Junior Research Groups

Here you’ll find a list of all current junior research groups at iDiv and information on how iDiv supports starting-up your externally funded junior research group at iDiv.

Evolution and Adaptation (Dr Renske Onstein)

Photo of a lemur used as symbolic image for the research group Evolutionary Ecology of Dr Omer Nevo — Evolutionary Ecology (Dr Omer Nevo)

Bee on flower — Symbiont Evolution (Dr Michael Gerth)

Externally funded Junior Research Groups at iDiv

Startup support for Junior Research Group Leaders — Your external research grant with iDiv as host

iDiv building in Leipzig (Photo: Stefan Bernhardt/iDiv)

iDiv as host institution

The German Centre for integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig is one of the leading research centres for biodiversity change. Its central mission is to promote theory-driven synthesis and data-driven theory in this emerging field. The iDiv concept encompasses recording biodiversity, understanding its emergence, exploring its consequences for ecosystem functions and services, and developing strategies to safeguard biodiversity under global change.

We offer you the opportunity to start your own externally funded group at iDiv. We are addressing early-career scientists (f/m/d) who have applied for a grant, or are planning to do so, and seek a home institution for establishing their own group. At iDiv you will work in a vibrant community of like-minded scholars addressing some of the major biodiversity-related issues of the future. Moreover, you will receive financial support to set up a lab with facilities, personnel and a running budget. As a diverse and inclusive workplace, we care about you and do our best to support you to do great science. You can benefit for example from our welcome centre for internationals, our flexible childcare or our career development offers. We especially encourage proposals from female researchers.

Guidelines

These guidelines will help you through the process and give you an idea of what you will need to do before joining us.

Your profile

You are expected to perform innovative biodiversity research matching iDiv’s research programme and missions, and complementing existing research with novel interdisciplinary ideas.

You should already have been successful in raising independent funding for your own position and/or research group or are planning to do so (e.g. Emmy Noether Programme (DFG), ERC Grant, BMBF Junior Research Groups, Heisenberg-Programme or Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Sofja Kovalevskaja Award).

You must hold a doctoral degree (PhD or equivalent) in a related field and preferably have some experience as an independent postdoctoral researcher.

You have an excellent scientific track record, demonstrated by several publications in international peer-reviewed journals.

What iDiv offers

Prior to submission, candidates will have the opportunity to work closely with an iDiv member to develop a high-quality grant application.

Financial and administrative support as well as a JRG start-up package.

Excellent and top-notch research infrastructure (lab/office space).

Opportunities to build your professional network within our consortium.

Opportunities for teaching and student supervision at yDiv and the participating universities.

Access to competitive internal research funding.

Career development support, such as supervision training and individual coaching.

Process

If you are considering iDiv as host institution, you should initiate the process as early as possible, ideally at least six months before submitting a proposal. This way, we can provide the necessary support to ensure that the planned project is well aligned with iDiv’s research program, and that there is plenty of time for the administrative processes.