Postdoctoral Researcher in Macroevolution and Macroecology

Job advertisement

Vacancy ID: 243/2026

Closing date: 2026-10-01

The Friedrich Schiller University Jena is a dynamic and innovation-driven university centrally located in Germany. With a broad range of disciplines, it shapes the future through excellent research and teaching. Its scientific excellence is reflected in the profile areas Light – Life – Liberty, which provide pioneering insights and sustainable solutions for the society of tomorrow. Through close collaborations with leading research institutions, innovative companies, and renowned cultural organizations, it advances interdisciplinary developments. With around 17,000 students and approximately 10,000 employees, it defines Jena as a vibrant, internationally connected city of science and innovation.

The German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig – iDiv is a world-leading centre for biodiversity science and focuses on understanding biodiversity on our planet. Founded in 2012 with funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG), iDiv has since grown to over 300 employees and 170 members. iDiv is largely funded by the three central German states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony. Their three universities in Halle, Jena and Leipzig operate the research centre in cooperation with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ. More information about iDiv: .

In the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, we are looking for a

Postdoctoral Researcher in Macroevolution and Macroecology

commencing on December 1, 2026.

We offer a full-time position (40 hours per week) on a fixed-term basis for 3 years. A reduced working time with a minimum of 75% (30 hours per week) is also possible. Workplace will be at iDiv in Leipzig.

The position will be part of the research group “Biodiversity in the Anthropocene (BinA)”. Our research focusses on large-scale biodiversity patterns of vertebrates in time and space. We integrate datasets and approaches from macroecology, macroevolution, biogeography, and palaeontology, and aim to understand how biodiversity is distributed across the world today, how it has originated and changed through geological history, and how we can predict future biodiversity patterns under global change.

As part of a dynamic and international team in Leipzig, you will be responsible for developing macroevolutionary or macroecological research that investigates how the evolutionary history of species, their traits, and their environmental context influence present-day large-scale biodiversity patterns, focussing on birds or mammals. Your research will link large comparative datasets on spatial occurrence, species traits, and phylogenies to address key research questions on diversification of species and higher taxa, biogeography, trait evolution, or trait-based ecology.

Your responsibilities:

You develop your own research profile in the field of macroevolution and macroecology, focussing on birds or mammals

You contribute macroevolutionary expertise to ongoing research in the “Biodiversity in the Anthropocene” team

You support teaching and thesis supervision in the BSc and MSc degree programmes of the Faculty of Biological Sciences

You publish scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals

You present your research at national and international meetings and conferences

Your profile:

You have successfully graduated from a university with a Master degree or Dip