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.
Research Assistant (HIWI): Collection and processing of data for water quality modelling
Start of employment: at the earliest possible date. Working time: between 14 and maximum 19 hours per week. minimum 3 months.
Your tasks:
Excessive nitrate surpluses – arising from large usages of agrochemicals (inorganic fertilizers) – are one of the main problems in agricultural areas, leading to subsurface pollutions (soil and groundwater) and eventually deterioration of the surface/subsurface water quality. Assessing the nitrate levels requires the determination of past soil nitrogen (N) sources (i.e. inorganic fertilizers, manure, biological fixation and nitrogen deposition) and past soil N sinks (i.e. crop uptake, grass consumption by grazing livestock). This position aims to support the calculation of the components of the soil N balance for Germany by collecting the necessary raw data (such as land use, crop production, crop areas, livestock counts, fertilizer application). Specific tasks for this position are:
- Extraction of data from the statistical books for Germany (books in German)
- Investigation of additional data sources for assessing the N balance components
- Processing of the data to construct a consistent dataset
Your profile:
- Experience using Microsoft Office, text files
- Analytical skills to process data
- Fluency in English and basic knowledge of German
We offer:
- Excellent technical facilities which are without parallel
- The freedom you need to bridge the difficult gap between basic research and close to being ready for application
- Work in inter-disciplinary, multinational teams and excellent links with national and international research networks
- A vibrant region with a high quality of life and a wide cultural offering for a balance between family and professional life
