PhD Position in Organic Geochemistry and Paleolimnology

4 years, 100% / target start date is 1 July 2026

The Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel invites applications for two PhD positions in the field of organic geochemistry and paleolimnology (https://duw.unibas.ch/en/research-groups/organic-geochemistry/ ). The students will be part of the SNSF-project ECO-ICE, which will reconstruct past climatic and ecologic changes at ice age refugia for temperate trees. The larger project is co-hosted by the Universities of Basel and Bern, and involves a team of four principal investigators, eight PhD students, and two postdoctoral researchers. 

Your position
During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ~23 – 19 thousand years ago), temperate tree species in Europe were forced to retreat to glacial refugia. The LGM was characterized by harsh conditions for trees that limited their growth. The ECO-ICE project aims to reconstruct where, how, and why temperate trees survived the LGM by reconstructing the ecological, climatic, and environmental conditions at selected study sites throughout Europe. Sediment cores will be collected from lakes with known LGM sediments, and will be studied using a suite of established and emerging paleoclimatic and paleoecologic proxies. The Organic Geochemistry PhD students based at the University of Basel will focus on producing paleoclimatic records using the distributions and stable isotopic composition of plant waxes and the relative abundance of bacterial membrane lipids (brGDGTs). The PhD students will integrate their results with complementary climate proxies and ecological reconstructions produced by other team members. The PhD students will have the opportunity to participate in field campaigns to collect sediment cores from lakes in central and southern Europe. The project involves extensive laboratory work with a focus on biomarker purification and stable isotope analyses. Laboratory work will include one or two research visits to the University of Utrecht, NL, for brGDGT analyses.

Your profile
We are looking for researchers with a master's degree in geosciences, environmental sciences, chemistry, biology, or a related discipline. Candidates should have a solid background and interest in paleoclimatology. Experience with stable isotope and/or organic chemistry laboratory techniques will be an advantage given the laboratory focus of this PhD-project. The ability to work both independently and within a team, as well as good communication skills including fluency in English are essential.

We offer you
The PhD project will be part of a research project funded for 4 years by the Swiss National Science Foundation. We offer an international, multidisciplinary work environment and excellent research infrastructure. Compensation is according to the guidelines of the Swiss National Science Foundation (www.snf.ch ) and the student will be employed full time (100 %).

Application / Contact
Please submit your complete application documents, including (i) a letter stating your research interests and motivation for applying for the position, your experience and skills, (ii) a CV, (iii) contact details of at least two references (one of these should be the main advisor of your master's thesis), and (iv) transcripts and diplomas of your bachelor's and master's degrees (if available) via our online recruiting platform. If you use large language models or other artificial intelligence tools to help prepare your application, please specify the tools you used and how you used them in your cover letter.
We accept only online applications.
For full consideration, please apply before 21 April, 2026. Initial online interviews will be scheduled for the week of 27 April.
For questions about the application process, please contact Prof. Dr. Nemiah Ladd (n.ladd@unibas.ch ). Please do not submit application materials by email.
Apply
www.unibas.ch