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
PhD position in Tropical Ecology : ANT-PLANT INTERACTIONS
We are looking for a person interested in ant-plants interactions to do doctoral studies in the Reassembly´s subproject Biotic defences: Multitrophic effects of ant-plant mutualisms in forest recovery co supervised by Prof. Heike Feldhaar (University of Bayreuth, Germany) and Prof. David A. Donoso (Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador). . The project aims to characterize ant-plant interaction networks along a forest recovery gradient and how these are influenced by ant as well as plant functional traits. The successful candidate will measure the effect of ants on herbivory, herbivore and predator assemblages, as well as the development of epiphylls on leaf surfaces, which may indirectly affect plant performance. Extensive field work will be conducted in one of the global biodiversity hotspots, in the Canadé reserve, in the Chocó rainforest in NW Ecuador.
The position is fixed-term for 48 months starting at the beginning of 2026, giving you adequate time and ample opportunity to conduct independent research and complete a doctoral degree (compliant with §2,1 of the WissZeitVG in Germany). The first two years will be hosted at Universidad de las Américas (UDLA) with fieldwork in Ecuador, and the following two years at Bayreuth University. The salary will be adjusted to reflect local living conditions and employment regulations in each country.
We are seeking an enthusiastic early-career researcher with a creative, analytical mindset, strong motivation for tropical research, good social skills, and the ability to work independently to develop the project.
For more information click here
PhD position in Tropical Ecosystem Ecology: TREE DEFENSE, EPIPHYLSS AND INSECT HERBIVORES IN TREES
We offer a PhD position within the research unit FOR 5207 “Biotic interactions, community assembly, and eco-evolutionary dynamics as drivers of long-term biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships” (www.reassembly.de). The position is fixed-term for 48 months, providing adequate time to conduct independent research and complete a doctoral degree. The first two years with fieldwork at Canandé reserve in the Chocó rainforest in Ecuador will be hosted at Universidad de las Américas Ecuador (UDLA) at Quito and the following two years at Kiel University. The salary will be adjusted to reflect local living conditions and employment regulations in each country.
The position will ideally start on February 1, 2026. We offer an excellent research environment at the Botanical Institute at Kiel University in Germany right by the Baltic Sea and at UDLA in Quito, Ecuador, close to the Canandé field station. Our team comprises enthusiastic scientists from a variety of different nationalities. The PhD student will be co-supervised by Prof. Dr. María-José Endara Burbano (UDLA, Quito) and Prof. Dr. Nico Blüthgen, Technical University of Darmstadt and associated with Kiel Plant Center.
For more information click here
We seek a highly motivated early-career researcher with creativity, statistical and analytical skills, and a strong interest in tropical research and chemical ecology, capable of working independently to advance the project.
PhD in Tropical Ecology in the project: The importance of seed-dispersing animals for forest recovery
We have available positions within this project, each with a different research focus. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Eike-Lena Neuschulz and Matthias Schleuning (for general inquiries), or in Ecuador, Boris Tinoco for bird-related positions, and Mark Tschapka and Santiago Burneo for bat-related positions. The positions will be announced on the respective institutional webpages, and we will update this page as soon as the announcements are published. The expected start date is March 2026.
Contact us if you are interested in any scientific collaboration.