PhD position in Integrative Earth system science (f/m/d)

at  Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology

Your tasks
The Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Jena is seeking an PhD Position (f/m/d) (Dept. Prof. Dr. Ricarda Winkelmann, „Integrative Earth system science”, co-supervision by Dr. Torsten Albrecht) at the earliest possible date.
The DFG (https://www.dfg.de/en) project “Feedbacks between the Greenland and Antarctic ICE sheets via the Meridional Overturning Circulation and relative sea-level“ (ICE-MOC) is funded the priority program “Antarctic Research with Comparative Investigations in Arctic Ice Areas” (https://www.spp-antarktisforschung.uni-rostock.de/en) and aims to systematically investigate potential global cascading feedback mechanisms and teleconnections in a changing climate with a focus on the vulnerability of the continental-scale ice sheets on millennial time scales connected by the oceans. The PhD candidate will conduct simulations with a coupled model system involving dynamic ice sheets, ocean, sea- level and solid Earth components (Glacial Isostatic Adjustment - GIA).
The coupled model simulation provide the tools to improve the understanding of the different physical relationships of
(1) the Greenland Ice Sheet interacting with the solid Earth and sea level, and
(2) how Greenland melt trajectories affect the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and the Antarctic Ice Sheet stability, and in the other direction,
(3) to disentangle feedbacks in response to Antarctic Ice Sheet decline with the Greenland Ice Sheet interacting both via the ocean and via sea-level changes.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s Degree in Physics, Earth Science, Geoscience, Engineering, Economics, Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, Computer Science, System Sciences or a related field
• Programming skills in an analysis-oriented language (such as Python)
• Programming skills in an object-oriented language (such as C++)
• Active interest in numerical analysis of climate-change related problems
• Experience in performing simulations with ice sheet, GIA or Earth system models on high-performance computing facilities and software development beneficial

• Performing coupled ice sheet - GIA model simulations to investigate potential cascading effects between Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets via the ocean and the sea level
• Model development at the interface between ocean and GIA model
• Analysis of model output data, describing feedbacks at the interface between ice, ocean and relative sea level and constrain their strength and possible thresholds
• Presentation of key results at international scientific meetings and conferences as well as at annual project meetings
• Publication of results in high-ranked, peer-reviewed, international scientific journals
  Your qualification