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Postdoc position in ice sheet modeling.
We offer a postdoctoral position at the Department of Earth Science and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research within land ice modeling and sea level reconstructions. The position is for a fixed-term period of 3 years, financed by the Research Council of Norway. The appointment may be extended by up to one year (maximum 4 years in total) if the appointee is granted a research stay abroad. The planned start date is autumn 2022 (but negotiable).
About the project/work tasks:
Our knowledge of medium- and long-term sea level changes depends to a large extent on modeling of ice sheets. Advances in this field have two major challenges: 1) The lack of a framework for model evaluation that includes observations from the interior of the ice sheet and 2) uncertainty related to the climate that caused previous variations in ice volume. Decades of ice core research and new airborne radar data give us a very detailed overview of the inner layers of the Greenland ice sheet, which contains answers to both problems. However, robust methods for merging these empirical data and numerical modeling do not currently exist.
The overall goal of the SINERGIS project is to develop such a model. The solution is an explicit representation of individual layers with accumulation and how they move through the ice in time (Born & Robinson, 2021). This enables a thorough evaluation and calibration of glacier models using ice cores and ice-penetrating radar, and to improve the assessment of past and future sea levels. The development will mainly take place in our working group at the University of Bergen, but also in collaboration with an international expert group. Among the most important results is a new method for model evaluation and reference simulations that can be used by many models.
The applicant will use our new model to develop an assimilation scheme for ice-penetrating radar data. Among the key results will be a reconstruction of previous accumulation rates that is completely independent of very uncertain simulations of the past climate. This work involves close collaboration with a second postdoctoral fellow and the supervision of a PhD student, as well as collaboration with international partners in Spain, Canada, Japan and the USA. Funds for short-term research stays and international workshops in Bergen are available.
Upon appointment, the applicant can apply for an extended stay abroad of up to 12 months. We also have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure for supercomputing.
Born & Robinson, 2021, Modeling the Greenland englacial stratigraphy, doi: 10.5194/tc-15-4539-2021
Qualifications and personal qualities:
- Applicants must hold a Norwegian PhD or an equivalent degree in glaciology, physics, applied mathematics, meteorology or neighboring fields, or must have submitted their doctoral thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the PhD has been awarded.
- The position requires previous experience in ice sheet modeling.
- The work tasks involve advanced scientific programming and previous experience in FORTRAN, Python, Matlab or similar is therefore required.
- Detailed knowledge of ice flow over complex terrain and field work on Greenland are advantages.
- Experience with inverse modeling is considered an advantage.
- The project requires good communication skills and coordination within our local group in Bergen and an international group of collaborators.
- Applicants must be able to work independently and be an active problem solver.
- Applicants must have excellent skills in oral and written English.
Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Research experience, ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates.
About the position of postdoctoral research fellow:
The postdoctoral position is a fixed term position with the primary objective of qualifying the appointee for work in top academic positions. The position may be extended by up to one year (maximum 4 years in total) if the appointee is granted externally financed research stays abroad.
Individuals may not be hired for more than one fixed-term period as a postdoctoral research fellow at the same institution. Upon appointment, applicants must develop a project proposal including a progress plan together with their supervisor and head of department.
10 % of the working time can be devoted to teaching and outreach activities at the Department of Earth Science.
It is a requirement that the project is completed in the course of the period of employment.
We can offer:
- A good and professionally stimulating working environment
- Salary at pay grade 62 (code 1352 / pay range 24, alternative 6) according to the state salary scale upon appointment. This constitutes a gross annual salary of NOK 573 900. Further promotions are made according to length of service. For particularly highly qualified applicants, a higher salary may be considered.
- Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
- Good welfare benefits
Your application must include:
- A brief account of the applicant’s research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
- The names and contact information for two referees. One of these should be the main PhD advisor.
- CV
- Transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the PhD degree. If you have not yet completed your PhD degree, please submit a statement from your institution confirming the expected date of award of your degree.
- Relevant certificates and references
- list of any works of a scientific nature (publication list)
- publications (as applicable)
The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge.
General information:
For further details about the position, please contact Dr. Andreas Born (andreas.born@uib.no), Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen.
Employment is subject to approval with respect to the Norwegian export control legislation.
The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.
We encourage women to apply. If multiple applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, the rules pertaining to moderate gender quotas shall apply.
Upon the expiry of the closing date for applications, an evaluation committee will be appointed. As an applicant, you have a right of access to the committee’s description of your formal and professional qualifications. If you wish to take advantage of this right of access, please contact the executive officer in charge after receiving information about the appointment of the evaluation committee.
The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.
Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.
Further information about our employment process can be found here.
About The University of Bergen (UiB)
The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad.
There are seven departments and several centres at Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Read more about the faculty and departments.