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 according to our vision: “Taking the pulse of our Earth to safeguard a habitable planet”.
The central research topic of Section 4.2 aims at understanding the physical processes that control dynamics and mechanical properties in the Earth’s crust and mantle lithosphere. This covers the entire spectrum of topics ranging from geomechanics and rock physics to the rheology of crust and uppermost mantle, ranging over the entire spatial bandwidth from the laboratory through mine and reservoir scale to the deformation of tectonic plate boundaries.
In the frame of the research project “A multi-scale approach to link deformation transients and seismic hazard in faults and geo-reservoirs”, from the Helmholtz first-time professorial appointment, section 4.2 “Geomechanics and Scientific Drilling” (department “Geosystems") is offering a:

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master in geophysics or equivalent
• Solid background in the field of seismology
• Programming skills (AI/ML programming frameworks, e.g. pytorch or tensorflow, Python, MATLAB, SQL).
• Fluency in English (written/oral)
• Willingness to work in an interdisciplinary and international environment
  Start date: 1st September 2025
  Fixed-term: 3 years
  Salary: The position is classed as salary group 13 according to “TVöD Bund (Tarifgebiet Ost)”. The salary group is determined on the basis of the Collective Wage Agreement and the respective personal qualifications.
  Working hours: Part-time 75% (currently 29.25 h/week)
  Place of work: Potsdam

• Analyses of seismic events (source parameters, kinematics, statistics)
• Analyses and integration of geodetic data (GNSS, InSAR, strainmeters according to availability)
• Publish your results as scientific papers in ISI peer-review journals
• Present and disseminate your research results at scientific meetings
• Willingness to participate in field campaigns on the North Anatolian Fault