Phd fellowship in climate change and extreme weather attribution

The Niels Bohr Institute
Faculty of Science
University of Copenhagen

The Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth group (PICE) at the Niels Bohr Institute invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in studying extreme weather events and attribution to climate change starting 15 December 2023 at the latest. The project will be performed as a collaboration between the Niels Bohr Institute (NBI) and the National Centre for Climate Research (NCKF) at the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI). The university enrolment will take place at the Science PhD School, University of Copenhagen.

About the position We seek a candidate for a fully-funded PhD project investigating extreme weather events and their relation to climate change. Climate data from models and observations will be used for so-called attribution studies of how anthropogenic climate change and a warming climate impacts the frequency and intensity of specific weather events.

Climate change poses a challenge to our society, not least through an increased occurrence of extreme weather events. The recent assessment report from IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, highlights that the observed global warming has already increased the occurrence of extreme weather events, and that every increment of further warming increases the risk further. In Denmark, a warming climate could increase the occurrence and intensity of events like cloud bursts and heavy rain, heatwaves and droughts, and an improved understanding of how the extreme weather changes, can aid our adaptation to the future climate.

We are looking for a motivated and independent student to work with attribution studies based on statistical analyses and/or dynamical studies with climate models. The project will involve studies of particular weather events of different types and develop approaches for assessing the climate change impact on extreme weather events; both in terms of changes in intensity and likelihood. The project may investigate the historical records of extreme weather events in Denmark and long-term climatic data to attribute past events to climate change as well as develop approaches for assessing future extremes.

The project is a collaboration between the Niels Bohr Institute at University of Copenhagen and the National Centre for Climate Research (NCKF) at the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI).The university enrolment will take place at the Science PhD School, University of Copenhagen. You will be working in a stimulating research environment as part of a team in the NCKF which also focus on climate change and weather extremes, including topics related to extremes statistics, international research collaboration within the Harmonie-Climate consortium and the Danish Climate Atlas. The candidate should expect to be working both at DMI and University of Copenhagen – which are conveniently located less than 2 km apart.

Principal university supervisor will be prof. Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen ([email protected]) and external supervisor will be senior researcher Ole Bøssing Christensen ([email protected]).

About DMI and NCKF The PhD project will be funded by NCKF (in Danish: Nationalt Center for Klimaforskning) at the Danish Meteorological Institute, DMI. The Niels Bohr Institute will be the employer.

NCKF is a department at DMI conducting climate research for the Kingdom of Denmark (Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands). It brings together climate knowledge to form the basis for green transition and climate adaptation. The activities include assessments of observed and future climate change of the physical climate system with focus on the Arctic, Greenland and on extreme weather and ocean conditions around Denmark. The research carried out in the department is based on both global and regional modelling as well as observations from remote sensing, in-situ measurements and fieldwork.

NCKF employs approximately 60 staff members - most of whom are climate researches including PhD students, junior and senior scientists. The department also includes a smaller group of project managers, administrative staff and generalists who work in close collaborate with colleagues in the other DMI departments. NCKF has a strong international profile, which is also reflected in the many nationalities employed and in the use of both English and Danish as working languages.

Specific qualifications for this PhD project The applicant should hold the following specific qualifications, and the general qualifications listed further down:

• MSc education in physics, maths, computer science, geophysics, engineering or a related subject.
• Experience in programming, data analysis and visualisation in Python or similar.
• Experience with statistical analyses of climate data, climate model output or observational datasets, and/or climate modelling is an advantage.
• Good problem-solving skills and interest to work as part of a team.
• Proficiency in English and good communication skills.
  

The Danish PhD programme

General qualifications needed for the regular PhD programme in Denmark 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. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database .

Terms of employment in the regular programme Employment and enrolment 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 salary are in accordance 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 for a PhD student in Denmark

• 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

Application deadline: The deadline for applications is 2 November 2023, 23:59 GMT+1.

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 two unbiased expert assessors. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessors will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above-mentioned qualifications, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessors will conclude whether each applicant is qualified. The assessed applicants will have a one week – after the deadline - opportunity to comment on their assessment.

The start date and enrolment date is 15 December 2023 at the latest.

Employment The University of Copenhagen and NCKF/DMI wishes to reflect the surrounding community. Thus, we invite all regardless of, e.g., age, gender, ethnic background or sexual orientation to apply for the position.

The successful candidate will be offered office space at both NBI and NCKF/DMI. The distance between the two institutes is quite short: a 4 minute bicycle ride on good bike paths.

Questions For specific information about this PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor, Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen ([email protected]).

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

Kilde: Jobnet.dk