PhD in remote sensing of forest microclimates

07.05.2025, Wissenschaftliches Personal

The Professorship of Earth Observation for Ecosystem Management is seeking a PhD student (m/f/x) working in the project “Assessing the impacts of transient forest edges on biophysical conditions and regeneration in the forest interior” funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

About the position

The Professorship of Earth Observation for Ecosystem Management is one of Europe’s leading research groups in the field of Earth observation and remote sensing. Within the project “Assessing the impacts of transient forest edges on biophysical conditions and regeneration in the forest interior“ we aim to develop innovative remote sensing approaches to enhance the mechanistic understanding of the effects of increasing forest disturbances on closed canopy forests. The PhD project is part of an interdisciplinary collaboration with the University of Bayreuth (EASI lab, led by Prof. Dr. Lisa Hülsmann). Main responsibilities include joint field work to establish an in-situ measurement network and perform terrestrial laser scanning, analyzing microclimate data and their relation to forest structure, and using optical satellite time series and radiative transfer models for upscaling across Germany. The position also involves active engagement in an international research network, as well as the presentation and publication of research findings at international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.

Your qualifications

You have a Master in geography, remote sensing, geoinformation, forestry or similar and a strong interest in remote sensing and forest ecology. Prior experiences in working with remote sensing data, climate data and programming skills (R or Python) are desired. You enjoy working in an international team and you are keen on developing a key set of research and science communication skills. 

Our offer

We offer a position limited to three years, starting in autumn 2025, with a salary based on the Collective Agreement for the Civil Service of the Länder (TV-L E13; 65%) and including social security, health insurance and several employee benefits. The position is based at TUM’s School of Life Sciences in Freising, approx. 30 minutes north of Munich. Our international team is composed of researchers in different career stages, offering a diverse and multidisciplinary research environment at the frontier of the field. We explicitly encourage international applicants. Further, TUM is committed to equal opportunity and diversity. TUM aims for an increase of the proportion of women and people with ethnic minority background, and women and minority groups are therefore especially encouraged to apply for the position. Applications from people with disabilities / special needs will be considered preferentially.

Your application

If you are interested in working in our team, please send your application consisting of a cover letter and a CV as one PDF to katja.kowalski@tum.de no later than 18^th of June 2025. Do not hesitate to contact Dr. Katja Kowalski: katja.kowalski@tum.de. You can also find out more about us at: https://www.lss.ls.tum.de/eoem

Kontakt: Katja Kowalski, katja.kowalski@tum.de