PostDoc - Signals of climate and landscape change

The Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences

Postdam, Germany

Closing date: 5th April 2014

Description

The Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences is the national research centre for Earth sciences in Germany. With approx. 1100 employees, the GFZ is conducting interdisciplinary research on the “System Earth” and the influence of humans on the planet. As a member of the Helmholtz Association, it is part of Germany’s largest science organization.

For Department 1 „Geodasy and Remote Sensing“, Section 1.4 „remote sensing“, we invite applications for a Postdoctoral position (m/f) Reference No. 02/1/14 D.

The position is part of the BMBF collaborative project “Geoarchives – Signals of Climate and Landscape Change preserved in Southern African Geoarchives“, funded within the international Research program “SPACES - Science Partnerships for the Assessment of Complex Earth System Processes”. The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Dr Sabine Chabrillat in subproject 1 “Identification and mapping of palaeoenvironmental archives and process analysis in Southern Africa based on hyperspectral and multispectral remote sensing technology” in close collaboration with the other project partners in the GFZ, in the Technical University München and in the research institute Senckenberg am Meer Wilhelmshaven as well as cooperation partners in South Africa and Namibia.

Tasks:

• Develop concepts for the use of recent and upcoming Earth Observation Tools for the study of climate and land use changes impacts on the landscape ecosystem in southern Africa.
• Analyses of current hyperspectral and multispectral satellite imagery over different geoarchives of interest.
• Presentation and publication of results in scientific conferences and in peer-review journals.

Contract - Climate change policy and governance

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei and Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change 

Venice, Italy

Closing date: 31st March 2014.

Description

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei and the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change announce a job opening for motivated and talented researchers on climate change policy and governance. FEEM is a leading research institute on sustainable development (www.feem.it) and CMCC is a research institution that manages and promotes scientific and applied activities in the field of international climate change research (www.cmcc.it).

The selected applicant will join the activities of the project “International Center for Climate Governance” (www.iccgov.org). He/she will be involved in the management of the ICCG Observatories focused on the following aspects of climate change governance: 

- the role of institutions, interests, and alternative models of governance for the control of climate change; 

- the evaluation of climate and energy policies at international, European and national level; 

- best practices tackling climate change. 

FEEM and CMCC offer an interdisciplinary workplace and have strong ties to a worldwide network of research institutions engaged in environmental research.

The selected applicant is expected to begin his/her assignment in late Spring 2014. The initial appointment is for 12 months and can be renewed. Gross salary will be competitive with other top European research and academic institutions. The researcher will be based at the FEEM/CMCC premises in Venice.

PhD - Global agricultural modeling

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Postdam, Germany

Closing date: February 16th, 2014

Description

The department of Climate Impacts and Vulnerabilities of the *Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research* (PIK) invites applicants for *four PhD positions* as part of a newly funded project to study agricultural management options for greenhouse gas mitigation at the global scale. Agriculture will have to increase production to meet the demand for food, fuels and material of growing and richer populations while simultaneously increasing resource conservation and sustainability and adjust production methods to climate change. Agricultural management is at the core of these challenges and will have to be studied in a global context. The successful candidates will work with a global gridded crop simulation model and will closely cooperate within the newly found research group, as well as with other scientists at PIK and with international scientific collaborators (e.g. in AgMIP).

PhD - Climate change

McMaster University

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Deadline date: January 20th 2014

Description

McMaster Centre for Climate Change, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada is recruiting 6 PhD students as part of a newly funded project to explore the impacts of climate change, extreme weather events and forest management activities on carbon, water and nutrient cycle processes in an age-sequence of temperate forests in Southern Ontario, Canada. The sites are part of the Turkey Point Flux Station. You will join and collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of scientists from McMaster, University of Toronto, Environment Canada, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Canada-Canadian Forest Service and Long Point Region Conservation Authority.

POSITION (NAMES OF POTENTIAL SUPERVISORS):

PhD student - Micrometeorological measurements (carbon and water fluxes) (Dr. Altaf Arain).

