As a member of the DNFS (German Natural History Research Collections e.V.), the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe (SMNK) is one of the largest research museums and collections in Germany and showcases permanent and special exhibitions on over 5000 m², including the largest living coral reef in Germany. With extensive analogous and digital offerings, it attracts more than 200,000 visitors every year. As a nationally and internationally active research museum in the fields of geosciences and biosciences, the museum enjoys recognition far beyond the region. The SMNK has a well-developed research infrastructure with molecular laboratories and imaging facilities. Based on its extensive collections and the taxonomic expertise of its curators, the museum is also an important point of contact for the general public, schools, and the press who are interested in plant, fungal and animal species in south-western Germany. Additionally, the SMNK serves as an important resource for experts in the region, as well as a collaborative partner for national and international institutes.
The Palaeontology Division of the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe is looking for a
Paleontologist (Postdoc) (m/f/d)
in the DFG funded project “Thrived or died? Better understanding Fossil-Lagerstätten through Digitization”
(limited to 2 years, full time, EG 13 TV-L)
Overview of the role: The selected candidate will be a member of a research group with responsibility for carrying out data collection and interpretation of the Fossil-Lagerstätten collections at the State Museum of Natural History Museum Karlsruhe (SMNK). The researcher will work under the direction of Dr. Julien Kimmig as part of a wider team including Dr. Sara Kimmig (University of Tübingen, TERRA Cluster of Excellence). The post holder will co-supervise collections staff and students that will assist them with the tasks. Two students will also be employed at the University Tübingen to assist with geochemical analyses and georeferencing.
Summary: The overarching goal of this project is to collect and digitize all the specimen, label meta, sedimentological, and geochemical data for the Fossil-Lagerstätten specimens in the SMNK paleontology collections. This pilot study will provide a complete geological, paleontological, and biological dataset for these specimens and provide the most complete dataset on Fossil-Lagerstätten known at this time. The collected data will include the species level identification, occurrences, stratigraphic horizons, and chrono- and biostratigraphic ages of constituent species. The project also plans to generate a wide variety of environmental data that will become important metadata for the understanding of depositional environments, climate change, as well as taphonomic studies. The collaborative THRIVED OR DIED? BETTER UNDERSTANDING FOSSIL-LAGERSTÄTTEN THROUGH DIGITIZATION project combines the expertise and infrastructure of the SMNK, the University Tübingen, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. It will revolutionize how Fossil-Lagerstätten museum collections are digitized, creating a multi-proxy approach of field, museum collection, sedimentological, and geochemical data.
The results of this project will be made publicly available through different databases. The post holder will be in charge of preparing the data for publication in these databases.
Experience: The ideal candidate will have training and experience in vertebrate or invertebrate paleontology, taxonomy and systematics, 2D and 3D imaging, a proven publication record, and experience in using updated imaging technology, such as SEM, SEM-EDS, Micro-CT and CT. They will also have experience in presenting research results to both scientific audiences and the general public. They must have demonstrated comfort in working with a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach to projects and also have experience working in a museum context (e.g., visiting natural history collections, leveraging them for research purposes, and/or working in a natural history museum). They will have demonstrated leadership and teamwork skills and demonstrate strong personal and professional integrity.
