Postdoctoral researcher in biodiversity of the atmosphere (m/f/d)- Leipzig University
Founded in 1409, Leipzig University is one of Germany’s largest universities and a leader in research and medical training. With around 30,000 students and more than 5000 members of staff across 14 faculties, it is at the heart of the vibrant and outward-looking city of Leipzig. Leipzig University offers an innovative and international working environment as well as an exciting range of career opportunities.
The Institute of Biology at the Faculty of Life Sciences seeks to fill the above position from 1 May 2023.
The composition and the number of biological particles in the atmosphere depends on the biodiversity and status of terrestrial emission sources, such as soil, vegetation and water bodies. Climate change and associated extreme events and disturbances may alter the biodiversity and emission characteristics of these sources. Forests are of great help in mitigating climate change by means of transpirational cooling and carbon sequestration. They also constitute a highly diverse source of biological particles that can be emitted into the atmosphere from the soil to the top layer of the canopy. The constituent tree species present different vertical and horizontal gradients of microclimatic conditions, which lead to the stratification of arboreal species communities. Using long-term and new bioaerosol samples from the Leipzig Canopy Crane, we will study how vertical emission patterns during climate extremes differ from normal seasonal cycles. In this project, the postdoctoral researcher will analyse by next-generation sequencing the nature and patterns of bioaerosols emitted in the forest in relation to long-term microclimatic data.