University Assistant postdoctoral

The University of Vienna is a cosmopolitan hub for more than 10,000 employees, of whom around 7,500 work in research and teaching. We are looking for a University Assistant postdoctoral at the Faculty of Life Sciences.

Faculty: 50 Faculty of Life Sciences

Job vacancy starting: 01.11.2026 | Working hours: 40.00 | Classification CBA: §48 VwGr. B1 lit. b (postdoc)

Limited contract until: 31.10.2029

Job ID: 6186

A three year, full-time Post Doc position is available at the Division of BioInvasions, Macroecology & Global Change (https://bioinvasions.univie.ac.at) at the Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research. This position is composed of a half time-position funded by the University Vienna, and a half-time position funded by a FWF-DFG-research project on macroecological and biogeographic aspects of plant invasions.

A main research focus of the Division is understanding and predicting the effects of environmental changes on the distribution and diversity of biota, with a particular emphasis on biological invasions. The research is focused on the identification of large-scale macroecological patterns using established and innovative statistical modelling approaches. The Division also uses local scale community data such as vegetation plot data to study facets of vegetation diversity and its spatio-temporal changes. Prior research experience and interests should include invasion biology, vegetation science, biodiversity change, macroecology and statistical modelling. Excellent programming skills, preferably in R, are expected.

Extent of Employment

Job grading in accordance with collective bargaining agreement: §48 VwGr. B1 lit. b (postdoc) with relevant work experience determining the assignment to a particular salary grade.

Job Description

The candidate will participate in research on understanding biodiversity patterns, especially biological invasions and vegetation community composition, and the underlying drivers under past, current and future conditions. The successful candidate is expected to develop a research portfolio related to these topics. Tasks span the full breadth of academic work from conceiving ideas, securing further funding, analyses and publication of scientific results. Supervision and mentoring of students engaged in projects of the Division, as well as discussing and developing ideas with colleagues in the team-oriented work culture of the Division, is expected. The position includes teaching obligations of approximately 2 hours per week.

Profile

Doctoral degree/PhD in biology or equivalent.

• Experience in the fields of Invasion Science, Vegetation Science, Global Change Science and/or Macroecology
• Experience in studying biodiversity patterns across spatial and temporal scales from regional to global
• Experience in advanced statistical analyses of scientific data, preferably in R
• Interest and prior experience in the development of external third-party grant applications
• Ambitions or previous experience for developing high level international grant applications such as ERC or Horizon Europe are a plus
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and preferably German
• Ability and willingness to work in teams
• Experience in teaching
• Experience in project administration and personnel management

What we offer

Work-life balance: Flexible working hours, remote/hybrid and/or part-time work upon agreement.

Inspiring working atmosphere: You are part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.

Good public transport connections: Your workplace in the center of Vienna is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal further training & Coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis, with over 600 courses free of charge.

Fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 5,014.30 increases if professional experience can be credited.

Equal opportunities for everyone: The University looks forward to diverse personalities in the team.

It is that easy to apply

• Scientific and educational curriculum vitae
• Letter of motivation
• List of publications
• Doctoral Degree
• Contact details of persons who could provide reference letters
• Via the job portal / Apply now button

For further information please contact Franz Essl (franz.essl@univie.ac.at) or Bernd Lenzner (bernd.lenzner@univie.ac.at).

Application deadline: 12.10.2026