Your tasks:
Selection criteria:
Essential:
Hold a PhD in paleontology, or related disciplines
Experience with SEM and SEM-EDS data generation, processing, and interpretation
Experience in museum collections
Experience with fossils from Konservat-Lagerstätten
Ability to contribute ideas for new research projects and research income generation
Excellent written and verbal English communication skills
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present research proposals and results, and represent the research group at meetings
Excellent project and time management skills
Ability to acquire accurate, reproducible data
Strong interpersonal skills and mentoring skills
The ability to work independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team
Desirable:
Experience with Micro-CT imaging, image reconstruction and signal processing
Experience in collections management
Experience with museum databases
Knowledge of tomographic methods
Experience with sedimentary geochemical methods and data interpretation
Experience with isotope geochemistry
Basic to conversational German language skills
Experience in supervising, mentoring or supporting students, staff, volunteers or research assistants
We offer:
A competitive salary established by collective agreements, payment will be in EG 13 TV-L
Contract duration of two years
Contributing to an engaging mission as well as an exciting project and challenge
Contribution to a DFG-funded project
An inclusive, friendly and safe work environment
The opportunity to work at a nationally renowned research museum with recognized collections and an attractive exhibitions
A workplace in the center of Karlsruhe, with excellent public transport connections
Collaboration with the University Tübingen and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Flexible work time and family-friendly working hours (39.5 h/week); possibility of mobile working (1 day/week)
Participation in company health management, job ticket and job bike subsidized by the state of Baden-Württemberg
Application materials:
Cover letter
CV
Equal opportunities are crucial to our human resources policy. We highly value diversity and therefore welcome all applications, regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, and identity.
People with disabilities will obtain preferential consideration if equally qualified. Please mention this in your cover letter and enclose proof. The SMNK strives to increase the proportion of women in areas where underrepresented and therefore expressly encourages qualified women to apply.
Please send your informative electronic application with CV, list of publications, certificates and references to bewerbung@smnk.de by 27.09.2026, quoting reference number 16_2026.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Dr. Julien Kimmig via E-Mail: julien.kimmig@smnk.de.
Please note that the application documents will be forwarded to the persons involved in the recruitment process. Unfortunately, costs associated with interviews cannot be covered or reimbursed.
Further information on the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe can also be found on the Internet at www.smnk.de
Data protection notice for applicants
The protection of your personal data is an important concern for the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe and is guaranteed at all times. All personal data collected and processed as part of an application is protected against unauthorized access and manipulation by technical and organizational measures.
Your data will only be used to process your application within the Natural History Museum and will be treated in strict confidence in accordance with legal regulations.
If you send your application by e-mail, please note that confidentiality risks and unauthorized access by third parties cannot be ruled out when communicating by unencrypted e-mail.
Questions and suggestions on data protection
If you have any questions or suggestions on the subject of data protection, please contact our data protection officer. E-mail: datenschutz@smnk.de
Die volle Stellenanzeige finden Sie hier.
Per 1. Juli 2027 oder nach Vereinbarung suchen wir Sie als
Direktor:in Naturhistorisches Museum Bern (a)
Sie möchten ein international anerkanntes Museum in den Bereichen Erdwissenschaften und Zoologie nicht nur führen, sondern dessen Weiterentwicklung aktiv gestalten – weitsichtig, wirksam und nachhaltig? Als Direktor:in des Naturhistorischen Museums Bern (NMBE) entwickeln Sie diese Institution der Burgergemeinde Bern gemeinsam mit einem engagierten Team zukunftsgerichtet weiter. Sie tragen die Gesamtverantwortung für bedeutende wissenschaftliche Sammlungen, die Lehre und Forschung und die Öffentlichkeitsarbeit. Mit Ihrer Arbeit stärken Sie das Bewusstsein für Natur, Mensch und Umwelt in der Gesellschaft.