PhD student - Belowground biomass estimation, using Ground Penetrating Radar (Dr. Joe Boyce).

PhD student - Biometric and ecological measurements (Dr. Jing Chen, U of Toronto).

PhD student - C and N cycle modelling, using ecosystem land surface-atmosphere interaction models (Dr. Paul Bartlett and Dr. Altaf Arain).

PhD student - Catchment scale hydrologic modelling, using distributed hydrologic models (Dr. Paulin Coulibaly).

PhD student - Environmental and Economic Modelling: Integrating biological and economic models to evaluate the economic potential and vulnerability of intensively managed forests to climate change (Dr. Dan McKenney and Dr. Altaf Arain).

Requirements

A background in a relevant discipline such as: biogeosciences, climatology, economics, environmental science, forest science, forestry, hydrology, hydrologic or ecosystem modelling, or meteorology is required. Past experience in field work, data analysis, programming (for modelling students) and statistics is preferred. Five of the students will be located at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and one at University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

More information and applications

PostDoc - Water management

The Cyprus Institute (CyI)

Nicosia, Cyprus

Closing date: 30th December 2013

Description

The Cyprus Institute (CyI) invites applications for a Post-doctoral Fellow in Water Management at its Energy, Environment and Water Research Center (EEWRC). The successful candidate will join a dynamic team of researchers, who are investigating all aspects of hydrology and water management in semi-arid environments under changing economic and climate conditions.

The Post-doctoral Fellow will analyse and map different water and land management practices and climate change adaptation options, conduct policy analyses, and operationalize the concept of ecosystems services. He or she will also be responsible for all stakeholder interactions in two new EU funded projects (BEWATER and RECARE).

The successful candidate will be expected to:

Analyse and map costs, benefits and trade-offs of water and land management practices and climate change adaptation options.

Facilitate communications between science and society in the area of environmental management and climate change adaptation, and mobilize formal and non-formal institutions.

Operationalize the concept of ecosystems services in close cooperation with stakeholders.

Conduct policy reviews and analyses and prepare clear policy messages.

Contribute to a variety of research tasks within EEWRC's Water Group.

Publish in scientific and popular media.

Requirements

PhD in environmental, biological or geo-sciences, environmental economics or environmental engineering. Highly qualified candidates with an MSc and appropriate professional qualifications will also be considered.

An adequate academic publication record. Experience in publishing in popular media is preferred.

Experience in cooperating with a wide variety of stakeholders, including government institutions, civil society organizations, and small and medium enterprises.

Strong analytical and organizational skills.

Excellent knowledge of the Greek and English languages both in verbal and in writing.

Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary team.

More information and applications

PhD - Simulación evolutiva para estudio de glaciares

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Madrid, España

Descripción

Se buscan candidatos (Físicas, Matemáticas, Ingenierías, Ciencias Ambientales, Geología o titulaciones afines) interesados en solicitar una beca FPU para realizar el doctorado en alguna de las líneas de investigación del Grupo de Simulación Numérica en Ciencias e Ingeniería, según perfil del candidato.

El Grupo de Simulación Numérica en Ciencias e Ingeniería es un grupo de investigación de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid que desde 1995 centra su actividad en la glaciología. Combinamos modelos matemáticos de termomecánica glaciar con trabajos de campo en la Antártida y el Ártico, para simular la respuesta de los glaciares a los cambios climáticos. También empleamos el georradar como técnica esencial para la toma de datos de campo.

Más información y solicitudes

PhD / Contrato predoctoral - Reducción de emisiones, captura de CO2

Instituto Nacional del Carbón (INCAR-CSIC)

Oviedo, España

Descripción

Se buscan ingenieros interesados en solicitar contrato predoctoral en la convocatoria FPU 2013. La tesis se desarrollaría en el grupo de Procesos Energéticos y Reducción de Emisiones de INCAR-CSIC en la temática de captura de CO2 (www.incar.csic.es/prem).

