University Assistant postdoctoral

At the University of Vienna, over 10,000 people work together on the big questions of the future. Approximately 7,500 of them are academic staff members. These are individuals who, with their curiosity and their continuous pursuit of excellence, engage in international cutting-edge research and teaching. With us, you will also find space to unfold your potential. We are looking for a/an

University Assistant postdoctoral

91 Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science

Job vacancy starting: 03/01/2025 (MM-DD-YYYY) | Working hours: 40,00 | Classification CBA: §48 VwGr. B1 lit. b (postdoc)

Limited contract until:

Job ID: 3650

Explore and teach at the University of Vienna, where over 7,500 brilliant minds have found a unique balance of freedom and support. Join us if you’re passionate about groundbreaking international research and academic excellence. Ready to be part of our team? Let’s shape the future together!

The Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science intends to strengthen its expertise at the interface between microbial ecology and ecosystem ecology and has an open PostDoc position for a scientist with strong expertise in these fields. We are a committed team and offer a creative working atmosphere in an international scientific environment, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, and flexible working hours.

The overall aim of the project is to shed light on C and nutrient exchange in the ectomycorrhizal symbiosis by combining C and N stable isotope tracing with cutting-edge visualisation techniques. Although the mycorrhizal symbiosis plays a crucial role in terrestrial C and N cycling, key drivers of C and N exchange between plants and EM fungi (f.e., reciprocity, sink strength) are still unknown.

Within this project we are looking for an excellent scientist with a background in soil microbial ecology, soil biogeochemistry, fungal ecology and/or plant physiology and a strong interest in the functioning of the ectomycorrhizal (EM) symbiosis. The successful candidate will investigate mechanisms of C and N exchange between plants and ectomycorrhizal fungi using stable-isotope tracing in intact plant-soil systems of young trees (f.e., by 13C PLFA SIP) and nanoscale-chemical imaging (such as NanoSIMS or Stimulated Raman spectroscopy) of the plant-fungal interface at the cellular scale. The candidate will work together with a PhD student who investigates fungal-bacterial interactions in the soil.

We are looking for a talented, highly motivated postdoctoral scientist who is excited to work with plant-soil interactions and stable isotope approaches in a highly international setting. The position is located in the Research Group of Christina Kaiser at TER, the Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science and will be associated to the Austrian Cluster of Excellence, Microbiomes Drive Planetary Health (https://microplanet.at/).

This position is limited to 3,5 years.

Active participation in research, teaching & administration, which means:

• You are involved in research projects and scientific studies.
• You publish internationally and give lectures.
• You supervise students.
• You participate in evaluation measures and in quality assurance.
• You take on administrative tasks in research, teaching and administration.

• You hold a PhD degree in an area of ecology, microbiology, environmental sciences, or a related field.
• You have experience with stable isotope tracing in plant-soil systems.
• You have experience with stable isotope imaging (such as NanoSIMS) and/or mass spectrometry (f.e. GC-MS)
• Excellent scientific track record (including first-author publications in international, peer-reviewed journals)
• Excellent English language skills (written and spoken)
• Team player, with a curious, independent, committed and motivated personality

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours, remote/hybrid and/or part-time work (upon agreement).

Inspiring working atmosphere: You are a part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.

Good public transport connections: Your workplace in the center of beautiful Vienna is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal further training & Coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.

Fixed-term contract and fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 4,932,90 (14 times a year) for a period of 3 years / 6 months increases if we can credit professional experience.

Equal opportunities for all: We welcome every additional/new personality to the team!

• With a letter of intent (1 page maximum) *
• With your scientific curriculum vitae (including a list of your publications)
• With a concise description of your research experience (1 page maximum)
• Doctoral Degree
• Contact details of two persons who could provide reference letters.

For further information please contact: christina.kaiser@univie.ac.at

Christina Kaiser

christina.kaiser@univie.ac.at

We look forward to new personalities in our team!
The University of Vienna has an anti-discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women and diversity. We lay special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions among the academic and general university staff and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.

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​Application deadline: 02/21/2025 (MM-DD-YYYY)