The Department of Coevolution of Land Use and Urbanization, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany is pleased to announce a new vacancy for a Research Fellowship position in the area of biomarker analysis and long-term urban-environment interactions and land use. Particular focus in the position will be on the ways in which changes in urban settlement areas have impacted environments, pollutant accumulation, and landscape change, drawing on palaeoenvironmental and historical datasets. The full-time position will be for a period of up to 3 years and based in Jena, Germany. 

The Department of Coevolution of Land Use and Urbanization studies the long-term interaction between cities (and their non-urban counterparts), land use, and the Earth system.  Through state-of-the-art fieldwork, archival research, and laboratory analyses, as well as data compilation, it connects observations from the deep past to present planning and future predictions and explore urbanisation as a non-linear, dynamic process, answering questions such as:

• Are there commonalities, differences, or sustainability predictors for urban phenomena and their associated land uses and Earth system interactions across time and space?
• Have major political, economic and climatic changes resulted in ‘tipping points’ or path dependencies in urban and land use trajectories?

Candidate tasks

 

The successful candidate will play a central role in the Department and its outputs (e.g. publications, data synthesis, policy contributions). They will integrate multidisciplinary research (including palaeoenvironmental-, geochemical-, archaeological-, historical-, and contemporary urban studies) and datasets into current debates in Urban Studies. The candidate should have a background in studying biomarker records of environmental change and anthropogenic impacts, ideally within urban contexts. They should also have an interest in how historical, archaeological, and palaeoenvironmental datasets of different temporal and spatial scales, with complicated uncertainties, can be used to address temporary concerns.

The candidate will work in a leading global centre for deep time and contemporary social and Earth system research at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, an institute combining archaeological, anthropological, geochemical, and Earth system expertise in computational modelling, social theory, and fieldwork and laboratory methodologies. They will also work closely with key project partners and will be expected to also work within the framework of ongoing international research initiatives to ensure maximum reach of results.

Candidate qualifications

The ideal applicant will have a background in Geochemistry, Palaeoenvironmental, Palaeoecological or Environmental research or a strong track record of having applied methods from these areas. In-depth knowledge of biomarker approaches, sedimentary archives, and debates regarding urban-environment interactions are essential. Other prerequisites include evidence of strong oral and written communication skills, including an excellent publication record, commensurate with career stage and care duties. Willingness to work as part of a team, travel to field sites, a strong work ethic, and the ability to complete tasks in a timely and structured fashion are also necessities.

Essential:

• PhD and Masters degree in Geochemistry, Palaeoenvironmental, Palaeoecological, or Environmental research, or a similar discipline or specialism.
• Hands-on, practical experience with sediment archives and analysis of biomarkers for understanding long-term human-environment relationships, ideally in the context of urban settlements.

Advantageous:

• Analytical experience of palaeoenvironmental, historical and archaeological datasets as well as their relative limitations in relating to contemporary questions
• Enthusiasm for applying archaeological, historical and ethnographic insights into contemporary understandings of urban relationships to the Earth system.
• Experience in public outreach on land use impacts and urban-environment relationships.
• Outreach skills in the context of communicated urban resilience or the ramifications of human land-use to a non-academic audience.