Requisitos

El candidato seleccionado deberá cumplir los requisitos de titulación y nota media establecidos en la convocatoria: http://www.mecd.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano-mecd/catalogo-servicios/becas-ayudas-subvenciones/para-profesores/universitarios/fpu.html

Más información y solicitudes

PostDoc - General equilibrium modelling and resource economics and policy

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei and Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change

Milan and Venice, Italy

Deadline date: 11th December 2013.

Description

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM, a leading research institute on sustainable development - www.feem.it) and the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC, a research institution that manages and promotes scientific and applied activities in the field of international climate change research – www.cmcc.it) aim to recruiting motivated and talented researchers to cover one open position on climate change and sustainable development economics.

The selected applicant will join the FEEM Research Programme on Climate Change and Sustainable Development (CCSD), or the CMCC Research Division on Climate Impacts and Policy (CIP). These research branches carry out high level research on climate change economics, climate change integrated assessment modelling, climate change policy and governance, climate-related innovation and technological change, natural hazards and extreme climate-related events, management of natural resources, sustainability and growth beyond GDP.

Requirements

Applicants should have a PhD in economics and/or past proven experience, both with a focus on applied general equilibrium modelling and resource economics and policy. Applications from PhD candidates who are close to its completion are accepted. Experience in conducting applied economic research using empirical and numerical methods is required. The selected applicant will join a project focusing on policies for resource efficiency. 

This project involves analysis of policy mixes to decouple resource use from growth, using a computable general equilibrium modelling approach. The main tasks of the selected candidate will be to: (i) contribute to numerical modelling of policy mixes in a general equilibrium framework; (ii) compile a review of the theoretical predictions of general equilibrium models regarding selected policy mixes; and (iii) provide a qualitative assessment of relevant socioeconomic implications, not reflected in the models. 

More information and applications

PhD - Dynamic meteorology

Stockholm University

Stockholm, Sweden

Description

This project aims at identifying links between the jet stream variability and the atmospheric system's attractor. Low-frequency variability in midlatitude weather is a topic of intensive research because of its importance in understanding and improving predictability in weather and climate. It will involve using simplified quasi-geostrophic models, for example barotropic and baroclinic models on the sphere, as well as comprehensive general circulation models and reanalysis data.

Requirements

Applicants must have completed a university degree or university studies of 240 ECTS points (corresponding to 4 years of study), of which at least 60 points at the master level. At least 90 points must be in one of the subjects meteorology, oceanography, physics or chemistry, at least 15 points must be in mathematics, and an independent project work corresponding to at least 15 points must have been completed. The requirements can also be met by acquiring the corresponding knowledge in some other way, in Sweden or abroad.

More information and applications

PhD - Changes in flood and drought in a changing climate

The Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences

Warsaw, Poland 

Description

The Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Hydrology and Hydrodynamics, Warsaw, Poland seeks highly motivated candidate for a PhD position "Identifying changes in flood and drought in a changing climate". The Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Sciences (IGF PAS) is a multidisciplinary organization engaged in advanced research, teaching and service provision in cutting-edge geophysical sciences and is one of the largest research centres in Poland working towards understanding and monitoring the environment. The Hydrology and Hydrodynamics department focuses on the transport and mixing of contaminants in surface waters, flood wave transformation and flood risk, water resources management, assessment of the impact of climate change from theoretical and experimental perspectives. 

The successful applicant will work with a team of researchers based in Poland and in Norway to advance our current understanding of likely changes in hydrological extremes under a future climate.The focus of the position will be on the use of simulated data derived from a series of linked climate and hydrological models and analyses. 

Requirements

We seek a candidate with an MSc degree in Environmental Sciences or Engineering, Geography, Hydrology, Applied Mathematics, Physics or Computer Science. Applicants with a methodological background should have experience in environmental applications, and vice versa. Experience in uncertainty analysis, programming (e.g. FORTRAN, R or MATLAB) are desirable. A good level of both written and spoken English, together with good communication skills are mandatory.

