Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/x) in Social-Ecological Systems Research - Inklusiver Job 🦼 🦻 🦯

The UFZ

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 job

The newly established research group in the BMFTR-funded project BirdFutures is seeking an independent and highly motivated social-ecological scientist to lead stakeholder engagement and co-production processes aiming at bending the curve of biodiversity loss.

BirdFutures is part of the broader UFZ TripleBird Project (BirdFutures, BirdTwin, BirdBusiness), with the mission to develop bird diversity models, scenarios, and data products that support societal, business, and financial decision-making across Europe. In this role, you will engage at the interface between biodiversity conservation and social systems, co-developing sector-specific scenarios of future developments (e.g., farmland, forestry) together with nature and bird conservation stakeholders, as well as the business and/or finance sector. The resulting scenarios will directly feed modelling and forecasting of biodiversity outcomes at German and European level.

This position offers a unique opportunity to become a member of a new, ambitious, and high-impact project within a dynamic, highly interdisciplinary environment at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), two of Europe’s leading centers for biodiversity and environmental research. You will benefit from excellent resources, a strong international network of collaborators, and dedicated support for your professional development, while contributing to a project that directly informs European conservation policy and practice.

Your tasks

You will take on responsibility for social-ecological scenario development within the BirdFutures project. You will work in close collaboration with ecological modelers, programmers, product managers, social scientists, and other colleagues from the BirdBusiness and BirdTwin projects. You will ensure effective integration of stakeholder knowledge and needs – from bird and nature conservation and the business and finance sector – into scenarios for biodiversity modelling and the development of decision-support tools.

• Conduct stakeholder mapping and analysis to identify key actors, their preferences, and their roles in biodiversity management and restoration, considering the respective policies as well as potential public and private funding mechanisms.
• Design, facilitate, and lead a participatory co-production process (e.g., workshops, multi-stakeholder formats) to develop and refine a catalogue of actionable measures and indicators to support long-term viability of bird populations, and to assess their feasibility and acceptance.
• Contribute to sector-specific scenarios for forecasting the impact of management measures on the abundance and distribution of bird populations.
• Apply systems thinking approaches to support scenario development, including the identification and communication of trade-offs, synergies, and uncertainties associated with different policy and management options.
• Facilitate transdisciplinary collaboration between stakeholders, ecological modelers, and software engineers, ensuring that stakeholder and policy-relevant measures are accurately reflected in modelling scenarios and data products, and that model assumptions, outputs, uncertainties, and limitations are clearly communicated in decision-relevant formats.
• If desired, the publication of findings in leading interdisciplinary journals is encouraged and supported.

We offer

• The freedom to master even the most demanding challenges between basic research and practical application
• The chance to work in interdisciplinary, international teams and benefit from a variety of perspectives
• Firstclass integration into national and international research networks to work together on global challenges
• Excellent research infrastructure and research data management to optimally support your work
• Flexible working hours and a wide range of options for balancing work and care responsibilities through our family office
• Competent support and advice for international colleagues arriving at the UFZ from the 'International Office'
• Special annual payment, capital-forming benefits and subsidised Germany Job Ticket
• A workplace in a vibrant region with a high life quality and social and cultural diversity

Your profile

• PhD in Environmental Social Science, Human Geography, Sustainability Science, Political Science, Social Science, or a related field, with basic knowledge on management and conservation of biodiversity.
• Strong background in qualitative social science methods (e.g. stakeholder analysis, participatory and co-creation processes, workshop facilitation, interviews). Knowledge of quantitative methods is an asset.
• Knowledge in the field of biodiversity management and conservation, nature-based solutions, and/or biodiversity offsets or credits.
• Interest in or experience with agricultural systems and farmland management practices and their implications for biodiversity, as well as related policy frameworks.
• Proven ability to take on responsibility for work packages or initiatives within large, complex projects, collaborating in interdisciplinary teams and engaging with diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent English language, communication, and organizational skills are essential, including the ability to coordinate complex processes and engage diverse stakeholders. Proficiency in German and other European languages is a significant asset for this Europe-wide role.

The job

The newly established research group in the BMFTR-funded project BirdFutures is seeking an independent and highly motivated social-ecological scientist to lead stakeholder engagement and co-production processes aiming at bending the curve of biodiversity loss.

BirdFutures is part of the broader UFZ TripleBird Project (BirdFutures, BirdTwin, BirdBusiness), with the mission to develop bird diversity models, scenarios, and data products that support societal, business, and financial decision-making across Europe. In this role, you will engage at the interface between biodiversity conservation and social systems, co-developing sector-specific scenarios of future developments (e.g., farmland, forestry) together with nature and bird conservation stakeholders, as well as the business and/or finance sector. The resulting scenarios will directly feed modelling and forecasting of biodiversity outcomes at German and European level.

This position offers a unique opportunity to become a member of a new, ambitious, and high-impact project within a dynamic, highly interdisciplinary environment at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), two of Europe’s leading centers for biodiversity and environmental research. You will benefit from excellent resources, a strong international network of collaborators, and dedicated support for your professional development, while contributing to a project that directly informs European conservation policy and practice.

Place of work

Leipzig

Working time

100% (39h/Week)

The job position is available for full-time or part-time employment.

Contract limitations

limited contract / October 31, 2029 (in case of positive evaluation, with the option for extension until October 31, 2031)

Salary

Remuneration according to the TVöD public-sector up to pay grade 13 including attractive public-sector social security benefits.

Contact

Your contact for any questions you may have about the job:
Prof. Dr. Karin Frank - karin.frank@ufz.de
Dr. Nils Hein - nils.hein@ufz.de
Dr. Tatiane Micheletti - tatiane.micheletti@ufz.de

Your application

Please submit your application via our online portal with your cover letter, CV (please omit your photo, age, or marital status) and relevant attachments.

Diversity and Inclusion

The UFZ has a strong commitment to diversity and actively supports equal opportunities for all employees regardless of their origin, religion, ideology, disability, age or sexual identity.
We look forward to applications from people who are open-minded and enjoy working in diverse teams.

Application deadline: 26.05.2026