Gesamtverantwortlich für die operative, finanzielle und personelle Führung des NMBE
Weiterentwickeln des Museums als moderne, forschungsbasierte und publikumsnahe Institution an der Schnittstelle von Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft
Sicherstellen der hohen Qualität und Weiterentwickeln der wissenschaftlichen Sammlungen, Forschungstätigkeiten sowie Dauer‑ und Wechselausstellungen
Führen und Entwickeln der Organisation mit rund 80 Mitarbeitenden und zahlreichen freiwillig engagierten Personen sowie Fördern einer offenen, partizipativen und zukunftsorientierten Unternehmenskultur
Erarbeiten und Umsetzen der Museumsstrategie gemeinsam mit der Geschäftsleitung und der Museumskommission
Aktives Mitgestalten und Vertreten des NMBE im Museumsquartier Bern sowie Pflege nationaler und internationaler Netzwerke (u. a. Museen, Hochschulen, Fachgremien)
Repräsentieren des Mueseums gegenüber der Trägerschaft und aktive Pflege des vielfältigen Netzwerks wie politischen Behörden, Partner:innen, Förderstellen und der Öffentlichkeit
Abgeschlossenes Hochschulstudium, idealerweise mit Promotion in den Erdwissenschaften, der Zoologie oder verwandten Disziplinen
Mehrjährige Führungs- und Managementerfahrung auf Stufe Geschäftsleitung, vorzugsweise im musealen, wissenschaftlichen oder öffentlich-rechtlichen Umfeld, ergänzt mit einer fundierten Weiterbildung im Management-Bereich
Ausgewiesene Kenntnisse des Museumswesens, der wissenschaftlichen Sammlungstätigkeit sowie der Vermittlung komplexer Inhalte für unterschiedliche Zielgruppen
Ausgeprägte strategische, kommunikative und repräsentative Kompetenzen sowie Erfahrung im Umgang mit politischen Gremien und vielfältigen Anspruchsgruppen
Integre Führungspersönlichkeit mit einer stärkenorientierten Führung und Förderung von Mitarbeitenden in sämtlichen Funktionen und der ausgewiesenen Fähigkeit zum Gestalten von Veränderungsprozessen mit Klarheit, Struktur und partizipativem Ansatz
Sehr gute Deutsch‑ und Englischkenntnisse in Wort und Schrift
Bei der Rekrutierung unterstützt uns die schilling partners ag. Wir freuen uns auf Ihre vollständigen Bewerbungsunterlagen via Bewerbungsportal.
Fragen zur Stelle
Vera de Vries, Mandatsverantwortliche, schilling partners ag
+41 44 366 63 17
Die Abteilung Paläontologie des Bonner Instituts für Organismische Biologie der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn sucht zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt zunächst befristet auf drei Jahre (mit Option auf Entfristung) eine*n Wissenschaftliche*n Mitarbeiter*in bzw. Akademischen Rat/Rätin auf Zeit in Vollzeit im Goldfuß-Museum
mit dem Fachgebiet Paläozoologie. Die Stelle wird – bei Vorliegen der beamtenrechtlichen Voraussetzungen – im Beamtenverhältnis (Besoldungsgruppe A 13), andernfalls im Beschäftigungsverhältnis (Entgeltgruppe 13 TV-L), besetzt.
Ihre Aufgaben:
• Lehrtätigkeit auf dem Gebiet der Paläozoologie im Umfang von 4 SWS,
• Konzeption und Leitung von paläontologischen Exkursionen/Grabungen für unter-schiedliche Zielgruppen, Zusammenarbeit mit Citizen Scientists,
• Kuration und Weiterentwicklung der Sammlungen des Goldfuß-Museums,
• Neukonzeption/Organisation der Dauer-Ausstellung und von Wechsel-Ausstellungen,
• Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Außendarstellung des Museums,
• sammlungsbasierte Forschung und wissenschaftliche Publikationstätigkeit,
• digitales Sammlungsmanagement: Digitalisierung und online-Verfügbarmachung der umfangreichen Sammlungsbestände.
Ihr Profil:
Erforderliche Qualifikationen:
• Hochschulabschluss in Paläontologie, Geowissenschaften oder Biologie und Promotion mit paläontologischem (Paläozoologie) Thema,
• einschlägige wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen in internationalen Journalen mit peer review,
• vertiefte Kenntnisse in einer bestimmten Tiergruppe (Wirbeltiere oder Invertebraten des Paläozoikums/Mesozoikums/Känozoikums), die zu den Schwerpunkten der Bonner Sammlung passt,
• Sehr gute Kenntnisse in Erdgeschichte, Erfahrung mit paläontologischer Gelände- und Sammlungsarbeit,
• Sehr gute Kenntnisse der deutschen und englischen Sprache,
• Engagement, Flexibilität, Teamorientierung und Fortbildungsinteresse.
