The University of Kassel is a modern and growing University with round about 21.000 students. The university’s wide range of expertise covers subjects in the natural, applied, cultural and social sciences.
At the University of Kassel, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institute for Water, Waste, Environment (IWAU) – Hydrogeology Research Group, the following position is available as soon as possible:
Postdoctoral researcher in Unsaturated flow and reactive transport (m/f/d), EG 13 TV-H~~,~~ fixed-term, full-time (currently 40 hours per week)
| Application deadline: | 14.10.2025 |
| Date of hire: | as soon as possible |
| vacancy number: | 38744 |
The position is fixed-term for three and a half years, subject to the availability of funding, in accordance with § 2 (2) WissZeitVG as part of the newly funded collaborative project “ADAPT – Adaptation to Drought and Extremes: The Surface-Soil-Groundwater Buffer under Climate Stress”.
The ADAPT-project seeks to delineate a safe path for the use of treated wastewater as a resource for irrigating agriculture. Irrigation with treated wastewater will increase the load of micropollutants in the environment and thereby potentially negatively affect naturally occurring filtration processes in the soil-groundwater continuum. Our goal is to merge expertise across a broad spectrum of geoscience and environmental engineering disciplines to improve the removal of micropollutants from wastewater and quantify the resilience of soils and aquifers. This postdoc position will work as a bridge across disciplines in scientific coordination, as well as develop independent research in close collaboration with PhD students. Research will target variably saturated flow-through experiments and numerical simulations focusing on micropollutant transport and remobilization with a focus on PFAS transport in soils and groundwater. The postdoc will be involved in the development of the projects core Infiltration Continuum Lab (ICL) facility.
The candidate will benefit from a multidisciplinary network of principal investigators across the Universities of Kassel and Giessen and gain experience in the co-supervision of doctoral research projects.
Tasks:
The successful candidate is expected to help develop, setup, and manage the project’s core flow-through experiment lab facility, the planned Infiltration Continuum Lab (ICL). The candidate is expected to work together with the project’s technical assistant as well as co-supervise PhD students. Moreover, the candidate is expected to setup numerical reactive transport models to simulate the unsaturated flow and transport of micropollutants, with a specific focus on PFAS, in porous media. The simulations will be used for experimental design and to quantify contaminant (im)mobilization and transformation in soils and sediments collected from different field sites. A key aspect of the scientific coordination dimension will be the co-supervision of PhD student projects in the ICL, as well as support in project reporting. The successful applicant is expected to publish papers in highly ranked journals and would have the option of participate in the spring and summer schools organized as part of the project.
Requirements:
Applicants must hold a completed course of academic study (master’s degree or equivalent) and an excellent doctoral degree (PhD or equivalent) in earth sciences or environmental engineering, with a focus in soil hydrology, hydro(geo)logy or a related field. The required degrees must be available by the recruitment date at the latest. In addition, applicants must have publications in international peer-reviewed journals.
Advantageous qualifications:
The ideal candidate should have an in-depth understanding of geochemistry and environmental physics. Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated skills and experience in both numerical modelling of unsaturated flow and experimental work. Experience in working with and simulating unsaturated transport of micropollutants and PFAS, as well as experience in creating numerical flow and transport models with HYDRUS or other models for variably saturated leaching, are also advantageous.
Applicants are requested to submit a single PDF file with a detailed curriculum vitae, a publication list, a statement of your research interests (max. 2 pages). References are also desirable. The application documents must be submitted in English using the University of Kassel’s application portal.
For further information please contact Prof. Dr. Adrian Mellage, adrian.mellage(at)uni-kassel.de and Prof Dr. Matthias Gassmann, gassmann(at)uni-kassel.de.
In the event of any differences between the German and English versions of this call for application, the German wording is legally binding.
Our Offer:
As an employee of the University of Kassel
- you will be offered an interesting and diverse range of tasks within the framework of a modern and ambitious university,
- you will be part of an interdisciplinary team with a good and collegial working atmosphere,
- you will have the opportunity to participate in professional and interdisciplinary further education measures,
- is your workplace with good connections to public transport, which you can currently use free of charge.
In addition, you will benefit from the advantages of employment in the public service such as:
- an additional company pension (VBL),
- an optional child supplement in accordance with TV-Hessen, a family-friendly university (including childcare for emergencies),
- an annual bonus
- an entitlement to capital-accumulation benefits,
- a promotion of voluntary commitment,
- low-cost participation in university sports and a full range of fitness activities as part of Unifit, as well as workplace health management
You can find more jobs at stellen.uni-kassel.de
Please send your application with the usual informative documents, stating the reference number in the subject line, via the online form. We have compiled further information for you in our FAQ.
In exceptional cases, we will also accept your application documents in paper form addressed to: The President of the University of Kassel, 34109 Kassel, Germany, or via mail to bewerbungen[at]uni-kassel.de, stating the reference number.
In the case of postal applications, please submit only copies of your documents (no folders), as these cannot be returned. All documents will be destroyed after completion of the selection process in compliance with data protection regulations.
The protection of your personal information is very important to us, so we will handle your personal information with care. By your application, you allow us the storage and use in the sense of the Hessian Data Protection and Freedom of Information Act. You can object to this at any time. Your personal data will be deleted.
Information according to Art. 13 DSGVO for the application process at the University of Kassel can be found at:
www.uni-kassel.de/go/ausschreibung-datenschutz
Information and FAQ about applying for a job offer:
The University of Kassel is very interested in the professional satisfaction of its employees. It is distinguished as a family-friendly university and, in the interests of equal opportunities, strives to offer everyone the same opportunities for development and to counteract existing disadvantages. It promotes the Family Welcome Service and also the Dual Career Service for positions that are scientifically and academically filled. One of the strategic goals of the University of Kassel is to significantly increase the proportion of women in research and teaching. Applications from women are therefore particularly welcome. Seriously handicapped and equivalent applicants are given preference if they have the same suitability, qualifications and professional performance. Full-time positions are generally divisible (except when filling civil servant positions). Applications indicating the Position Number, which may be in digital form, should be sent to the President of the University of Kassel, 34109 Kassel, Germany quoting the applicable reference number.
