Research Assistant*in (PhD Student) (f/m/d)

Research assistant (PhD student) (f/m/d)

Museum für Naturkunde - Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity (MfN), Berlin

Become part of our team

Research assistant (PhD student) (f/m/d)

• Work schedule: Part time 75%; corresponds to 29 hours and 33 minutes per week
• Duration: As soon as possible, limited for 36 months
• Salary level: E 13 TV-L
• Code: 59/ 2024

Project Description

The overarching goal of the interdisciplinary NoSHADE (Novel Perspectives on our Solar System History recorded in the Atacama Desert) project funded by the European Research Council (ERC, 101077668) is to collect traces of cosmic dust from Atacama Desert sedimentary records reaching back >10 million years and link them to specific cosmic events. Within our Solar System, cosmic events such as asteroid collisions or cometary breakups release interplanetary dust particles that encounter Earth and become part of sedimentary records as micrometeorites. To identify past major dust-producing events in our Solar System the focus is on analyzing the micrometeorite types and fluxes over time, as well as reconstructing their exposure ages and origins by quantifying the content of cosmogenic radionuclides.

Your tasks

• Collection and identification of micrometeorites (e.g., optical and electron microscopy, electron microprobe, X-ray fluorescence)
• Chemical sample preparation for the extraction of long-lived radionuclides (10Be, 26Al, 53Mn, 60Fe) to determine micrometeorite exposure times and origins in space
• Coordination of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements
• Analysis and interpretation of the collected data, including the use of suitable software (e.g. Python, Fortran, Mathematica)
• Writing scientific reports and publications, as well as presenting results at national and international conferences

Your profile

• Completed university degree (Diploma/Master), preferentially in the fields of (astro)physics, geology, chemistry or another closely related field
• Interest in astrophysics and interdisciplinary applications
• Preferentially experience in the field of (micro)meteorites
• Experience in one or several of the following are an advantage
  • Geo- or radiochemistry
  • Mineralogy
  • Programming skills
  • Laboratory work
• Self-motivation and good communication skills within an international team

We offer you

• Exciting working environment in an attractive research museum with varied tasks in a dynamic and future-orientated market
• Very good public transport connections in the centre of Berlin
• Extensive further training opportunities on a personal and professional level
• Flexible working hours and a wide range of options for balancing work and family life (e.g. flexitime or individual part-time models)
• Depending on the job, mobile working is possible for up to 60 per cent of individual working hours
• Remuneration according to TV-L with company pension scheme (VBL), special annual payment and capital-forming benefits
• Employee events, company health management and German and English language courses
• 30 days' holiday plus 24 December and 31 December off

Special notes

In support of equal rights applications from qualified women are particularly welcome. Handicapped individuals will be given preference in cases of identical qualifications.

We look forward to receiving your application with the usual documents (cover letter, curriculum vitae, certificates) by 22.11.2024, preferably via our online application portal.