Die Bewerbungsfrist endet am 02.08.2026.
Zeitraum: 01. - 30. September 2026
Teilnahmedauer: mindestens 2 Wochen
(10 Arbeitstage, auch inklusive Wochenenden möglich)
Unterkunft wird gestellt
Alle weiteren Infos können HIER eingesehen werden.
Department of Palaeontology, University of Zurich
Collection management and digitalisation
of macro-invertebrate fossils
80% non-tenured position (maximum 3 years)
We are seeking a highly motivated candidate to actively work with our invertebrate collections.
We seek to improve the collection’s documentation by cataloguing specimens in the Department’s database, digitising and integrating associated images, and identifying material of particular value for palaeontological research.
Your responsibilities
You will coordinate and carry out the curation of parts of the Department’s invertebrate collection in need of improved documentation, including SQL-based database entry, verification and correction of taxonomic determinations, digital imaging and 3D surface rendering of specimens, identifying material, and contributing to scientific project development with Department researchers.
Collections that need work include:
Regional collections from Swiss localities (Jura, Ticino)
Research leading to publications in parallel to the curatorial work is encouraged, but it is secondary to the main tasks of this position.
What we offer
A dynamic, innovative and challenging research and museum environment, an excellent opportunity for further strong, career-relevant qualifications for museum work, and a motivated and team-minded faculty interested in academic exchange.
The opportunity to shape and modernise internationally significant fossil collections spanning a wide range of taxa and geological periods. Our collections have underpinned a wealth of scientific publications and are considered an important reference for vertebrate and invertebrate fossils alike.
Attractive employment conditions in accordance with University of Zurich regulations, including a competitive salary and social benefits for up to three years.
Information on your application
Deadline for application: 31. January 2026 Start of employment: 1. June 2026
Duration: Up to three years of 80% employment, starting with a renewable one-year contract.
We are looking forward to your application. Please submit all documents other than your thesis as a single PDF file including the following documents:
Your Master (or PhD, if completed) thesis in the field of palaeontology,
geology, earth sciences, evolutionary biology, zoology or a closely related field
A statement of how you plan to improve the conditions of our collections and
how it can be used in research and outreach more efficiently
Applicants will be assessed based on criteria such as experience with invertebrate macrofossils, digitalisation, research in invertebrate palaeontology. Top-ranked candidates will be invited for an interview.
The University of Zurich actively promotes equal opportunities in order to offer a diverse workplace and is characterised by an open and inclusive approach. Zurich consistently ranks among the world’s most liveable cities, offering exceptional quality of life, excellent public transport, diverse cultural opportunities and immediate access to lakes, forests and the Alps. It is an international, safe and vibrant environment ideally suited for both professional and personal development.
Applications including all required documents should be sent to Heike Götzmann at heike.goetzmann@pim.uzh.ch. For further information, please contact Prof. Dr. Christian Klug at chklug@pim.uzh.ch)
Call for Research Project Applications - Ref. #01-25063
Founded in 1817, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN) is one of the world’s leading research institutions in the field of biodiversity. At our twelve sites in Germany, scientists from over 40 nations conduct cutting-edge research on an international scale. Our headquarter is located in the thriving commercial metropolis of Frankfurt (Mainhatten) in the heart of Germany, which also hosts one of our most famous facilities, the Senckenberg Natural History Museum.
The Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, the Daimler and Benz Foundation, Gerda Henkel Foundation and the Werner Reimers Foundation will jointly bestow the Southeast-Asia Biocultural Evolution Research Fund for 2026 - 2027 (“Research Fund”) for a research project in a thematic context of human evolution and palaeo-biodiversity in South-East-Asia.
