The Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change at the University of Graz offers a 3-year PhD position (m/f/d) in Mesoscale convective systems under Climate Change over the Alps.
Project Description
Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are large, organised and long-lived clusters of thunderstorms. They produce hazards such as heavy rainfall and severe winds, and are a key contributor to climate risks in southern and central Europe. The Alps play a particular role with respect to MCSs as their topography, first, affects systems moving into the Alps, and, second, may trigger new systems. The main aim of the MoCCA project is to advance our understanding of MCSs related to the Alps in order to enable more trustworthy projections of the severe rain and wind hazards associated with these events as a basis for improving climate risk assessments. Overall, MoCCA will contribute to high level activities on climate risks by the World Climate Research Programme.
Your Role
The specific work of the PhD student will encompass a process-oriented evaluation of a hierarchy of climate models; quantifying future changes in MCSs and the associated uncertainties, including projected changes in the large-scale environments and a range of MCS characteristics; and the simulation of storylines of observed events with a km-scale regional climate model to understand the influence of, e.g., sea surface temperature, topography, thermal wind systems, and climate change on these events. The work will be carried out in close collaboration with climate experts from the Austrian weather service Geosphere Austria working on observational aspects of MCSs. MoCCA also contains a knowledge transfer and capacity building component for climate services at the regional scale. As part of the project, the PhD student will spend an extended research stay at either NCAR (Boulder/US) or ETH Zurich. The PhD student will publish scientific papers, write a cumulative PhD dissertation (based on the papers) and present their work at international conferences.
Your Profile
The student working on the MoCCA project will have an MSc or comparable degree in meteorology/atmospheric sciences or a related subject. Required for this project are good programming skills in linux/unix environments as well as experience working with climate data (e.g. NetCDF).
We expect the candidate to be self-motivated and responsible, and to work in close collaboration with the main supervisor Prof. Douglas Maraun and colleagues from Geosphere. The candidate should enjoy working in a young, diverse and international research team. We expect the candidate to deepen their knowledge in mesoscale meteorology, regional climate modelling and the analysis of big data, as well as to proactively train scientific writing and scientific presentations.
What we offer
Payment will be according to a 75% position of the Austrian Research Fund (75% of 50.103,20 EUR per year). Preferred starting date is October 2024.
The student will join the regional climate research group, a young and dynamic team led by Prof. Douglas Maraun and Prof. Albert Osso working on all aspects of regional climate change. The group maintains an extensive international network, e.g. within WCRP, CORDEX and IPCC, and offers possibilities to engage in international activities. The project provides funding for an extended research stay and visits to international conferences and workshops.
The University of Graz offers a structured doctoral education and many possibilities for personal development, in particular for females. The University also provides support for young families.
How to apply - Deadline 28 June 2024
Please submit your application including the reference MoCCA and all application documents as a single pdf until 28 June 2024 to sabine.tschuertz@uni-graz.at. Interviews will be held in the first week of July. Applications after the deadline may be considered until the position is filled.
The University of Graz strives to increase the proportion of women and therefore encourages qualified women to apply. In the event of underrepresentation, women with equal qualifications are generally given priority for admission. We welcome applications from persons with disabilities who meet the requirements of the advertised position.
Application Documents
1. a motivation letter,
2. an abstract in English of the master thesis including a web-link or ftp-link to an electronic copy of the thesis (or a thesis draft),
3. a CV including information on previous work experience and publications and a transcript of records,
4. evidence for knowledge in English at level C1 or higher (e.g., suitable IELTS, TOEFL, or EFL
certificate and/or brief justification letter summarizing the experience),
5. two letters of recommendation.
For informal inquiries please contact Douglas Maraun (douglas.maraun(at)uni-graz.at).
Wegener Center, the University and the City of Graz
The Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change is an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Graz. It is a core institute of the new Field of Excellence “Climate Change Graz” and brings together four research groups and about 60 scientists from climate physics, meteorology, economics and social science.
Graz is a laid back city of 300,000 people in the southern Alpine foothills, just a short drive from skiing resorts and hiking treks, and a three hours drive from the Adriatic sea. The medieval, renaissance and baroque old town is UNESCO World heritage, and Graz is a UNESCO city of design. The city was European Capital of Culture 2003 and hosts an Opera, theatres, various museums and many festivals such as the Austrian film festival, the mountain film festival and several music festivals. The people from Graz enjoy good food and the wine from the rolling vineyards in "Styrian Tuscany" south of the city.
Links
Regional Climate Research Group: https://wegcenter.uni-graz.at/en/our-research/regional-climate/
Douglas Maraun: https://homepage.uni-graz.at/en/douglas.maraun/
Doctoral Academy: https://doctoral-academy.uni-graz.at/en/
Graz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graz
.