2 Postdoctoral Researchers in Movement Ecology (m/f/d) / 1 Data Scientist (m/f/d) / 1 Scientific Coordinator (m/f/d)

Senckenberg Society for Nature Research (SGN), headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, is seeking to fill the following position at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), starting as of 01 January 2027:



2 Postdoctoral Researchers in Movement Ecology (m/f/d)

(Full-Time / Part-Time options are available)

1 Data Scientist (m/f/d)

(part time, 50%)

1 Scientific Coordinator (m/f/d)

(part time, 50%)

Location: Frankfurt am Main

Employment scope: Full-Time; Part-Time options are available; Data Scientist and Scientific Coordinator: 50% each

Type of contract: Limited to 4 years, until 31.12.2030

Remuneration: Collective agreement of the state Hesse (TV-H) / E13

The Senckenberg Society for Nature Research is a member of the Leibniz Association and has been investigating the “Earth System” worldwide for more than 200 years, examining the past, analysing the present, and developing projections for the future. We conduct integrative geobiodiversity research with the aim of understanding nature in all its complexity and diversity in order to preserve it as the foundation of life for future generations and to ensure its sustainable use. Across eight institutes and five research stations throughout Germany, scientists from more than 40 countries conduct research at the highest international level.

The mission of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre is to study the complex interactions between biodiversity, climate and society.

We are looking for enthusiastic ecologists and a data scientist with an interest in movement ecology, behavioural ecology, biodiversity change, macroecology, and/or trait-based ecology and AI methods applied to movement data or related fields, as well as a scientific coordinator with experience in managing collaborative research projects.

The positions are embedded in the project Behavioural Plasticity in a Changing World: Biologging as a Key to Understanding Animal Adaptability (VEBITA), led jointly by SGN, Marburg University and the Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE) and will start in January 2027 at the earliest. VEBITA is a transdisciplinary project that brings together ecologists, computer scientists, social ecologists and practice partners from conservation, public authorities and business to work towards turning animal movement data into an early-warning system for nature conservation. By analysing GPS and sensor data from animals with statistical and AI-based methods developed jointly with computer scientists, VEBITA aims to detect how behaviour changes in response to climate change, habitat loss, infrastructure development, and other environmental pressures. VEBITA strives to integrate movement data as indicators of adaptation and ecological disruption into science-policy processes. VEBITA researchers will work closely with Movebank, the world’s largest database for animal tracking data, and with global initiatives such as the Animal Movement Biodiversity Observation Network (Move BON) and the Global Initiative on Ungulate Migration (GIUM). The project offers regular exchange and networking opportunities (www.vebita.org).

Within this project we are seeking to fill four positions: two postdoctoral researchers in movement ecology, one data scientist (50%) and one scientific coordinator (50%). The four positions will work closely together as a team. 



Ref. #11-26020: PostDoc #1 in “Diversity, Plasticity, and Adaptability of Animal Movements”

This position will measure standardised movement traits from biologging data and help define new ones, building on MoveTraits, an open-access database of standardised movement traits derived from biologging data. The traits will be used for comparative analyses across taxonomic groups and biomes, quantifying behavioural diversity, and assessing behavioural responses to environmental change. Key questions include how behavioural diversity and plasticity vary along environmental gradients, how behaviour relates to other types of species’ traits (e.g., morphology, life history), and whether specific behaviours can serve as indicators of population trends.

Your profile

A strong background in macroecology, behavioural ecology or related fields, and excellent quantitative and statistical skills, e.g., in Bayesian hierarchical models, phylogenetic meta-analyses, structural equation models or AI methods.

Ref. #11-26023: PostDoc #2 in “Terrestrial Animal Movements”

This position will quantify functional connectivity and landscape permeability for terrestrial mammals, with a particular focus on nomadic and migratory ungulates. Key questions relate to disentangling behavioural adaptation from disruption, and to movement responses to human land-use intensity, landscape configuration, and linear barriers. This will include AI-assisted detection of barrier behaviours such as crossing, tracing, and avoidance in large biologging datasets, and analyses of how barrier behaviours vary among species and over time following the emergence or removal of barriers.

Your profile

A strong conceptual background in animal movement ecology, ideally in the behavioural ecology of migratory or nomadic species, and excellent quantitative skills in movement analyses, e.g., continuous-time movement models (ctmm), step-selection functions (SSF) or hidden Markov models (HMM).

