Open Positions

Please visit this page regularly to check for open positions. If no positions are available in your field of interest, nevertheless feel free to contact the relevant group leaders to inquire about future possibilities.

• PhD Position “Diagenesis of Microbialites in Origin-of-Life Analogues”

  The Sedimentology Lab at the Department of Geosciences at the University of Fribourg invites applications for a PhD position on the characterization of early and late diagenetic processes acting in origin-of-life analogues.
  
  The position is embedded in the Project OASIS (Origin of Life Analogues and Archives) led by Nina Zeyen (UNIGE), Allison Daley (UNIL) and Anneleen Foubert (UNIFR), and is part of the National Centre of Competence in Research GENESIS. The OASIS project focuses especially on the concentration and preservation of organic molecules and cells in extreme environments and through geological time. Despite decades of research searching for early signatures of life on Earth and beyond, a thorough understanding of these processes remains elusive. Diagenesis can alter the original signature of life by modifying morphology, mineralogy, chemistry and organic compounds proxies. As such, there is an urgent need to understand the messages conveyed by organo-sedimentary structures including microbialites in their geological and environmental context and across multiple spatial and temporal scales. The project aims to use an integrative and multi-methodological approach combining geochemical, mineralogical, and microbiological characterisation of modern lacustrine microbialites with in-situ and in-vitro organomineralisation and diagenesis experiments. The PhD student will work collaboratively with two other PhD students employed on the project OASIS, at respectively UNIGE and UNIL, as well as postdocs and technicians associated with the project.
  
  This specific PhD-project will focus on early to late diagenetic processes in extreme hypersaline to hyperacidic ponds and lacustrine settings covering distinct geochemical gradients. Microbialites in their natural setting will be analyzed for morphology, mineralogy and geochemistry using high-resolution visualization and analytical techniques. In-situ field and lab experimentation will allow monitoring distinct early (syn-depositional) and late alteration and diagenesis to understand better the preservation of organo-mineral structures (such as microbialites) through time.
  
  

  Your Profile

  • MSc Degree in Geosciences (Geology, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geomicrobiology, or related field)
  • Research interest in process-orientated sedimentology, and high-resolution analytical and quantitative methods both in the field and the lab
  • Team player being open to work in an international and interdisciplinary team
  • Good organizational and communication skills
  • Experience with diagenesis, experimentation, CT-scanning techniques, fieldwork, and/or biogeochemistry is an advantage

  
  Application procedures
  
  The position could be available as early as December 1^st 2026 or by mutual agreement. The PhD duration is 4 years.

  Electronic copies of the following documents should be forwarded to the address below:

  • Cover letter mentioning the position for which the candidate is applying, your research interests, relevant experience and motivation for the PhD-position
  • Complete CV
  • Copies of the diploma of Bachelor and Master degree, and academic transcripts
  • Name and addresses of two referee persons

  The applications should be made via email as one single PDF file. For all questions and for submission of the application please contact Prof. Dr. Anneleen Foubert by mail . The applications should reach the Department of Geosciences before 10^th of November 2026.
  
  Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg

  The University of Fribourg is located in central western Switzerland, at the foothills of the Swiss Alps. The university has about 10’000 students across all scientific disciplines. Being part of the Faculty of Science and Medicine, the Department of Geosciences steers an interdisciplinary research and teaching environment bringing together the domains of Earth Sciences, Geography, and Environmental sciences. The Department of Geosciences hosts and manages the GeoImage and Analytics Core Facility. The Sedimentology Research Group is specifically studying geobiosphere interactions in sediments and using those sediments as true paleo-environmental archives and at the cornerstone of the GeoImage and Analytics Core Facility.

  Details on the Sedimentology Research Group (Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg) are available at https://www.unifr.ch/geo/carbonatesedimentology/en/

  The University of Fribourg is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to :

  • Ensure gender balance and diversity at all levels, as well as an open and respectful environment
  • Promote a culture of research integrity by encouraging responsible and transparent practices throughout the research process
  • Provide working conditions facilitating work-life balance
  • Support of early career researchers

  NCCR GENESIS

  The National Centre of Competence in Research NCCR Genesis is a research infrastructure project funded by SNSF focusing on exploring the emergence of life in the Universe. This interdisciplinary research infrastructure brings together physicists, earth and planetary scientists, chemists and biologists to understand the conditions and the mechanisms that enable life to emerge. Developing reliable methods to detect reliable traces of life (biosignatures) – whether through remote sensing or direct onsite measurements – requires significant innovation. These challenges demand close collaboration across physics, biology, chemistry and the earth sciences. NCCR Genesis does not aim to provide answers in all fields, but to drive innovative research and achieve decisive progress.

  Details on NCCR Genesis are available on its website https://nccr-genesis.ch.

  NCCR Genesis is deeply committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. Our aim is to cultivate a respectful and fair work culture with equal access to professional development and support for all. We strongly encourage applications from under-represented groups.

   

• PhD student in "Establishing a firn emulator for future Greenland simulations"

   The University of Fribourg is located in central western Switzerland, at the foothills of the Swiss Alps. The university has about 10’000 students across all scientific disciplines. Being part of the Faculty of Science and Medicine, the Department of Geosciences comprises approximately 90 employees and offers BSc and MSc programs in Earth sciences, in geosciences and geography.
  
  The Cryosphere group within the Department of Geosciences has a staff of c. 25 and has strong expertise in surface and subsurface processes of glaciers and ice sheets, permafrost and geophysics. The Cryosphere group is looking for a PhD student in "Establishing a firn emulator for future Greenland simulations" 
  
  This 4-year PhD position is part of the FirnMelt Synergy Grant, funded by the European Research Council (ERC). FirnMelt is a collaboration between University of Fribourg (Horst Machguth), the Alfred Wegener Institut AWI (Angelika Humbert), University of Utrecht (Michiel van den Broeke) and the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland GEUS (William Colgan). The core team consists of the 4 PIs, a scientific coordinator, around 15 early career researchers as well as technical staff and aims to quantify the impact of Greenland’s changing firn cover on the entire ice sheet.  
  
  The goal of this PhD position is to develop an emulator of firn hydrology capable of representing lateral water flow within anisotropic firn. The design of the emulator, particularly the loss functions, will be informed by already existing firn hydrology datasets within the consortium and then formally trained with the large-scale firn simulations within the project. This approach will emulate the complex physical processes involved in firn hydrology. Eventually, the firn emulator should provide runoff for coupled Greenland simulation until the year 2300. Challenges to be addressed and explored will include suitability and quality of input data and the emulation of not only firn structure but also firn hydrology and related meltwater discharge, The position will be supervised by H. Machguth and co-supervised by M. van den Broeke and A. Humbert. 
  
  This may be the perfect position for you if you have a master’s degree in engineering, physics, mathematics, statistics or a related field, you are interested in the cryosphere, you have experience in computational data analysis and modelling, and if you are eager to participate in Greenland fieldwork. Very good verbal and written communication skills in English are required; French or German is an asset. 
  
  If you are interested, please send your application (merged into one PDF file), including (1) motivation letter, (2) CV (including list of publication, if applicable) with contact details of at least two references, and (3) educational transcripts directly to Horst Machguth by Mail . The optimal starting date for the PhD candidate is towards the end of 2026 and assessment of applications will start 14 September 2026. Please contact Horst Machguth by Mail   if you have questions.