PhD student position on planetary atmospheres
Freie Universität Berlin (FUB), Germany
Closing date: 22 July 2026
The SFB 1759 is a newly established Collaborative Research Center studying habitability for life as we know it based on fundamental physio-geo-chemical processes set by the planet’s evolution. The study of planetary habitability in this SFB is therefore oriented along the planetary boundary conditions set by astronomy, physics, chemistry and geology, rather than Earth-specific biological evolution. By focusing on the environments in which life may (or may not) evolve, the SFB will be able to define which signatures (such as trace elements in an atmosphere) can be explained by abiotic processes, and which would indeed need some form of extraterrestrial life, leading to a new database of potential biosignatures as well as traces of habitability. As finding potential biosignatures or traces of habitability may also impact society, the SFB takes a holistic approach and investigates also ethical considerations, how scientists communicate scientific results to the public and how these are discussed in social media, as well as the general perception of the public and factors influencing this. In the SFB, different views on one of the most important questions of humanity — are we alone in the universe? — will therefore be examined hand in hand with different perspectives in natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
There are several job opportunities in the framework of SFB 1759 on planetary habitability. In particular, FUB offers a PhD student position in the group of Prof Stephan Pfahl (Weather and Climate Processes) focusing on modeling planetary atmospheres (subproject B06). If you are interested, please contact Stephan Pfahl: stephan.pfahl@met.fu-berlin.de