The mission of the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) as a nationally and internationally active research institute is to deliver solutions for an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable agriculture – together with society. ZALF is a member of the Leibniz Association and is located in Müncheberg (approx. 35 minutes by regional train from Berlin-Lichtenberg). The institute maintains further locations in Brandenburg (Dedelow, Paulinenaue) as well as in Hesse (Giessen, Witzenhausen, and Geisenheim).

The project “BExudation - Integrating exudation into the root economics space to better understand carbon and nutrient cycling in managed grasslands” is part of the DFG Priority Program 1374 “Biodiversity Exploratories”. The project aims to include root exudation into the existing framework of the root economics space to foster our understanding of carbon and nutrient cycling in managed grasslands. We aim to study the filter effects of soil environmental parameters and land use effects on plant functional biodiversity and investigate the effect of plant-community exudation patterns on ecosystem functions like productivity, carbon and nutrient cycling and greenhouse-gas emissions.

We are offering for 6 months, starting earliest August 2026 (40 h per month) at our site in Müncheberg a position for a

•   Support in setting up and conducting a pot experiment with different grassland species
•   Assist with root–soil experiments: root washing/scanning, exudate collection and analysis
•   Support laboratory workflows: sample preparation, extractions, weighing/filtration, basic chemical analyses

•   Background in plant science, agronomy, environmental science, or related fields
•   Interest in experimental work with plants
•   Motivation to develop and test new methods
•   Basic lab skills; experience with plant physiology is a plus but not required
•   Careful, organized, and motivated to work in the greenhouse and in the lab

•   Close supervision and training in in-situ root exudation sampling approaches
•   Possibility to conduct a Master or Bachelor thesis within the framework of the project
•   An interdisciplinary working environment that encourages independence and self-reliance
•   A collegial and open-minded working atmosphere in a dynamic research institution
•   A salary according to the hourly rates for student or scientific assistants in Brandenburg; and
•   Company ticket

ZALF promotes equality among all employees and welcomes applications regardless of ethnic, cultural, or social background, age, religion, ideology, disability, gender, or sexual identity. The filling of the position in part-time is possible in principle. Please send your application preferably online (see button online application below). For e-mail applications, create a PDF document (one PDF file, max. 5 MB; packed PDF documents, archive files like zip, rar etc. Word documents cannot be processed and therefore cannot be considered!) with the usual documents, in particular CV, proof of qualification and certificates, stating the reference number 27-2026 until 22 June 2026 to (see button e-mail application below).

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Joana Bergmann, joana.bergmann@zalf.de

Maire Holz, maire.holz@zalf.de

If you apply, we collect and process your personal data in accordance with Articles 5 and 6 of the EU GDPR only for the processing of your application and for purposes that result from possible future employment with the ZALF. Your data will be deleted after six months.