PostDoc positions and PhD positions (see below)
Three exciting postdoc positions on ecological synthesis:
1-2 open positions for synthesis in the Infrastructure Priority Programme Biodiversity Exploratories (3 years)*
1 open position for synthesis in the Research Unit Reassembly (Ecuador) (4 years)
Positions will be located in the Ecological Networks lab at the TU Darmstadt, starting around March 2026 and will form a dynamic team. Successful candidates must hold a Dr./PhD in ecology or related subjects, and ideally have some postdoctoral experience as well.
Important criteria:
(1) Do you have experience of managing and analysing large, complex datasets using advanced statistical methods?
(2) Have you successfully published your research in renowned scientific journals?
(3) Would you enjoy working in a team with several international scientists from different ecological disciplines and supporting young international scientists with data analysis (e.g. providing help desk support and running workshops)?
Focal topics include (but are not restricted to) biodiversity change, community ecology, species interaction networks, functional traits, climate change responses, microclimate, time series, land use and ecosystem regeneration. In both projects, the postdoc positions will lead major syntheses across different subprojects and multiple taxa, advise others, conduct workshops and support subprojects with analyses and further syntheses.
You can apply for one or both positions / projects; please indicate your preference. Please send your application to Nico Blüthgen (bluethgen@bio.tu-darmstadt.de) before October 25th 2025 or preferably sooner. You may also send an informal request beforehand, together with your Google Scholar link and/or publication list. Emails will receive a confirmation within 3 days, if not, please don’t hesitate to send a reminder.
Positions are full-time and expected to be in Darmstadt; visits to field sites and conferences are welcome. Part-time positions are also possible.
Our lab: Research in the Ecological Networks lab led by Prof. Nico Blüthgen focuses on species interactions across different ecosystems and functional groups, their responses to land-use and climate change, ecosystem restoration and biodiversity. Nico Blüthgen is the speaker of the Research Unit “Reassembly” and the designated speaker of the “Biodiversity Exploratories” infrastructure programme. Other focal topics in research and teaching include investigations on climate change effects on biodiversity and ecosystem properties in forests surrounding Darmstadt. We share the lab with the Evolutionary Animal Ecology group led by Prof. Michael Heethoff working on soil ecology, functional morphology of predator-prey interactions and 3D imaging and digitisation of arthropods. The joint lab has a vibrant exchange across people, projects and a broad spectrum of methods, and besides having their own focus, researchers in the lab actively participate across projects.
Technical University of Darmstadt is one of Germany’s leading universities and offers an inspiring professional environment: Over 5,000 employees work, research and teach at TU Darmstadt in a wide variety of positions. As an employer, we value diversity, equal opportunities and opportunities for personal development. TU Darmstadt stands for openness and international focus in study, teaching and research and is open for students and scientists from all over the world.
*) subject to final confirmation by DFG by the end of December (Exploratories)
PhD opportunities
PhD position in Tropical Ecosystem Ecology
Institute of Botany, Ulm University
Start: beginning of 2026 Duration: 48 months
Are you passionate about tropical forest research? Are you curious about plant-soil interactions and ecosystem function? Do you have a good understanding of experimental research and experience of tropical fieldwork? If you’ve just answered ‘yes’ to these questions, we invite you to apply for an exciting PhD position at the Institute of Botany, Ulm University and the Universidad de San Francisco in Quito (USFQ) in Ecuador.
The position is fixed-term for 48 months, giving you adequate time and ample opportunity to conduct independent research and complete a doctoral degree (compliant with §2,1 of the WissZeitVG). The first two years will be hosted at USFQ with fieldwork in Ecuador, and the following two years at Ulm University. The salary will be adjusted to reflect local living conditions and employment regulations in each country.
Project description
The position is part of the German Research Foundation (DFG)-funded project Life after death: litter decomposition as a keystone process in tropical forest recovery within the “Reassembly” Research Unit (www.reassembly.de), co-supervised by Prof. Emma Sayer (Ulm University) and Prof. Esteban Suárez (USFQ, Ecuador). The research comprises novel field experiments at the Canadé reserve in the beautiful Chocó rainforest in Ecuador to test linkages between plant functional diversity, litter arthropods, and ecosystem processes and along a forest regeneration gradient.
We seek an enthusiastic early-career researcher with a creative, analytical mindset, strong motivation for tropical research, and the ability to work independently to develop the project.
For more information click here
Other opportunities
We offer several doctoral (PhD) positions in the following research areas: Seed dispersal, seedling ecology, tree defenses and epiphylls and ant ecology. All PhD positions are jointly supervised by Ecuadorian and German institutions, with a 50/50 affiliation in each country. The first two years of the program will take place in Ecuador, with an expected start date in March 2026. Further details will be provided soon. In the meantime, we invite you to check for the job positions on the websites of the principal investigators’ (PIs) institutions and contact them directly for more information. Some positions will be announced on the institutions’ websites in the following weeks.
Seed dispersal
Eike-Lena Neuschulz, Matthias Schleuning, Mark Tschapka
Collaborators: Santiago Burneo, Boris Tinoco
Seedling ecology
Nina Farwig, Katrin Heer
Collaborators: Juan Ernesto Guevara, Nora Oleas
Tree defenses, epiphylls, and herbivorous insects
Sybille B. Unsicker, Sebastian Hess, Nico Blüthgen, Thomas Schmitt
Collaborator: María José Endara
Ant ecology
(Biotic defenses: multitrophic effects of ant–plant mutualisms)
Heike Feldhaar
Collaborator: David A. Donoso
Contact us if you are interested in any scientific collaboration.