Postdoc Research Group Pellicciotti: Cryospheric and Land-Surface Modelling of Extreme Droughts in the European Mountains

Your Responsibilities

As part of the EU Water4All European Partnership project MEGAWAT (Megadroughts in the Water towers of Europe), we are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join our team and contribute to exciting new research on the hydrological impacts of extreme droughts across major European watersheds. Working in the Pellicciotti Group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (https://ista.ac.at/en/research/pellicciotti-group/), you will use the land-surface model Tethys-Chloris to simulate the past and present-day hydrology of the European water towers under extreme drought conditions, and elucidate the role of glaciers and the cryosphere in general as a buffer of droughts and megadroughts in particular. You will set up the model and prepare meteorological data with which to force it, use it to run simulations on the high-performance computing cluster, and evaluate its performance using in-situ and remote sensing data. The goal of the position will be to explore how spatial patterns of runoff generation and water storage have changed during extreme drought events, and how these changes have been modulated by glaciers, snow cover, permafrost and vegetation, demonstrating mechanistic insights into the interactions amongst the cryosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere. This is an exciting opportunity to improve our understanding of the integrated response of complex mountain regions to droughts. The position will be supervised by Francesca Pellicciotti and work closely with Thomas Shaw and Catriona Fyffe at ISTA together with a large international team. It is for a duration of 3 years, ideally with a start date in late spring/early summer 2024.

Your Profile

• PhD degree and expert knowledge in physical hydrology/geography, glaciology, (geo-) physics, environmental engineering, environmental sciences, atmospheric sciences, or a related field within the past 5 years
• Previous experience in computer modelling and scripting languages (e.g. Matlab, Python, IDL, R) is indispensable
• Experience with remote sensing, large datasets and high-performance computing in particular is highly desirable, as is past experience with land surface modelling
• A proven ability to conduct independent research, as well as to work effectively as a member of a research team
• Ability to solve problems creatively and carefully
• Excellent command of English (working language)
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, organizational and time management skills

Application documents: Those interested should send a full CV (with references and a list of publications) and a motivation letter.

To submit your application please email: Francesca Pellicciotti (francesca.pellicciotti@ista.ac.at) and Thomas Shaw (thomas.shaw@ista.ac.at). Please use the job position name above as your subject line.