About the PhD Opportunity

The Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena invites applications for a fully funded PhD position in Atmospheric Carbon Flux Partitioning. This prestigious opportunity is part of the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) project—a major international collaboration between Germany and Brazil dedicated to understanding carbon dynamics in the Amazon rainforest.

This doctoral project focuses on top-down partitioning of Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) at regional scales using advanced atmospheric transport inversion methods, particularly the CarboScope Regional Inversion System.

Key Research Questions

• What drives seasonal variability in carbon fluxes—photosynthesis (GPP) or respiration (TER)?
• How can the ATTO tower’s observational footprint enhance regional carbon balance models?
• What insights can be drawn from nighttime CO₂ mole fraction data?

The research involves integrating high-resolution atmospheric data with biosphere models to analyze the biosphere-atmosphere carbon exchange in the Amazon region.

Your Role as a PhD Researcher

As a PhD candidate, you will:

• Enhance nocturnal boundary layer models using site-specific meteorological data
• Implement the Vegetation Photosynthesis and Respiration Model (VPRM) to estimate a priori fluxes
• Optimize and extend the Jena CarboScope inversion framework
• Validate model outputs using independent datasets such as 13C-CO₂ isotopes and ecosystem simulations
• Work closely with leading international experts from Germany and Brazil

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants should have:

• A Master’s degree in geosciences, environmental sciences, physics, or atmospheric sciences
• Strong analytical background in statistics, mathematics, and carbon cycle research
• Programming skills in languages such as Python or Julia
• Interest in biosphere modeling and atmospheric transport systems
• Excellent command of English (spoken and written)
• A passion for climate science and ecosystem research

Why Join This Program?

• Fully funded PhD position under the German TVöD Bund salary scheme
• Involvement in the elite BMBF-funded ATTO-Synthesis project
• Collaboration with world-class researchers from the BSAT and ATM groups at MPI
• Access to cutting-edge modeling tools and global atmospheric data sets
• Supportive, diverse, and interdisciplinary research environment

How to Apply

Submit the following as a single PDF (max 10 MB) to: bewerbung@bgc-jena.mpg.de

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Contact details of two academic referees

Subject/Reference: PhD Position 2 – Reference 12/2025
Deadline: June 20, 2025

Mailing Address (if required):
Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie
Personalbüro: Kennwort „PhD position 2”
Hans-Knöll-Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany

Note: Documents will be destroyed post-selection per GDPR rules. Please avoid sending original papers or folders.

Contact for More Information

• Project Lead: Dr. Santiago Botía
• Collaborator: Dr. Christoph Gerbig
• Email: szaehle@bgc-jena.mpg.de
• Official Website: www.attoproject.org

Boost Your Research Career in Climate Science

This is a rare opportunity to contribute to one of the most significant environmental projects of our time. Help decode the carbon flux puzzle of the Amazon while advancing your academic and research career at one of the world’s most respected institutes.

Apply by June 20, 2025, and become a part of cutting-edge climate science in Germany!