More information and applications

PostDoc/contract - Climate Change Research Coordinator

Energy, Environment and Water Research Center Academic

Nicosia, Cyprus

Description

The EEWRC aims to explore issues of global significance in the fields of energy-, environmental- and water research, with a focus on their specific regional, East-Mediterranean manifestations. We are looking for applications of individuals interested in the organization and coordination of research on climate change and its impacts in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The aim is to help develop a research program, based on a recent climate change assessment of this region, with a focus on climate change impacts, for example associated with water scarcity and weather extremes. Tasks will include the organization of meetings and conferences, managerial aspects of the research agenda and maintaining contacts with national and international partners.

Requirements

-University Degree or equivalent preferably in natural sciences or a relevant scientific field.

-Proven experience in research management including financial administration is essential. 

-Experience in preparing and writing scientific reports; Involvement in proposal writing and knowledge or at least interest in the field of climate change impacts would be an advantage.

-Excellent knowledge of oral and written English. Knowledge of Greek and/or of other languages will be considered as an advantage.

-Excellent IT skills in MS Office as well as ability in the use of other software and systems.

-High level organizational, analytical and problem solving skills. 

-Ability to multitask changing priorities with limited supervision in a high-pressure work environment.

-High level of communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to adopt in a multicultural environment.

More information and applications

Postdoctoral researcher in soil carbon modelling

Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon ART

Zurich, Switzerland

Description

Agroscope Reckenholz Tänikon, Research Station ART conducts research for an environmental friendly, competitive agriculture. We combine ecology, economy and agricultural technology in an integrated research ap-proach and develop scientific-based decision support for farmers, government authorities and society. At the Research Group Climate / Air Pollution, a position is available for a postdoctoral researcher with background in soil science and scientific modelling.

Your research will be assigned to two research projects funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, which combine experimental and modelling work. In these projects, the effects of land-use change and agricultural management on current and future soil and ecosystem carbon storage and dynamics are being assessed.

You will be involved in the overall activities of two research clusters comprising c. 5-7 individuals and ongoing soil modelling activities. You will be using existing soil carbon models (RothC, Yasso, CCB) that need to be substantially extended in their functionality and applied to various field situations from different countries. The simulations will be based on i) existing data and ii) data collected by other members of these projects. The research includes i) simulation and model development using data from controlled experiments, incorporating 14C data; and ii) model applications to gradients in land use and management intensity, and various management scenarios.

Requirements

University degree (diploma, MSc) and PhD in environmental sciences, geography, agriculture or forestry. In-depth expertise in process-based soil carbon modelling, statistics, and good understanding of the suitability of radiocarbon as a tracer. Profound knowledge of R and computer languages (e.g., Fortran, C). Good communica-tion and publication skills. Fluency in spoken and written English, knowledge of German is advantageous.

Conditions PostDoc salary according to the regulations of the Swiss National Science Foundation. Working in a lively and international research group with cross-cutting experimental and modelling work. Appointment for a minimum of 3 years with a probationary period of 3 months. The working place will be at Agroscope in Zurich-Affoltern. The position should start in November 2013.

More information and application

PhD - High-resolution investigation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current over the last 25000 years

