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PhD student in Palaeoecology (f/m/d)

  • //applyindex.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Switzerland.png Switzerland
  • University/Institute Name Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL
  • Attendance Type On Campus (Full Time)
  • Position Funding Type Research Assistantship (RA)
  • Unspecified Unspecified
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Position Details (PhD Research Project)

The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL is part of the ETH Domain. Approximately 600 people work on the sustainable use and protection of the environment and on the handling of natural hazards.

The Research Group Dendrosciences uses tree rings to investigate and understand environmental impacts on tree growth and to reconstruct past environmental changes at scales ranging from minutes to millennia and from cells to ecosystems around the globe. From 1 November 2025, we offer a 4-year position as a

PhD student in Palaeoecology (f/m/d)


As part of the Signatures of Global Late Glacial Climate Change in Tree-Ring Records (SiGnaL) SNF-project — co-led by the Dendrosciences group at WSL and the Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics (LIP) at ETH Zurich — you will contribute to understanding the nature and drivers of abrupt climate changes that occurred during the Late Glacial period, approximately 11 – 15 kyrs BP. Your work will focus on the collection, measurement, and integration of fossil wood and tree-ring material from various global sites. Through a multi-proxy approach — combining radiocarbon dating, stable isotope ratios, and quantitative wood anatomy — you will help to date and synchronize records across regions and reconstruct regional to global climate dynamics. This work will support the project’s goal of improving our understanding of the Late Glacial climate system and enhancing the global radiocarbon calibration curve. 

You will be part of an enthusiastic and ambitious team that includes leading researchers in dendro-chronology, palaeoclimate research, and radiocarbon dating, along with two other PhD students and technicians. The position is based at WSL within the Dendrosciences group, a globally recognised centre for tree-ring science. Collaboration with international researchers from related institutions is also expected. Among the three PhD students involved in the project, you will have a special emphasis on wood anatomy and on the climatic interpretation of the tree-ring proxies.

You have a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences, Earth Sciences, or a related field, and preferably have already gained experience with tree-ring data or palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. You are comfortable analysing and visualizing data in R or Python, and are motivated to publish your results in scientific journals. You enjoy laboratory work, working with large datasets, and have an interest in interdisciplinary and international research. You have a good command of spoken and written English, work in a structured, efficient, and independent manner, and bring strong team spirit and communication skills. 

Please send your complete application to Stefania Pe, Human Resources WSL, by uploading the requested documents through our webpage. Applications via email will not be considered. Patrick Fonti, phone +41 (0)44 739 22 85; [email protected], will be happy to answer any questions or offer further information. WSL is committed to diversity and inclusion as core values. We actively promote gender equality and foster an open, inclusive work environment.

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