Wissenschaftliche*r Mitarbeiter*in (m/f/d/x) für EcoGlass...

Scientific Employee (m/f/d/x)

Job posting from 2025-01-15 · Reference number 3/2025

Salary group

13 TV-L

Term

fixed term contract for up to 2 years according to qualification plan

Volume

100% of a full-time position

Start date

at the earliest opportunity

Founded in 1409, Leipzig University is one of Germany’s largest universities and a leader in research and medical training. With around 30,000 students and more than 5000 members of staff across 14 faculties, it is at the heart of the vibrant and outward-looking city of Leipzig. Leipzig University offers an innovative and international working environment as well as an exciting range of career opportunities in research, teaching, knowledge and technology transfer, infrastructure and administration.

WHAT WE OFFER

A highly dynamic, collaborative and interdisciplinary working environment
Attractive fringe benefits such as health insurance, pension plans, job tickets (public transport discount)
Flexible working hours and work-life balance
Voluntary participation in our iDiv career development programme (courses, coaching, networking etc.)
The working language at iDiv is English
iDiv is a highly international centre with staff from over 30 countries and various forms of support for staff from outside Germany (Welcome Centre, German classes, etc.)
Leipzig is an attractive city with rich culture and beautiful surroundings where international visitors usually find it easy to settle in.

DUTIES

Data collection and harmonisation of building infrastructure data and bird occurrence data
Contribution to the design and implementation of an economic survey
Statistical/econometric data analysis
Organisational support for a stakeholder workshop
(Co-)authorship and publication of scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals
Presentation of results at national and international conferences

REQUIREMENTS

Scientific university degree (Diploma or MSc) in a project-related field (e.g. ecology, economics); a doctoral degree is desirable
At least three years of experience in research and in the publication of scientific results, e.g. during the PhD phase
Research interest at the interface of avian ecology, conservation and economics
Expertise and experience in quantitative research methods, in particular statistics and/or econometrics
Skills in computational analyses in R (alternatively Stata or similar)
Very good English skills (spoken and written)
Very good communication skills (especially in presenting and writing up research results)
Team player with interest and ability in interdisciplinary research
Organisational skills

The German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig 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: www.idiv.de

EcoGlassBird: Collisions with glass structures are estimated to kill between 18 and 115 million birds each year in Germany. Despite its estimated much higher impact on bird populations than, for example, wind turbines, this threat is unfortunately neglected by law enforcement agencies and at larger policy and regulatory scales. The main knowledge gap is the lack of an assessment of the cost-effective implementation of collision avoidance measures to reduce bird collisions on a large scale, or even a cost-benefit analysis that includes the willingness to pay for avoiding bird mortality. Large-scale implementation of collision avoidance structures would require mass production, which would in turn reduce production costs. In this project we plan to evaluate the economic consequences of bird collisions with glass structures in Germany, as well as a more detailed case study in Leipzig. The project consists of four work packages (WP): WP1, Quantifying the risk of fatal bird collisions as a function of built structures; WP2, Quantifying the “bird collision abatement cost function” (i.e. estimating the upscaled production costs of different bird collision avoidance structures); WP3, Cost-benefit analysis: Which buildings to treat first?; and WP4, Stakeholder consultation and exploration of implementation strategies.

The project is led and supervised by the main PIs Dr Marten Winter (Ecology) and Professor Martin Quaas (Biodiversity Economics) with strong co-leadership and co-supervision by highly dedicated ecologists (Professor Susanne Fritz and Dr Jeremy Dertien, iDiv; Professor Hjalmar Kuehl, Senckenberg/TU Dresden).

The German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig seeks to fill the above position at the earliest opportunity. The position is subject to possible budgetary restrictions and depends on the final approval of funding.

Please send your application with the usual documents, quoting reference number 3/2025, via our application portal at https://apply.idiv.de by 26.02.2025. Please note that it is not possible to guarantee confidentiality and rule out unauthorised access by third parties when communicating by unencrypted email. While we prefer applications via this portal, hard-copy applications may also be sent to: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Scientific Networks, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig. We kindly request that you submit copies only, as we are unable to return application documents. Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.

For queries on the application process, please contact our Scientific Networks team (f*******l@****.de); for project-related questions, please contact the main project PIs ma****.******er@****.de or ma****.*****as@****.de.

Leipzig University aims to increase the proportion of women in positions of responsibility and therefore expressly invites qualified women to apply. Severely disabled persons – or persons deemed legally equal to them under Book IX of the German Social Code – are encouraged to apply and will be given preference in the case of equal suitability.

iDiv is committed to establishing and maintaining a diverse and inclusive community that collectively supports and implements our mission to do great science. We welcome, recruit, develop and advance talented staff from diverse genders and backgrounds.

Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiterin (m/f/d/x) für EcoGlassBird: Ökonomie der Vermeidung von Vogelkollisionen mit Glasstrukturen