The Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences is the national centre for geosphere research. As a member of the Helmholtz Association we are part of the largest German scientific organization. With around 1,300 employees (including our guests) we develop a sound understanding of the systems and processes of the solid Earth as well as strategies and options for action to face global change and its regional impacts, to understand natural hazards and reduce associated risks, and to assess the influence of humans on the Earth's system.

As a partner in Geo.X, the GFZ has access to an excellent network of other geoscience institutions in Potsdam and Berlin. This largest regional concentration of geoscientific competence in Europe offers first-class cooperation and development opportunities.

For section 4.6 "Geomorphology" (department 4 "Geosystems"), we are looking for 1 or 2:

PhD Student(s) (f/m/x) Landscape Response to Climate Change Reference Number 4761

The ERC Consolidator Grant "GyroSCoPe: Geomorphic and Sedimentary response to Climate Periodicity" is designed to explore how periodic forcing of climate and changes in the dominant forcing period through time affect (1) landscape evolution of mountainous regions, (2) the morphology of alluvial channels, and (3) the arrival of sediment signals in downstream sedimentary sinks. A team of multiple postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, and Masters students will pursue these questions in three selected field areas: the Central Andes of Argentina, the Patagonian Andes of Chile and Argentina, and the Kyrgyz Tien Shan.

Your responsibilities:

help organize and implement field campaigns to collect data with the aim of testing hypotheses related to the impact of the Mid-Pleistocene Transition on landscape evolution and sediment transport
perform laboratory work to process samples for analysis
test new data against models
present results at international conferences, archive data, and publish results in peer-reviewed ISI journals

Your qualifications:

master's degree in Geosciences, Geological engineering, or related natural sciences
familiarity with or strong interest in fluvial geomorphology, sediment transport, techniques for dating landforms (OSL, cosmogenic nuclides, 14C), and/or techniques for tracking changes in landscape relief (low-temperature thermochronology)
interest in and willingness to conduct field work and data collection
ability to work within a team, with excellent interpersonal skills
attention to detail with strong organizational skills
strong writing and communication skills
fluency in spoken and written English required; basic German-language skills would be helpful, but not required

Additional desired qualifications:

some experience with organizing data in a geographic information system (ArcMap/QGIS)
some experience with laboratory work

Starting date:	1^st September 2021
Fixed term:	3 years
Working hours:	part-time 75% (currently 29.25 h/week)
Salary:	This position has been assessed as being salary group 13 according to "TVöD Bund (Tarifgebiet Ost)". The salary group will be determined by the conditions of the collective wage agreement and the appropriate personal qualifications.
Location:	Potsdam