Université Lille

Lille, France

Description

The knowledge of the carbon cycle budget is one of the biggest challenge in paleoclimatology, and the relationships between CO2 concentration changes and the modification of deep oceanic circulation over the last climatic cycles are still a matter of debate. Several evidences indicate that most of the changes in CO2 atmosphere-ocean exchanges must have taken place in the southern ocean. At present, the southern ocean acts as a major sink for CO2 of anthropic origin while it appears to have been a source of CO2 during the last deglaciation. It has recently been suggested that modifications of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current pattern (ACC) vigor and position may have been associated with these changes in CO2 exchanges, in particular during the rapid climatic events of the last deglaciation. Some studies around Kerguelen Plateau have actually shown that the characteristics of the ACC during the last glacial period were indeed different compared to the Holocene. The present project proposes to investigate further the modification of the ACC between the last glacial period and the Holocene using the terrigenous fraction of sediments deposited on the Kerguelen Plateau. Fine-grain particles can be advected for thousand of kilometres within deep currents, and changes in particle provenance are thus largely ascribed to modifications of the circulation of deep-water masses. In the proposed project, the mineralogical and geochemical signatures of detrital particles will thus be used in order to (1) track modifications of the terrigenous transfer - provenance and flux- through the ACC and (2) to document deep-current reorganization. A series of cores, collected during the INDIEN-Sud cruise on the Kerguelen Plateau, will be investigated in order to constrain hydrological changes, including the intensity and location of the ACC in the Indian part of the Southern ocean over the last 25000 years. The candidate will focus on characterizing the terrigenous fraction of sediment cores taken off Kerguelen in order to constrain particles provenance, reconstruct the evolution of the ACC over the last climatic cycle, and improve paleoceanographic reconstitutions. A multiproxy approach, including clay mineralogy, grain-size analyses and radiogenic isotopes will be employed. The PhD student working on this project will be trained in a diverse number of state-of-the-art analytical techniques. The PhD student will be responsible for preparing and processing samples for mineralogy, grain- size and radiogenic isotopes analyses.

Sea Level and Coastal Changes

University of Bremen

Bremen, Germany

 

Description

 

The University of Bremen, a mid-sized university with approximately 250 professorships and 19,000 students, offers a broad range of disciplines and competes internationally in top-level research. With its ambitious institutional strategy the university was successful in the national Excellence Initiative as one of only eleven universities in Germany. Cooperative Junior Research Groups funded by the Excellence Initiative strengthen the university's capacity for innovation. They will be established in fields of close collaboration with our highly renowned research partners and thereby offer rewarding research opportunities and career prospects for excellent junior researchers. Candidates exhibiting excellent doctorate credentials and the ability to successfully design and lead a cutting-edge research project are encouraged to apply. Group leaders will receive a competitive salary and agenerous budget for research assistants and other costs directly incurred by the project. Junior group leaders at the University of Bremen can be temporarily granted the title of a professor and the right to independently supervise doctoral theses. Teaching (in English or German) is only required for two hours per week during terms, starting in the second year. The University of Bremen is offering - conditional to the release of budgetary funds - the following position for a Junior Research Group Leader:

 

"Sea Level and Coastal Changes"

 

PhD - Land Use Change and Ecosystem Services

The Geography Department of Humboldt-University Berlin

Berlin, Germany

 

Description

 

The Geography Department at Humboldt University Berlin offers a PhD position in “Land Use Change and Ecosystem Services”. The Geography Department of Humboldt-University Berlin is ranked among the top German institutes and offers the full breadth of geographical sciences. We develop and apply spatially explicit approaches grounded in remote sensing, spatial statistics, and spatial modelling to better understand coupled human-natural systems. We contribute to the emerging discipline of Land System Science by analyzing the rates and spatial patterns of land system change, understanding the drivers of these changes, developing scenarios, and assessing the impacts of land system changes on ecosystems services. We work highly collaborative with researchers and science institutions worldwide and are active contributors to the IHDP/IGPB Global Land Project (http://www.globallandproject.org/) and organizers of the 2014 Global Land Project Open Science Meeting (http://www.glp-osm2014.org/). The successful applicant will develop his/her PhD research with a focus on carbon sequestration potential at regional scales in the BMBF funded project „CarBioCial“ (http://www.carbiocial.de/).

