PhD position (f_m_x) - Volatile-bearing Silicate Glasses
GFZ is Germany's national centre for solid Earth research. We advance the understanding of dynamic processes to address global challenges, from mitigating the impacts of natural hazards and sustaining our habitat amid global change to responsibly managing georesources. We are part of the Helmholtz Association, the largest German scientific organisation. With around 1,200 employees as well as ca. 500 guest researchers, we contribute to the Helmholtz Research Field Earth and Environment, aligning cutting-edge research with societal relevance and international collaboration. Our work integrates multidisciplinary studies across Earth's system components, leveraging advanced technologies and infrastructure to research solutions and to transfer our knowledge to society. We are doing this according to our vision: “Taking the pulse of our Earth to safeguard a habitable planet”.
Reference Number 10381
The PhD candidate (f_m_x) will be part of the CLEAR group. The project is funded by the European Research Council ("Glass2Melt: Universal Model of the Density of Deep Silicate Melts").
The research focus will be on measuring the density of volatile-bearing silicate glasses in the diamond anvil cell (DAC) using the novel all-optical method. The results will quantify the effect of H2O and CO2 on the density of multicomponent silicate glasses across the pressure range of the Earth's mantle, and contribute to the universal silicate melt density model. The successful candidate will develop the synthesis of volatile-bearing silicate glasses at the GFZ and partners of the Glass2Melt project, further develop the all-optical method in the DAC, and collaborate with Prof. Dr. Bjoern Winkler (Goethe University Frankfurt), Dr. Sergio Speziale (GFZ), and members of the Glass2Melt team to gain deep insights into the composition-structure-property relation in the silicate glass system.
Your responsibilities:
- Synthesis of silicate glasses in the H2O-CO2-SiO2-Al2O3-MgO-CaO-Na2O-system at high pressure
- Chemical characterization of the synthesized glasses by microprobe and spectroscopic techniques
- All-optical measurements of density of volatile-bearing silicate glasses in the DAC
- Proactive scientific interaction within the research group and with other groups at the GFZ
- Report progress regularly at group meetings, domestic, and international conferences
- Publication of the results in peer-reviewed journals
Your qualifications:
- Master degree or equivalent in Geosciences, Physics, Chemistry, or related disciplines
- Strong interest in glass/melt-physics and challenging experimental work
- Basic knowledge of optical, infrared, and Raman spectroscopies
- Experience with the synthesis of dry and/or volatile-bearing glass
- Experience with the DAC or a related high-pressure technique
- Experience with bench-top optical setups
- Basic programming skills would be beneficial
- Proficiency in written and spoken English
Please, indicate specifically how you fit the required qualifications as well as your motivations for becoming a member of the Glass2Melt team in a Cover Letter submitted with your application. Applications without a clearly identified motivation will not be considered. In addition, provide a list of at least two references and their contact details who can evaluate your scientific work.
Start date: 1st July 2025
Fixed-term: 3 years
Salary: The position is classed as salary group 13 according to “TVöD Bund (Tarifgebiet Ost)”. The salary group is determined on the basis of the Collective Wage Agreement and the respective personal qualifications.
Working hours: Part-time 75% (currently 29.25 h/week)
Place of work: Potsdam
What we offer:
- Ambitious and varied tasks in a dynamic and international research environment
- State-of-the-art equipment
- Public service benefits
- Extensive training opportunities
- Professional career advice offered by our in-house Career-Centre
- Flexible working hours and conditions
- Support with finding a good work-life balance offered by benefit@work
- Institute day-care centre on site
- Working at the Albert Einstein science park on the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam
- Work place within walking distance of Potsdam main train station, or just a short ride on the shuttle bus
Have we piqued your interest?
The GFZ actively promotes diversity and explicitly welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of ethnic and social origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation and identity, religion/belief, age and physical characteristics. We also promote an inclusive working environment in which everyone can fully develop their own talents. Anyone who has been recognised as severely disabled, will be given preferential consideration in the event of equal suitability and qualification in accordance with the provisions of the German Social Code IX. In case of further queries regarding gender equality, please do not hesitate to contact our Equal Opportunities Officer.
“Diversity in perspectives” is one of GFZ's core values. As an integral part of supporting diversity at our centre, we actively promote women in science and in leadership positions. We among others do this through our gender equality plan and the cascade model measures which we actively implement to enable sustainable equal opportunities in academic career paths. The GFZ thus committedly strives for gender equality in science, including in leadership positions, and strongly encourages women to apply.
Your personal data will be processed for the purpose of conducting the selection procedure on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 b, Art. 88 GDPR in conjunction with Art. 26 of the Data Protection Act for the State of Brandenburg. After completion of the procedure, application documents will be deleted in compliance with data protection regulations.
In case of any further queries relating to the field of activity, please contact Dr. Sergey Lobanov either via email or phone +49 (0)331-6264-28607. If you have any general questions about the application process, please contact our recruiting team at our phone number +49 (0) 331-6264-28787.