PhD position on atmospheric processes in ice caves
The Institute of Geology and the Institute of Atmospheric and
Cryospheric Sciences (University of Innsbruck, Austria) jointly offer a
PhD position in a special field of mountain meteorology and glaciology
which is embedded in the interdisciplinary project “Ice in caves – a
threatened climate archive in the Alps” led by Christoph Spötl
().
The overarching goal of the project is to explore the palaeoclimate
potential of ice contained in caves in the Austrian Alps. This includes
investigations of conditions and processes determining the formation and
seasonal dynamics of these unique ice deposits. The research will be
based on observation and modelling of ice developments depending on the
atmospheric conditions in- and outside of caves and related exchange
processes. The correspondingly proposed PhD work concerns the
acquisition and analysis of geophysical and meteorological data, the
development of a model to study the mass and energy budget of the ice in
these caves and exploration of its application to longer periods or
other ice caves, respectively. Palaeoclimate aspects will mainly be
addressed by another PhD student in the same project.
This interdisciplinary work will be jointly supervised by Christoph
Spötl, Mathias Rotach and Friedrich Obleitner
(). The successful candidate
will formally receive the title “PhD in Atmospheric Sciences”.
Information about the curriculum can be found at
.
Essential qualifications:
Master (or equivalent) degree in Atmospheric Science, Physics or Earth
Sciences relevant to the project; skills in scientific programming
(e.g., Matlab/Python/C/Fortran); experimental skills (ideally regarding
meteorological instruments); ability to work in mountain/cave
environments and good communication skills in English.
Assets:
Knowledge of atmospheric processes in mountain environments including
snow/ice or caves, understanding of subsurface geophysical processes;
experience with scientific data analysis and numerical modelling.
Knowledge of the German language is beneficial but not required.
The position will be opened in March 2019, be evaluated after one year
and then be extended to a total duration of 3 years. Remuneration of the
position follows the regulations by the Austrian Science Fund
(). The
University of Innsbruck aims at increasing the proportion of women and
therefore encourages applications by qualified women.
Applications received before 31 March 2019 will be given full
consideration and shall include:
– a curriculum vitae
– a letter of motivation, stating the personal interest and
qualifications for the position
– a degree of transcripts and a copy of the Master thesis
– contact information for two referees.
The application as well as inquiries about the position should be
addressed to Friedrich Obleitner (friedrich.obleitner@uik.ac.at) and
Christoph Spötl (christoph.spoetl@uibk.ac.at).
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