 

PostDoc - Climate and vegetation change in tropical West Africa

Department of Environment, Earth & Ecosystems, Faculty of Science

Milton Keynes, UK

Description

We are seeking a PDRA to study past climate and vegetation change in tropical West Africa as part of the NERC-funded "500,000 years of solar irradiance, climate and vegetation changes" project. You will join a multidisciplinary collaborative research team and will work with an international network of project partners. The project will utilise cutting-edge organic geochemical techniques to generate the longest continuous record of fossil pollen chemistry change. The study will build upon previous research into the sediments recovered from Lake Bosumtwi (Ghana). The data generated will shed new light on the role of climate in driving vegetation change in the tropics.

Requirements

You will already hold a PhD, or be near to completing your PhD, in a relevant scientific discipline with a background in the Earth or Environmental sciences. You must have substantial experience of organic geochemistry or tropical palynology, with well-developed self-management skills and the ability to prioritise effectively.

PhD - Earth Evolution and Dynamics - 5 vacancies

University of Oslo

Oslo, Norway

Description

At the newly founded Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics (CEED) at the University of Oslo, Norway, we have five PhD research fellowships available. CEED is a Norwegian Centre of Excellence that provides a stimulating and well-funded research environment. Topics:

- PhD Research Fellowship in Comparative Planetology

- PhD Research Fellowship in Deep Earth Mineralogy and Mineral Physics

- PhD Research Fellowship in Geological Processes and Earth Crises

- PhD Research Fellowship in Global Subduction Systems or Evolution of Oceanic Regions, Palaeo-circulation and Climate

- PhD Research Fellowship in Numerical Modelling of Earth Processes

PhD - Climate Research

Max Planck Research School on Earth System Modelling

Hamburg, Germany

 

Description

 

The International Max Planck Research School on Earth System Modelling (IMPRS-ESM), located in Hamburg, Germany, offers fellowships to outstanding students interested in interdisciplinary climate research. Our doctoral students contribute to the understanding of the Earth system through the application, evaluation and development of a spectrum of Earth system models at different levels of complexity and at various spatial and temporal scales. Emphasizing the physical system, the School encompasses the broader field of Earth sciences, including economics and social sciences. The IMPRS-ESM strives to attract a diversity of talented men and women from all nationalities to research in the Earth system sciences.

 

Researcher - Flood risks

Flood Hazard Research Centre

London, UK

 

Description

 

The Flood Hazard Research Centre (FHRC) specialises in research focusing on the interaction between people and their environment, together with the analysis and appraisal of environmental policies. FHRC is an acknowledged world leader in the socio-economic analysis of flood hazard and related policy. A Research Fellow is required to work on the European Commission-funded STAR-FLOOD project (STrengthening And Redesigning European FLOOD risk practices Towards appropriate and resilient flood risk governance arrangements - www.starflood.eu). The project involves multi-disciplinary research which focuses on analyzing, explaining, evaluating and designing policies to better deal with flood risks from rivers in urban areas across Europe. The post holder will be required to undertake a range of research tasks, including fieldwork in the UK, as well as liaising with external research partners and stakeholders related to the project and the Centre.

 

PostDoc - Biology and Ecology - 7 vacancies

Doñana Biological Station

Sevilla, Spain

Description

Funded by the “Severo Ochoa” Excellence Program awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, we seek applicants for seven two-year postdoctoral fellowships. The Doñana Biological Station, belonging to the Spanish Council for Research (CSIC), is currently made up of 43 faculty members working in the following research lines:

- Plant-Animal Interactions

- Evolutionary Biology

- Molecular Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics

- Conservation Biology and Global Change

- Biological Invasions

- Ecological Synthesis

- Wetland Ecology

Both junior and senior postdoctoral candidates with an outstanding publication record are encouraged to apply. Postdoctoral fellows at EBD typically interact with several lab groups and are expected to participate in seminars, discussion groups, training courses and workshops. Candidates are encouraged to contact potential collaborating faculty members at EBD (www.ebd.csic.es) to inquire about current and potential research activities and projects. Selected candidates will be mentored by one or two faculty members designated by the Steering Committee of the Severo Ochoa Program.