The the Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth group (PICE) at NBI invites applicants for a Ph D 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 - Arctic Push”, 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 Ph D project will explore these relationships through the development and application of advanced statistical and machine learning methodologies.

The Ph D 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 and Self-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 Ph D project will also involve close collaboration with a postdoc at AU under the Arctic Push 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 hesselbjerg@nbi.ku.dk, Direct Phone: +4535335658.
The Ph D programme
You can undertake the Ph D programme as a three year full-time study within the framework of the regular Ph D 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 Ph D 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 Ph D fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a Ph D student at the Ph D 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 Ph D programme

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision

• Complete Ph D 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 Ph D thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the Ph D 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:


Application deadline:
The deadline for applications is 13 October 2024, 23:59 GMT +2.

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 Ph D fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

General information about Ph D study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the Ph D 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