Postdoctoral Researcher (f_m_x) – Estimation of flood design values

Deutsches Helmholtz GeoForschungs-Zentrum

GFZ is Germany's national centre for solid Earth research. We advance the understanding of dynamic processes to address global challenges, from mitigating the impacts of natural hazards and sustaining our habitat amid global change to responsibly managing georesources. We are part of the Helmholtz Association, the largest German scientific organisation. With around 1,200 employees as well as ca. 500 guest researchers, we contribute to the Helmholtz Research Field Earth and Environment, aligning cutting-edge research with societal relevance and international collaboration. Our work integrates multidisciplinary studies across Earth's system components, leveraging advanced technologies and infrastructure to research solutions and to transfer our knowledge to society. We are doing this in line with our vision: “Taking the pulse of our Earth to safeguard a habitable planet”.

For section 4.4 Hydrology (department “Geosystems”), we are looking for a:

Postdoctoral Researcher (f_m_x) – Estimation of flood design values
Reference Number 11407

This position is part of the project “Ermittlung von Bemessungsabflüssen für Stauanlagen in Nordrhein-Westfalen“, which aims to develop, in close cooperation with regional agencies, a robust methodology for designing flood-retention basins and dams.

We are looking for a candidate to test and develop statistical and simulation-based methods for estimating design floods for reservoirs and dams with return periods of up to 10,000 years. The tasks include adapting extreme value statistics methods using spatial information, applying hydrological models to simulate extreme floods, and contributing to recommendations for practice on flood design estimation.

Your responsibilities:

• Develop and apply statistical methods to estimate flood peaks with return periods up to 10,000 years
• Perform continuous and event-based hydrological simulations using weather generator output and extreme rainfall scenarios
• Compare the performance, robustness and uncertainty of different methods
• Communicate and discuss results with stakeholders to integrate the findings into water management practices
• Interpret, publish and present findings in peer-reviewed journals and workshops

About You:

Essential Qualifications:

• A Master's degree (or equivalent) and a PhD in Hydrology, Civil or Environmental Engineering, Geosciences, Environmental Sciences, Physics or Mathematics (significant work experience in the field can also qualify)
• Knowledge of hydrological processes and flood risk
• Experience in statistics, particularly extreme value statistics, and hydrological modelling
• Good programming skills
• Very good communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience in writing scientific publications
• Very good command of English

Desirable Qualifications:

• Knowledge of the German language is an asset

What we offer:

• Ambitious and varied tasks in a dynamic and international research environment
• State-of-the-art equipment
• Public service benefits
• Extensive training opportunities
• Professional career advice offered by our in-house Career-Centre
• Flexible working hours and conditions
• Support with finding a good work-life balance offered by benefit@work
• Institute day-care centre on site
• Working at the Albert Einstein Science Park on the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam
• Workplace within walking distance of Potsdam main train station, or just a short ride on the shuttle bus

Start date: As soon as possible
Fixed-term: 18 months
Salary: The position is classed as salary group 13 according to “TVöD Bund”. The salary group is determined on the basis of the Collective Wage Agreement and the respective personal qualifications.
Working hours: Full-time (currently 39 h/week); The position is generally suitable for part-time work.
Place of work: Potsdam

Apply

Have we piqued your interest?

If so, we look forward to receiving your application by 29th July, 2026. Please use our online application form only.

Required documents:

• CV (including scientific publication list)
• Cover letter on research interests and motivation
• Names and contact information of two referees
• Transcripts and certificates for your master’s and PhD degree; if not available, a confirmation from your institution on completed degree by the application deadline

Important Technical Note: Currently, email addresses associated with domains such as @hotmail.com, @outlook.com, or @live.de may experience occasional delays or restrictions in receiving messages. To ensure smooth communication during the application process, we recommend using an alternative email address and providing an additional contact method (e.g., a phone number).

The GFZ actively promotes diversity and explicitly welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of ethnic and social origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation and identity, religion/belief, age and physical characteristics. We also promote an inclusive working environment in which everyone can fully develop their own talents. Anyone who has been recognised as severely disabled will be given preferential consideration in the event of equal suitability and qualification in accordance with the provisions of the German Social Code IX. If you have any further queries regarding gender equality, please do not hesitate to contact our Equal Opportunities Officer.

“Diversity in perspectives” is one of GFZ's core values. As an integral part of supporting diversity at our centre, we actively promote women in science and in leadership positions. We, among others, do this through our gender equality plan and the cascade model measures, which we actively implement to enable sustainable equal opportunities in academic career paths. The GFZ thus committedly strives for gender equality in science, including in leadership positions, and strongly encourages women to apply.

Data protection information for applicants

In case of any further queries regarding the field of activity, please contact Prof. Dr. Bruno Merz via email. If you have any general questions about the application process, please contact our recruiting team at our phone number +49 331 6264‑28787.

www.gfz.de