About the position

Position as PhD Research Fellow in Global glacier modeling available at the Department of Geosciences.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo. Earliest starting date is January 1, 2025, and starting date cannot be later than 10 August 2025.

The fellowship period is three (3) years.

A fourth year may be considered with a workload of 25 % that may consist of teaching, supervision duties, and/or research assistance. This is dependent upon the qualification of the applicant and the current needs of the department.

Job description

The PhD research fellow will work on modeling the response of glaciers worldwide (outside the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets) to future climate change. Simulations will be based on the Python Glacier Evolution Model (PyGEM) using ensembles of climate projections from global or regional climate models. The main goal is to make policy-relevant multi-decadal/century projections of global-scale glacier evolution and investigate associated impacts for example on as sea level rise, streamflow or glacier-related hazards. Tasks may also include further developing the model, for example, through enhancing model physics, developing emulators or integrating suitable machine learning and data assimilation techniques.

The position is part of the recently funded EU ERC Advanced Grant “Past and Future High-resolution Global Glacier Mass Changes (GLACMASS)”. The PhD research fellow will be part of a team of >10 researchers, postdocs and PhD students working on reconstructing and projecting global glacier mass changes as part of GLACMASS. Funding is available for conference attendances as well as research visits with external collaborators at universities in Europe and the USA. No fieldwork is anticipated for this project, but possibilities to gain field experience may well arise within other projects in the cryosphere group.

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

• Master’s degree or equivalent in geo- or atmospheric sciences, physics, computer/data science, environmental sciences, engineering, mathematics or any other relevant field
• Foreign completed degrees (M.Sc.-level) must correspond to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
• A strong quantitative background including proficiency in scientific programing (using e.g., Python, Matlab, and/or Julia)
•  Some background in glaciology or other related geoscience discipline
• An excellent command of written and spoken English

Desired qualifications:

• Experience in glacier, snow or climate research and handling of large data sets such as climate re-analyses and remote sensing datasets are a strong advantage
• Experience in numerical modeling, machine learning and/or Bayesian statistics on spatiotemporal processes and modern data science tools including conda, git, docker are an asset

Grade requirements:

The norm is as follows:

• The average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• English requirements for applicants from outside of EU/ EEA countries and exemptions from the requirements

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. 

The fellowship requires admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The application to the PhD programme must be submitted to the department no later than two months after taking up the position.

For more information see here.

Personal skills

Applicants must be able to work independently while having the ability to actively communicate and co-operate within the larger research team.

We offer

• Salary NOK 532 200 – 575 400 per year depending on qualifications and seniority as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017)
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement 
• Vibrant international academic environment
• Career development programmes
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter - statement of motivation and research interests
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work - scientific publications)
• Copies of the original Bachelor and Master’s degree diploma and transcripts of records
• Documentation of English proficiency if applicable
• List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system (please follow the link “Apply for this job”). Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English or a Scandinavian language.

Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

UiO has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

Contact information

For further information please contact Regine Hock, phone: +47 228 55804, e-mail: regineho@uio.no

For questions regarding Jobbnorge, please contact HR Adviser Ørjan Pretorius, e-mail: orjan.pretorius@mn.uio.no

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