Are you passionate about understanding Earth's past to inform its future? Utrecht University's Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (IMAU) invites applications for a two-year postdoc position in palaeoclimate modelling. You’ll be part of the Horizon-Europe P2F (Past to Future: Towards Fully Paleo-Informed Future Climate Projections) project, collaborating with an interdisciplinary European consortium to enhance our understanding of climate dynamics and tipping points.

Your job
The P2F project covers topics like mathematics, physics, geology, (palaeo-)biology and archaeology. Scientists from these fields have joined forces to make the most optimal use of past climatic conditions to better understand Earth’s climate response to different kinds of forcing, with focus on potential abrupt climatic transitions and the crossing of tipping points.

Your tasks will include:

1. setting up and performing simulations within the CESM Earth system model for specific PMIP time slice simulations (e.g. Last Glacial Maximum and Pliocene) to perform model-data comparisons with existing and new proxy data collections;
2. evaluating the model-data comparisons to identify improvement strategies for earth system models. You will closely interact with consortium partners at NCAR and the PlioMIP, DeepMIP model intercomparison projects to design the model experiments.

We are looking for you if you have multiple of the following requirements:

• a PhD in physics, applied mathematics, meteorology, geosciences or a related field;
• excellent skills in scientific programming and numerical / statistical analysis of simulated and observed data;
• experience with Earth System Modelling and climate model output analyses;
• experience with the CESM or another CMIP model is of advantage;
• experience with proxy data and palaeoclimate model-data comparison is of advantage;
• basic knowledge of (geophysical) fluid dynamics.

• The opportunity to work in and with a team of leading experts within a large consortium;
• a position for 2 years;
• a fulltime working week and a gross monthly salary between €3,378 and €5,331 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale 10 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.

Universiteit Utrecht

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.

Embedded within the department of Physics, 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: Atmospheric Dynamics, Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry, Coastal and Shelf Sea Dynamics, Ice and Climate and Oceans and Climate. In 2017, IMAU research quality and impact were qualified as 'world leading' by an international visitation committee. Currently, IMAU employs 15 faculty members and 10 support staff and some 20 Postdocs and 30 PhD candidates, and offers a friendly, open and international atmosphere.

For more information, please contact Dr Michiel Baatsen at M.L.J.Baatsen@uu.nl or Dr Anna von der Heydt at A.S.vonderheydt@uu.nl.

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