leveraging advanced technologies and infrastructure to research solutions and to transfer our knowledge to society. We are doing this according to our vision: “Taking the pulse of our Earth to safeguard a habitable planet”.

For section 1.3 Earth System Modelling (department “Geodesy”), we are looking for a: Reference Number 10215

Section 1.3 “Earth System-Modelling” at GFZ is looking for a domain researcher with experience in Earth System Modelling or Earth Observations to work on a Chat-Based Geoscientific Research Transformer (chatGRT). Together with our partner institution the German Climate Computing Center (DKRZ, cf. vacancies there) funded by the Volkswagen Foundation “Impetus”, we are building an AI-powered, chat-based tool that frees scientists from tedious data handling and coding tasks, allowing them to focus on groundbreaking discoveries. By seamlessly connecting top research tools with diverse climate data, chatGRT translates research questions into actionable scripts – delivering answers, plots, and insights at the click of a button. Collaborating closely with domain scientists and AI experts, you will ensure that chatGRT is not only scientifically accurate and efficient but also secure, reproducible, and user-friendly.

Your responsibilities:

• Preparation of large-scale Earth system data, e.g., ocean, cryosphere, or hydrology
• Processing of in-situ and remotely sensed observations, e.g., from satellites or floats
• Compare traditional and LLM based analyses of modelled and observed data
• Monitoring, benchmarking and testing of the approaches
• Fine-tuning of open source GPT/LLM
• Close cooperation with the AI developers at DKRZ

Your qualifications:

• Master (or equivalent) and PhD degree in physics, geodesy, geosciences or related fields
• Programming skills in high-level statistical software or geospatial software
• Experience with Earth system observations and climate model data
• Good knowledge of English

What we offer:

• Ambitious and varied tasks in a dynamic and international research environment
• State-of-the-art equipment
• Public service benefits
• Extensive training opportunities
• Professional career advice offered by our in-house Career-Centre
• Flexible working hours and conditions
• Support with finding a good work-life balance offered by
• Institute day-care centre on site
• Working at the Albert Einstein science park on the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam
• Work place within walking distance of Potsdam main train station, or just a short ride on the shuttle bus

Start date: As soon as possible
Fixed-term: 36 months
Salary: The position is classed as salary group 13 according to “TVöD Bund (Tarifgebiet Ost)”. The salary group is determined on the basis of the Collective Wage Agreement and the respective personal qualifications.
Working hours: Full-time (currently 39 h/week); The position is generally suitable for part-time work.
Place of work: Potsdam

Have we piqued your interest? If so, we look forward to receiving your application by 16th March 2025 .

Required documents: CV, letter of motivation and certificates (grades). Please use our online application form only.

The GFZ actively promotes diversity and explicitly welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of ethnic and social origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation and identity, religion/belief, age and physical characteristics. We also promote an inclusive working environment in which everyone can fully develop their own talents. Anyone who has been recognised as severely disabled, will be given preferential consideration in the event of equal suitability and qualification in accordance with the provisions of the German Social Code IX. If you have any questions, please contact our Representative Body for Employees with Disabilities, who will be happy to assist you in the further application process. In case of further queries regarding gender equality, please do not hesitate to contact our Equal Opportunities Officer.

“Diversity in perspectives” is one of GFZ’s core values. As an integral part of supporting diversity at our centre, we actively promote women in science and in leadership positions. We among others do this through our gender equality plan and the cascade model measures which we actively implement to enable sustainable equal opportunities in academic career paths. The GFZ thus committedly strives for gender equality in science, including in leadership positions, and strongly encourages women to apply.

Your personal data will be processed for the purpose of conducting the selection procedure on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 b, Art. 88 GDPR in conjunction with Art. 26 of the Data Protection Act for the State of Brandenburg. After completion of the procedure, application documents will be deleted in compliance with data protection regulations.

In case of any further queries relating to the field of activity, please contact Dr. Jan Saynisch-Wagner via email. If you have any general questions about the application process, please contact our recruiting team at our phone number +49 (0) 331-6264-28787.

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.

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