Postdoc position at AWI

The section Atmospheric Physics at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Potsdam, Germany, invites applications for a PostDoc position available within the recently EU funded H2020 project “Polar Regions in the Earth System (PolarRES)”. PolarRES is an exciting new project involving 21 research institutions from 15 different countries. International collaboration with the PolarRES partners concerning model analysis and dissemination is an integral part of this position.

Specifically, the 3-year PostDoc project at AWI is about: Storyline-based future projections of Arctic climate change at high resolution

The key tool for this work will be simulations with the atmospheric model ICON (ICOsahedral Nonhydrostatic) (https://www.dwd.de/EN/research/weatherforecasting/num_modelling/01_num_weather_prediction_modells/icon_description.html) applied as limited area model over the Arctic. The project will start with adapting the model for long-term simulations, followed by simulations of the contemporary climate. Those will be evaluated with, for example, observations from the recent Arctic MOSAiC expedition
(https://mosaic-expedition.org/). Finally, storyline-based high-resolution projections for the Arctic are simulated from present-day to 2100. The ICON results will be exploited in the context of the multi-model ensemble of regionally downscaled simulations, which include ~7 models and various realizations. The detailed analysis includes particularly Arctic amplification processes.

Overall, the objectives of the work include: (i) set up storyline-based ICON simulations over an Arctic-focused domain, driven by global climate model output, (ii) perform simulations of at least two storylines from present-day to 2100, (iii) analyze the multi-model ensemble projections with a focus on atmospheric processes contributing to Arctic Amplification.

Requirements

We are looking for a motivated, curiosity-driven person, with the ability to work both independently and within a wider research team. The position requires a PhD degree in meteorology, physics, or related fields. Experience in regional climate modelling or earth-system modelling, and good knowledge in atmospheric physics and dynamics is required. Experience in the set-up and performance of regional or global climate model simulations and affinity with numerical model development is expected. Knowledge of polar atmospheric processes is of advantage.

Strong skills in statistical data analysis and scientific programming (R, Python, Fortran, C, Matlab, or similar) are required. Excellent level of written and spoken English, and good reporting and presentation skills are expected to disseminate results on international conferences and in leading scientific journals.

Further Information: please contact Dr. Annette Rinke (Annette.Rinke@awi.de).

The position is limited to 3 years. The salary will be paid in accordance with the German Tarifvertrag des öffentlichen Dienstes (TVöD Bund) with salary level 13. The place of employment will be Potsdam, Germany. The targeted starting date is the 1st January 2022.

Please forward your application by 15th October, 2021 exclusively online via https://www.awi.de/en/work-study/jobs/job-offer.html.

Reference number: 21/163/D/Kli-bT