Scientific employee (PhD student) for (f/m/d) for dust aerosol modelling FINDUS2
Leipzig, 21.04.2026
The Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research is a research institute of the Leibniz
Association and an internationally renowned institute in the field of aerosol and cloud research.
As part of the research project “Aerosol-radiative forcing associated with fire-driven dust emissions in a changing environment”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), a PhD position is available for 3 years. It is aimed at prospective PhD students who wish to conduct research on the fascinating topic of “dust in the Earth system” and who wish to combine model development with the investigation of the role of dust in the Earth system.
The central research focus of the future post holder will be the further development of the dust module in the global aerosol-atmosphere model ICON-HAM, as well as the investigation of the radiative forcing of mineral dust aerosols in a changing environment.
TROPOS is looking for a scientific employee (female/ male/ diverse) for the following tasks:
- Model development with the HAM aerosol modul
- Performing and evaluating numerical simulations
- Investigating the impact of environmental changes on fire-driven dust emissions
- Quantifying the aerosol-radiative forcing
We are looking for an early career scientist (PhD student) with a master’s degree in meteorology, atmospheric physics or a related field. Practical experience in atmospheric modelling, as well as excellent programming skills and experience with UNIX/Linux-based computing environments would be an advantage. Excellent written and spoken Englisch and an interest in interdisciplinary research are also desirable.
The ideal starting date would be 01st July 2026, with a fixed term to 30th June 2029 (3 years).
We offer you an exciting job with a varied activity in an interdisciplinary working environment and a variety of work and family offers as well as flexible working hours and daycare places.
The employment is temporary and includes a part-time position (75%) with 30 hours/week. It is a remuneration in accordance with TV-L pay group 13, including the attractive social benefits of the public sector.
TROPOS values the diversity of its employees and pursues the goals of equal opportunity. The institute aims to increase the proportion of female employees in scientific and science-related positions and therefore specifically encourages female candidates to apply. People with disabilities (“Schwerbehinderung” according to Book IX of the German Social Code) have priority in the hiring process if they have the same suitability, aptitude and professional qualifications.
If you are interested, please send your complete and informative application documents (including references) by 15th May 2026 exclusively by e-mail in one coherent PDF document to:
If you have any questions about this job offer, please contact:
Kerstin Schepanski, schepanski[at]tropos.de
By submitting the application documents by e-mail, the applicant agrees to the storage/processing of personal data in accordance with Art. 13 DSGVO for the purpose of selection for this job advertisement. The risks of sending documents electronically are hereby pointed out.
You can find more information about TROPOS on the homepage: www.tropos.de