Post-Doctoral Researcher Position on Global Aerosol-Climate Interactions

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral researcher (Grade 7: salary £28,839 - £35,469 per annum) in the Climate Processes Group within the sub-Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics. The post is available immediately for a fixed-term duration of three years.

This position is part of the National Environmental Research Council funded research project AEROS (NE/G006148/1), with the objective to quantify the sources of uncertainty in current aerosol-climate models at the process level and separate the uncertainties due to parameters and model structures between the Universities of Oxford and Leeds with project partners at the UK Met Office, the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (Germany) and the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

The focus of this research will be on aerosol microphysics in complex global climate models with the aim to quantify the relative importance of structural and parametric uncertainties. To identify host-model specific ambiguities, the analysis will be based on several state of the art global models, such as the aerosol-climate models UKCA and ECHAM5-HAM. The project will be performed in close synergy with other activities on multi-scale aerosol and cloud modelling as well as remote sensing performed within the group. The successful applicant will guide this research activity and is expected to develop original research strategies, take responsibility for the relevant model development and run the models on local as well as supercomputing facilities. The results should be presented at national and international meetings as well as published in peer-reviewed publications. This post offers the possibility to co-advise a doctoral student and potentially other teaching opportunities.

Applicants should have a doctorate in atmospheric physics or a related field and ideally a strong numerical modelling background. Experience with microphysical aerosol models and/or global atmospheric models as well as excellent computing skills (knowledge of UNIX/Linux, IDL and FORTRAN or another high-level language) are advantageous. The candidate we are seeking would have a sound knowledge of aerosol physics and the drive to perform novel research of international standing in a dynamic working environment.

A print version of this advertisement and further particulars can be found here: Advertisement   Further Particulars. Please direct informal inquiries about this post to Dr Philip Stier ( philip.stier@atm.ox.ac.uk) . Applications including a Curriculum Vitae and the contact details of two referees (including email addresses), quoting reference number DC09/003, should be sent to Monika Porada ( porada@atm.ox.ac.uk) , Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, by 15/06/2009. Candidates should arrange for letters from the two referees to be sent directly to the same address by the closing date. Electronic applications by email, acceptable in pdf format, are strongly encouraged.