PhD fellowship in Patterns and Causality in Arctic and Mid-Latitude Climate Co-Variability

The the Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth group (PICE) at NBI invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in Arctic and Mid-Latitude climate interactions. The project is part of the research project “Arctic push on Europe’s extremes: The anatomy of Arctic impact on European climate change - ArcticPush”, which is financed by Independent Research Fond Denmark. The fellowship will be carried out in collaboration with the project partners, which are Aarhus University (AU), NBI, and the Danish Meteological Institute (DMI).

Start date is (expected to be) 1 March 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project
The central hypothesis of the project is that the atmospheric interactions between the Arctic and lower latitudes are influenced by the aggregated effects of short-term climate variability, such as heat and moisture transport, jet stream dynamics, and sea ice variability. This PhD project will explore these relationships through the development and application of advanced statistical and machine learning methodologies.

The PhD candidate will develop and refine statistical tools and metrics to analyze co- and lagged variability in observed and modeled data of climatic variability in the Arctic and mid-latitudes, initially focusing on temperature, sea ice extent, jet stream positioning, and near-surface pressure. The candidate will employ a variety of advanced techniques including, for example,Causal Effect Networks to determine the directionality and strength of causal relationships between climate variables andSelf-Organizing Maps and Machine Learning to identify and categorize patterns in climate data that are indicative of teleconnection strength and trends.

Data sources will include reanalysis datasets (e.g., ERA5, NOAA‐CIRES Twentieth Century Reanalysis), in-situ and satellite observations (e.g., ESA-CCI, NSICD) and output from global climate models (e.g., CMIP5, CMIP6). The PhD project will also involve close collaboration with a postdoc at AU under the ArcticPush project, particularly in terms of providing input to and analyzing climate model experiments. But also more generally with the PIs at AU and DMI.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for candidates with a broad background within climate change. Applicants must have a MSc degree in meteorology, physics, engineering, maths or other related disciplines in natural sciences and Earth science. In addition, we welcome experience in

• post-processing of climate data from observations, remote sensing, re-analysis products and climate models
• spatial and temporal statistical techniques and machine learning
• appropriate programming languages such as Python and R and experience with Linux/Unix computer environments
• communicating scientific results to a wider audience

Our group and research- and what do we offer?
The PICE group is a part of the Niels Bohr Institute, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. We are located in Copenhagen. The project partners, AU (Roskilde Campus) and DMI are both located within the greater Copenhagen area.
At PICE offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment with a focus on climate and climate change both on contemporary and paleo time-scales. Our research facilities include modern laboratories and access to computing facilities.

Principal supervisor is Professor Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen, PICE, E-mail [email protected], Direct Phone: +4535335658.
The PhD programme
You can undertake the PhD programme as a three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme), if you already have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree.

Qualifications needed for the regular programme
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. in meteorology, physics, maths or other related disciplines in natural and/or Earth science. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks in the PhD programme

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision

• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other relevant professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in climate and climate variability
• Good language skills

***************************************************************************
Application and Assessment Procedure

Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include:

• Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
• Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
• Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.
• Publication list (if possible)
• Reference letters (if available)

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in week 50.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 13-10-2024

Ansættelsesdato: 01-03-2025

Arbejdstid: Fuldtid

Afdeling/Sted: Niels Bohr Institutet