PhD Position on Calving of Ice Sheets

Over the last five years it has become clear that the evolution of ice sheets is strongly influenced by the interaction with the ocean. This is caused by basal melting below ice shelves and by the calving of ice at the front of tide water glaciers or ice shelves. We will do this with an ice sheet model (UFEMISM) which is adaptive in space and time. The model will be tested against field observations in Greenland and used for projections of the ice sheet and thereby sea level rise for the next centuries.

Your job

Your task will be to improve an existing ice sheet model (UFEMISM) with a calving algorithm and calving law and applying this to the Greenland ice sheet. UFEMISM is a relatively new ice model with a growing user community aiming to be part of coupled Earth System Models. As such you work as part of a small group of people working on several aspects aiming to improve the role of ice sheets in climate models. This is done in the international context of ice sheet model improvements.

15% of your time will be spend to assisting with classes for Bachelors and Masters students in (climate) physics.

Your qualities

Beside very good modelling skills you have to appreciate the difficulty of measuring in the field and to use these sparse field data in a smart way to validate your model. You are driven, positive and collaborative and have:

• a Masters degree in Physics, Geophysics, Physical Oceanography, Meteorology or a related discipline;
• strong programming skills (Fortran, Python or similar);
• affinity with numerical model development;
• good reporting and presentation skills;
• an excellent level of written and spoken English;
• the ability to work independently, to critically assess own results and to cooperate within a wider research team;
• proven affinity with modelling of oceanographic or glaciological processes.

Our offer

• A position for 18 months, with - after good evaluation - an extension to a total of four years;
• a fulltime working week and a gross monthly salary between €2,901 and €3,707 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU);
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

About us

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

Working at the Faculty of Science means bringing together inspiring people across disciplines and with a variety of perspectives and backgrounds. The Faculty has six departments: Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Information & Computing Sciences, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Together, we work on excellent research and inspiring education. We do so, driven by curiosity and supported by outstanding infrastructure. Visit us on LinkedIn and discover how you can become part of our community.

The Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht (IMAU) offers a unique research and teaching environment, in which the fundamentals of the climate system are studied. Research is organised in five themes. In 2017, IMAU research quality and impact were qualified as world leading by an international visitation committee.

The Ice and Climate group at IMAU is an high-quality and versatile research group focusing on ice sheets, sea level, and climate. The group is world-leading in modelling of the ice sheet surface including firn, and maintains a dedicated network of automatic weather stations. Currently, our research group has 5 staff members, ~5 Postdocs and ~10 PhD candidates. For this project, we encourage and provide financial support for visits to conferences, workshops and summer schools, and we promote national and international exchange visits.

This position is part of a large consortia in climate research in the Netherlands: EMBRACER. At EMBRACER we work at the very frontiers of knowledge on climate change, Earths climate system and climate feedbacks. Within its 10-year research programme, funded by NWO, EMBRACER brings together a wide range of world-leading climate experts with the aim to address existing uncertainties about climate feedbacks at the boundaries between oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere. Our interdisciplinary approach and state-of-the-art infrastructure will bring us forward in our understanding of the impact of climate feedbacks emerging over the next decades to centuries.

More information

For more information, please contact Roderik van de Wal at r.s.w.vandewal@uu.nl.

Do you have a question about the application procedure? Please send an email to science.recruitment@uu.nl.

Apply now

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute. If you are enthusiastic about this position, just apply via the apply now button. Please enclose:

• your motivation letter;
• your curriculum vitae;
• the names, telephone numbers, and email addresses of at least two referees;
• a copy of your PhD certificate, or a letter from your university stating when your defence will take place.

If this specific opportunity isnt for you, but you know someone else who may be interested, please forward this vacancy to them.