Application deadline: February 4th, 2026
Intense land-use and climate change are considered to be the main drivers of insect decline. This PhD project addresses a potential interaction between the two factors. Intense land-use changes the temperature of available microhabitats, e.g. by reducing shade and decreasing the availability of humid micro-refugia. Increasing temperatures are not only challenging by themselves, but especially because they increase drought stress. This is why drought resistance may be a key ecological trait that confers tolerance to intense land-use in insects. Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) cover the body of all insects like a waxy layer and are the most important protection against desiccation in insects. Their composition varies strongly between insect species and determines the drought resistance of insect species.
In this project, the PhD candidate will study how land-use of grassland and forest habitats is linked to physiological traits of the present insects, namely their drought resistance and their cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile. The project is embedded within the Biodiversity Exploratories consortium (https://www.biodiversity-exploratories.de/en). The successful applicant will do extensive field work in three sites across Germany (Schwäbische Alb, Hainich, Schorfheide), monitor insects, measure their drought resistance, analyze their cuticular hydrocarbon profile, and perform statistical analyses on the relation of these traits. The study will include ants, hoverflies, solitary bees, beetles, true bugs and grasshoppers. Publication of the results in international, peer-reviewed, English-speaking journals is expected.
We offer a 3-year PhD position (65% TV-L E13), based in Mainz and potentially in Würzburg. The project is a collaboration of PD Dr. Florian Menzel (Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz) and Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmitt (Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg). The project links chemical ecology, community ecology, insect physiology and climate change research. The PhD candidate will gain experience in a wide range of methods, including field studies, species identification, GC-MS analysis, and biostatistics.
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with an MSc degree (or equivalent) in Biology or a related field. The successful applicant should have a strong background in entomology, ecology and/or evolutionary biology. Experience with insect identification, chemical analysis, statistics (in R), a driving licence valid in Germany, as well as German-speaking skills are advantageous but not required. The working language of both groups is English. The Universities of Mainz and Würzburg aims to increase the number of women and diverse people in science, and applications by women and diverse people are strongly encouraged. Similarly, qualified candidates with disabilities will be preferred.
The successful applicant will join an international and dynamic scientific environment. Our groups investigate ecology, evolution and behaviour of ants and other insects (see https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb10-evolutionary-biology/research-groups/group-menzel/ and https://www.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de/zoo3/team/schmitt).
Please send your application as a single pdf file containing your CV, a motivation letter (including your motivation why to apply for this particular project and your previous research activities; max. 2 pages), certificates (including grades) of your MSc, BSc and A-level exam, publications (if applicable), and the names and email addresses of two potential referees. In addition, please send a pdf copy of your Master thesis. Applications should be sent to PD Dr. Florian Menzel (menzelf@uni-mainz.de) and Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmitt (thomas.schmitt@uni-wuerzburg.de) until February 1st, 2026. The position can be started from April or May 2026. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have further questions.