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Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology

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PhD Researcher in Climate Risks to Global Food Security Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany

Degree Level

PhD

Field of study

Computer Science

Funding

Doctoral position with highly competitive research conditions and generous support for travel and research visits. Salary follows the standard Max Planck PhD scale, corresponding to 65% of EG 13 TVöD (Bund). Includes 31 days of annual leave, flextime, remote work options, public transport subsidy, and access to training, language, and health courses.

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Country

Germany

University

Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology

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Keywords

Computer Science
Environmental Science
Agriculture
Biology
Earth Science
Statistics
Climate Risk
ML

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About this position

PhD Researcher opportunity at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (MPI-GEA) in Jena, Germany, focused on climate risks to global food security. The project sits in the Carl Zeiss Stiftung Independent Research Group on High-End Climate Risks (CZS-HECR) and is part of a highly interdisciplinary environment combining climate physics, Earth system analysis, statistics, machine learning, and explainable AI.

The doctoral researcher will study the physical drivers and statistical properties of compounding and record-breaking extreme weather events using observations, reanalysis, and climate model output. The research also examines the role of climate change in past, present, and future agricultural losses, including seasonal changes and the timing/sequencing of single and multi-hazard events. A key part of the work is developing and applying statistical methods for agricultural impact attribution, then communicating results through a doctoral thesis, journal papers, conferences, and group events.

Eligibility highlights include a Master's degree (or equivalent) in climate science, atmospheric science, physics, geosciences, environmental science, statistics, or a related field. Applicants should have programming skills such as Python or R, experience with gridded or time-series data, strong motivation for independent interdisciplinary research, and good English. Helpful extras include experience with climate model output, reanalysis data, extreme event analysis, extreme value statistics, compound events, agricultural modelling, machine learning, or causal methods.

Funding and benefits are strong for a PhD post: salary follows the Max Planck standard PhD scale (65% of EG 13 TVöD Bund), with 31 days annual leave, flextime, remote work options, public transport subsidy, and access to training plus language and health courses. The successful candidate may also apply for admission to the International Max Planck Research School for Modeling the Anthropocene.

Applications are submitted via the portal and should include a cover letter, CV, research-interest summary, relevant publications or thesis if applicable, referee contacts, and certificates. The position is open until filled.

Funding details

Doctoral position with highly competitive research conditions and generous support for travel and research visits. Salary follows the standard Max Planck PhD scale, corresponding to 65% of EG 13 TVöD (Bund). Includes 31 days of annual leave, flextime, remote work options, public transport subsidy, and access to training, language, and health courses.

What's required

Master's degree or equivalent in climate science, atmospheric science, physics, geosciences, environmental science, statistics, or a related field; programming skills such as Python or R; experience handling gridded or time-series data; strong motivation for independent interdisciplinary research; good written and spoken English. Advantageous: experience with climate model output, reanalysis data, extreme event analysis, extreme value statistics, compound events, time-series methods, agricultural modelling and datasets, machine learning or causal methods, and previous research experience such as a Master's thesis in a related topic.

How to apply

Apply through the application portal and include a cover letter, CV (max 3 pages), summary of research interests (max 2 pages), relevant publications or thesis if applicable, contacts of two referees, and any relevant certificates. The position remains open until filled.

More information can be found here

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