Postdoc Position in Soil Microbial Ecology and Fungal Soil Biogeochemistry at University of Hohenheim University of Hohenheim in Germany

University of Hohenheim is advertising a Postdoc Position in Soil Microbial Ecology (E13 TV-L, 100%, three years) in the Department of Soil Biology. The role is designed to support a new research direction in the lab and is especially relevant for candidates interested in soil microbial ecology, soil biology, microbiology, fungal ecology, biogeochemical processes, and soil carbon cycling.

The research environment is centered on the role of fungi in soil biogeochemical processes, including the functional translation of soil fungal community data into carbon cycling dynamics, life-history strategies, community ecology, molecular soil analyses, and “big data” work using global fungal trait and genome databases. Additional topics include fungal necromass and its significance for soil carbon cycling. The successful candidate will help establish novel molecular soil ecology methods in the lab, with a focus on high-throughput sequencing and preferably metagenomics and genome analyses.

This is a job-like postdoctoral opening rather than a scholarship. The position is funded by the Female Professors Programme and the professor’s appointment funds. It offers a full-time temporary contract for three years and is intended to help the appointee build an independent research profile while contributing to ongoing and related projects in the group.

Eligibility highlights include a Master’s or Diploma in biology, soil ecology, microbiology or a comparable field, plus a completed PhD in a related discipline. Applicants should have strong expertise in soil biology and microbiology, an ecological understanding of soil biogeochemical processes, excellent statistics and bioinformatics skills, experience with R, first-author publication experience, and fluent English. The post also involves independent project design, publication, conference presentations, supervision of students, and input for future grant applications.

The position is at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. The application deadline is 2026-04-27. Applicants must submit a single PDF through the university’s online portal, including a motivation letter with a short research agenda, two professional references, one recent publication, CV, and certificates.