Your tasks (PostDoc #1 and #2)

• Lead analytical efforts to address the respective research questions, including the management and analysis of large biologging and trait datasets
• Contribute to the development of the MoveTraits database, including the development and implementation of new trait types (e.g., migration traits) derived from biologging data
• Publish research results in international peer-reviewed journals
• Present research findings at scientific conferences and workshops
• Work closely with Movebank and collaborate internationally with global initiatives such as Move BON and the Global Initiative on Ungulate Migration (GIUM)
• Engage in interdisciplinary collaboration with project partners from academia, conservation practice, and policy

Essential qualifications

• PhD in ecology or a related field
• Strong proficiency in R
• Strong publication record appropriate to your career stage
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English

Advantageous knowledge and skills

• Conceptual knowledge in behavioural ecology, macroecology and/or trait-based ecology
• Experience with open science practices (e.g., GitHub, open data, open code, preprints)
• For PostDoc #2: experience with field data collection, including capturing and handling large mammals
• Teaching or supervision experience (e.g., movement ecology, data analysis, statistics), as postdocs may be involved in general teaching and supervision activities at the MSc and PhD level

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Ref. #11-26024: Data Scientist (50%)

This position will establish the key data infrastructure for VEBITA. Its core is MoveTraits (see above), which will be developed from a prototype into a dynamically growing, FAIR open-access database that is continuously updated with new data from Movebank and linked to the AI applications developed with the project’s computer science partners at Marburg University. The data scientist will work in close collaboration with the Knowledge Hub developers at Marburg University, as well as with the postdoctoral researchers, the scientific coordinator and the Movebank team.

Your tasks

• Develop, maintain and document the MoveTraits database, including building a relational database, developing an associated R package, and assigning dynamic persistent identifiers
• Design workflows to integrate biologging data with existing repositories (e.g., Movebank, GBIF) and near-real-time applications
• Provide analysis-ready data products and pipelines that support the AI and machine-learning applications developed with the project’s computer science partners
• Oversee data cleaning and quality control
• Ensure FAIR-compliant data archiving and sharing practices, including metadata documentation, versioning, DOI assignment, and citation tracking
• Coordinate research data stewardship across the project, including the research data management plan
• Support data contributors in curating and contributing their data, and help users access and use MoveTraits data

Essential qualifications

• Master’s degree in computer science, data science, ecology or a related field
• Strong programming skills in R and/or Python
• Experience in handling and managing large datasets
• Proficiency with version control systems (e.g., Git with GitHub/GitLab)
• Experience in building relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English

Advantageous knowledge and skills

• A PhD is welcome but not required
• Experience with biologging data (GPS tracking, accelerometry, or similar)
• Experience developing R packages
• Experience with FAIR data archiving, sharing, and stewardship (e.g., repositories such as Figshare, Zenodo, Dryad)
• Experience with machine-learning workflows (e.g., PyTorch, MLflow) or with serving models via APIs
• Experience working with virtual machines and cloud computing environments
• Experience developing interactive applications (e.g., Shiny apps, web-based dashboards)
• Experience with spatial data and GIS tools (e.g., QGIS)
• Experience working in an academic or research environment, preferably in large collaborative projects

___________________________________________________________________________

Ref. #11-26025: Scientific Coordinator (50%)

This position will coordinate the VEBITA consortium together with the project lead and ensure effective collaboration between the project’s three research areas (biology, computer science, and social-ecological research), its eight subprojects, and its associated partners from science, conservation, public authorities and business. The scientific coordinator will work closely with the data scientist on the coordination of the VEBITA Knowledge Hub.

Your tasks

• Evaluate approaches for using movement traits as early-warning indicators
• Coordinate and support consortium activities, including internal project communication and organising project meetings, retreats and workshops
• Coordinate reporting to the funding body and monitor project milestones
• Act as contact point for the associated partners and keep them informed about project progress
• Coordinate external communication and knowledge transfer, including maintaining the project website, preparing information material, and liaising with the communication departments of the partner institutions
• Support the coordination of the VEBITA Knowledge Hub together with the data scientist, the Movebank team and all subprojects
• Provide oversight of the Knowledge Hub
• Support the organisation of the two case studies in Hesse and abroad, including stakeholder workshops
• Manage central project funds and support measures for early career researchers, equal opportunities, and work–family balance
• Synthesize the results of the subprojects

Essential qualifications

• Master’s degree in ecology, environmental sciences or a related field
• Experience in coordinating research projects or in science management, ideally in collaborative or interdisciplinary projects
• Excellent organisational and communication skills, and the ability to work with people from different disciplines and sectors
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English

Advantageous knowledge and skills

• A PhD is welcome but not required
• German language skills
• Experience with reporting for third-party-funded research projects
• Experience in science communication and event organisation
• Experience with building and maintaining websites
• Experience in transdisciplinary work at the interface of science, policy and practice
• Familiarity with movement ecology, biodiversity research or research data management