At the Senckenberg Research Institute Frankfurt, we call for applications for the Southeast-Asia Biocultural Evolution Research Fund 2026 - 2027
More than one million years ago, early hominins found their way from Africa via Central Asia to Southeast Asia, opening a new geographical chapter in the early prehistory and dispersal of members of the genus Homo. Many questions about the routes, how and when exactly these migrations took place, and about evolutionary biocultural implications involved in that important period of human prehistory remain to be answered. The scientific funding programme therefore invites young scientists in Southeast Asia to submit project applications for field and/or laboratory research, in particular for explorations and excavations of new fossil sites.
South-East-Asian palaeontological and palaeoanthropological research at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt goes back to pioneering works of the world-renowned palaeontologist Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald, who joined Senckenberg in 1968, funded by the Werner Reimers Foundation.
The funding programme supports promising and creative research ideas offering to early-stage scientists (m/f/d) from a Southeast-Asian country up to 10 years after the doctorate to apply for an academic scholarship. Applicants may apply for costs for travels, accommodation, transports, fieldwork equipment and consumables, as well as allowances for field assistants, lab works, or own living expenses, publications and a scientific workshop / colloquium. Costs should be outlined along with a project timeline in a detailed budget plan submitted with the project description and objectives.
The methodological approach for the planned research project can be chosen freely within the context of human evolution in Southeast-Asia. The project should contribute to the Senckenberg research programme on Biocultural Evolution. Applicants must demonstrate a very good command of English.
Your (academic) profile
Location:
Type of contract:
Benefits:
Your home institution, and temporarily the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt
For the duration of the project affiliation with Senckenberg Society for Nature Research. Project Funding for 24 months / or: period from 01.01.2026 – 31.12.2027.
The Research Fund comprises of € 75.000 per year, for two years, with a possible extension for an additional third year (pending on report output review). It may include travel, fieldwork and labwork expenses, allowances (up to € 2.500 per month) and budget for a project related research colloquium or workshop in Southeast-Asia or in Germany.
Senckenberg is committed to diversity. We benefit from the different expertise, perspectives and personalities of our staff and welcome every application from qualified candidates, irrespective of age, gender, ethnic or cultural origin, religion and ideology, sexual orientation and identity or disability. Applicants with a severe disability will be given special consideration in case of equal suitability. Senckenberg actively supports the compatibility of work and family and places great emphasis on an equal and inclusive work culture.
Are you interested?
We look forward to your application documents (in English language) mentioning the reference
number (ref. #01-25063) sent as a single PDF document until 30.11.2025 by e-mail only. Please include:
Curriculum Vitae
Letter of motivation for your application for the Southeast-Asia Biocultural Evolution Fund 2026 - 2027
Academic transcripts, grades and certification (e.g. Bachelor, Master, Diploma, PhD)
Brief description of your current activities (studies or professional activities)
Max. three-page outline of your planned research project, including detailed budget plan
Letter of support (e.g. from a faculty member, supervisor or employer). This letter should be also written in English.
Applicants must demonstrate good language skills in English, e.g. in form of a certificate from a language test or language course.
Please send your application to:
Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung Senckenberganlage 25
60325 Frankfurt am Main
E-Mail: recruiting@senckenberg.de
For more information on the Research Fund, please contact: Prof. Dr. Ottmar Kullmer via e-mail: ottmar.kullmer@senckenberg.de.
For data protection information on the processing of personal data as part of the application and selection process, please refer to the privacy policy on our homepage at www.senckenberg.de/en/imprint/
Für internationale Stellenausschreibungen in der Paläontologie, besuchen Sie auch The PaleoNet Pages.
Der Deutsche Museumsbund veröffentlicht museumsspezifische Stellen und Volontariate in Deutschland.
Paläontologische Gesellschaft e.V.
c/o Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung
Senckenberganlage 25
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Tel: +49 157 806 706 78
Email: info@palges.de
Internet: www.palges.de