PhD Researcher (m/f/d): Understanding climate risks to global food security

Max Planck Society; Jena; On-site; EUR 39,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flextime & remote work options

Transport subsidy

Training opportunities

Language courses

Health courses

Graduate school admission

Job summary

Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Jena seeks a Doctoral researcher to study climate extremes and their agricultural impacts. You will work in an interdisciplinary team, using climate data, statistics, and machine learning to advance understanding of Anthropocene dynamics.

The position starts January 2027 with competitive PhD-level salaries and travel support. You will contribute to a graduate program and have access to advanced training within the Max Planck Society, including language

Qualifications

• Master's degree in climate science, atmospheric science, physics, geosciences, environmental science, statistics or related field.
• Programming skills with Python and/or R and handling gridded/time-series data.
• Strong motivation for independent research in an interdisciplinary setting.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Analyse physical drivers and statistics of extreme weather using observations, reanalysis, and climate-model output.
• Investigate climate change impacts on past/present/future agricultural losses and seasonal changes.
• Develop and apply statistical methods for attribution of agricultural impacts.
• Publish research in doctoral thesis and in international journals.
• Present results at conferences and group events; participate in Summer Schools and Workshops.

Skills

Python

R

Interdisciplinary research

English (written/spoken)

Education

Master's degree in climate science/geosciences

Job description

Scientist Jena

Developmental and Evolutionary Biology & Genetics Immunobiology and Infection Biology & Medicine Earth Sciences and Climate Research Social Sciences Linguistics

Job Offer from October 23, 2026

The Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (MPI-GEA) was founded in summer 2022 and is a dynamically growing, highly-interdisciplinary and international research institution. The research focuses on modeling and analyzing the interrelationships between biophysical and human-made systems, looking from the deep past to the future. The institute examines how humanity has driven the emergence of the Anthropocene – the period in which human activities began significantly impacting our planet’s climate and ecosystems – and identifying potential intervention points towards a more sustainable future.

The Carl Zeiss Stiftung Independent Research Group on High-End Climate Risks (CZS-HECR) at MPI-GEA works towards an end-to-end understanding of worst-case climate outcomes, from unprecedented and compounding extremes to their societal impacts. The group combines fundamental physical process understanding rooted in climate physics and Earth System analyses, targeted climate model experiments, advanced statistics, including machine-learning- and explainable AI to deliver usable climate risk estimates under current and future climates for core societal sectors such as health, food, energy and finance.

Doctoral researchers join an interdisciplinary team, and a broad international network are provided with highly competitive research conditions including generous support for travel and research visits.

Candidate tasks

• Analyse the physical drivers and statistical properties of compounding and record-breaking extreme weather events using observations, reanalysis and climate model output
• Investigate the role of climate change in past, present and future agricultural losses including seasonal changes, the timing and sequencing of single and multi-hazards,
• Develop and apply statistical methods for agricultural impact attribution
• Write and publish your research as a doctoral thesis and papers in international journals
• Present results at conferences and group events, and take part in training such as Summer Schools and Workshops

Your qualification

Essential

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in climate science, atmospheric science, physics, geosciences, environmental science, statistics or a related field
• Programming skills (e.g. Python, R) and experience handling gridded or time-series data
• Strong motivation for independent, interdisciplinary research
• Good command of written and spoken English

Advantageous

• Experience with climate model output, reanalysis data or extreme event analysis
• Knowledge of extreme value statistics, compound events or time-series methods
• Experience with agricultural modelling and agricultural datasets
• Experience with machine learning or causal methods
• Previous research experience, e.g. a Master's thesis in a related topic

Our offer

The position will begin on the 1st of January 2027 though some flexibility in start date is possible. Remuneration will follow the standard PhD salaries given in the Max Planck Society which correspond to 65% of EG 13 TvöD (Bund). The position includes 31 days of annual leave.

• We also offer attractive and family-friendly flextime and options for remote work.
• Additional benefits include an employer subsidy for public transport, access to training opportunities within the Max Planck Society, as well as language and health courses.
• The successful candidate can apply for admission to our graduate school “International Max Planck Research School for Modeling the Anthropocene”.

The Max Planck Society is committed to employing more individuals with disabilities and especially encourages them to apply.

We are also committed to encouraging diversity and actively challenging biases based on gender, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion and other components of identity.

We were honored with the TOTAL E-QUALITY award for the first time in 2023 for our commitment.

Position remains open until filled.

Contact for more information

Application portal

Dr. Kai Kornhuber

Email: [e-mail]