The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) with its 1,100 employees has gained an excellent reputation as an international competence centre for environmental sciences. We are part of the largest scientific organisation in Germany, the Helmholtz association. Our mission: Our research seeks to find a balance between social development and the long-term protection of our natural resources.
The jobMikroSafari is a citizen science project, taking place in Leipzig, Halle and Berlin. Through pitfall trap and baiting experiments schools in these three cities will investigate how microclimate and urbanization are affecting invertebrate communities. The schools will conduct their experiments in May, after which researchers will sort and identify the collected specimens and give the schools feedback on their findings. At the same time, schools will also be collecting microclimate data and the participating students will answer questionnaires on their interest and knowledge of nature and invertebrates. Your main workplace will be with the Ecosystem Services Group at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig). We offer research training in a diverse, welcoming, and motivated team, supervised by experienced researchers at a unique research centre and the possibility to work on exciting ecological questions. The successful applicant is welcome and encouraged to develop their own research questions and project using the MikroSafari data. The position may be extended beyond the initial 4 months.
Your tasksThe work will comprise many different aspects, including but not limited to:
Anyone with an interest in the project is welcome to apply, but preference will be given to applicants with the following profile: