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Postdoctoral Fellow in Modelling Land-Climate Interactions

Employer
NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - NTNU
Location
Trondheim, Norway
Closing date
12 Jun 2022

About the position 

We have a vacancy for a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Industrial Ecology Programme (IndEcol). The position is between 3 and 4 years duration.

IndEcol is a well-known research group with an international leading role in the field of environmental sustainability analysis and climate change mitigation strategies. IndEcol currently consists of about 60 employees in scientific positions and features publications of scientific articles in top-ranked journals, direct contributions to assessment reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and leading roles in several large-scale projects and initiatives at national and European levels.

The series of IPCC assessment reports increasingly make clear that how we manage our land resources (agricultural systems and forestry) is essential to achieve large-scale negative emissions and stabilize temperature changes at low levels. Afforestation and bioenergy crops are expected to expand, and they induce perturbations to the local climate that are still largely unclear. At the same time, climate change and extreme events are posing challenges to the functioning of vegetation systems (e.g., crop yields and tree growth), requiring adaptation measures.

We seek a person that is strongly motivated to address the interactions between land-based carbon dioxide removal in either agriculture and forestry and the climate system. The candidate is expected to perform applied research with regional/global climate models to study effects of changes in land cover, land use and/or management-induced changes in vegetation structure and composition. Climate, physical or environmental scientists with research experience in coupled global/regional climate models are invited to apply for a position where they will have the opportunity to develop and consolidate skills in a quickly evolving research field. The successful candidate will have a dynamic personality, motivation to work with climate models and big data, and the ability to carry out research in an interdisciplinary and international environment.

You will report to Prof. Francesco Cherubini.

Duties of the position

  • Execution of models to simulate the climate system response to various land-use changes or land management practices
  • Data processing and compilation
  • Analysis and validation of model results
  • Presentation of results nationally and internationally
  • Publishing in international journals

Required selection criteria

A postdoctoral research fellowships is a qualification position in which the main objective is qualification for work in academic positions. You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree in climate sciences, atmospheric sciences, meteorology, statistics, environmental science or in a related field or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree is required.

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants and national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant  

  • You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD 
  • PhD in climate sciences, atmospheric sciences, meteorology, statistics, environmental science or in a related field
  • Previous working knowledge with running regional climate models (e.g., WRF) and/or Earth System Model emulators
  • Experience with shell scripting, UNIX/Linux operating systems, high-performance computing 
  • Good understanding of fundamentals in mathematics, physics and statistics 
  • Scientific articles in the field of this position

Preferred selection criteria

  • Familiarity with running simulations with land surface models (e.g., Noah-MP, CLM)
  • Experience with model code development and statistical approaches for validation of model outputs against observations
  • Experience with modification of vegetation characteristics in land cover classes or plant functional types, and/or land–atmosphere coupling strength
  • Knowledge of components of the surface energy balance (albedo, latent heat, sensible heat, etc.)
  • Excellent written and oral English language skills

Personal characteristics

  • Strongly motivated to advance the current state of knowledge on the topic of this position.
  • Strong analytical capabilities
  • Be a good team player while also being able to work independently
  • Open to interact in a multidisciplinary and multi-cultural environment
  • Soft skills

We offer 

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 574 700 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 to 4 years.  

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work. 

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis. 

About the position 

We have a vacancy for a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Industrial Ecology Programme (IndEcol). The position is between 3 and 4 years duration.

IndEcol is a well-known research group with an international leading role in the field of environmental sustainability analysis and climate change mitigation strategies. IndEcol currently consists of about 60 employees in scientific positions and features publications of scientific articles in top-ranked journals, direct contributions to assessment reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and leading roles in several large-scale projects and initiatives at national and European levels.

The series of IPCC assessment reports increasingly make clear that how we manage our land resources (agricultural systems and forestry) is essential to achieve large-scale negative emissions and stabilize temperature changes at low levels. Afforestation and bioenergy crops are expected to expand, and they induce perturbations to the local climate that are still largely unclear. At the same time, climate change and extreme events are posing challenges to the functioning of vegetation systems (e.g., crop yields and tree growth), requiring adaptation measures.

We seek a person that is strongly motivated to address the interactions between land-based carbon dioxide removal in either agriculture and forestry and the climate system. The candidate is expected to perform applied research with regional/global climate models to study effects of changes in land cover, land use and/or management-induced changes in vegetation structure and composition. Climate, physical or environmental scientists with research experience in coupled global/regional climate models are invited to apply for a position where they will have the opportunity to develop and consolidate skills in a quickly evolving research field. The successful candidate will have a dynamic personality, motivation to work with climate models and big data, and the ability to carry out research in an interdisciplinary and international environment.

You will report to Prof. Francesco Cherubini.

Duties of the position

  • Execution of models to simulate the climate system response to various land-use changes or land management practices
  • Data processing and compilation
  • Analysis and validation of model results
  • Presentation of results nationally and internationally
  • Publishing in international journals

Required selection criteria

A postdoctoral research fellowships is a qualification position in which the main objective is qualification for work in academic positions. You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree in climate sciences, atmospheric sciences, meteorology, statistics, environmental science or in a related field or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree is required.

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants and national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant  

  • You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD 
  • PhD in climate sciences, atmospheric sciences, meteorology, statistics, environmental science or in a related field
  • Previous working knowledge with running regional climate models (e.g., WRF) and/or Earth System Model emulators
  • Experience with shell scripting, UNIX/Linux operating systems, high-performance computing 
  • Good understanding of fundamentals in mathematics, physics and statistics 
  • Scientific articles in the field of this position

Preferred selection criteria

  • Familiarity with running simulations with land surface models (e.g., Noah-MP, CLM)
  • Experience with model code development and statistical approaches for validation of model outputs against observations
  • Experience with modification of vegetation characteristics in land cover classes or plant functional types, and/or land–atmosphere coupling strength
  • Knowledge of components of the surface energy balance (albedo, latent heat, sensible heat, etc.)
  • Excellent written and oral English language skills

Personal characteristics

  • Strongly motivated to advance the current state of knowledge on the topic of this position.
  • Strong analytical capabilities
  • Be a good team player while also being able to work independently
  • Open to interact in a multidisciplinary and multi-cultural environment
  • Soft skills

We offer 

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 574 700 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 to 4 years.  

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work. 

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis. 

About the application 

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above.  

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result. 

The application must include: 

  • CV, certificates and diplomas 
  • In addition to the cover letter, candidates are required to submit a one-page sketch on how they plan to use their scientific background and research ambitions to address the research challenges of this position.
  • Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment. 
  • Provide two reference letters, and the name and contact details of three referees

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well. 
 
Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation. 

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA. 

General information 

Working at NTNU 
 
A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background.  

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.  

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

Under the freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova), your name, age, position and municipality may be made public even if you have requested not to have your name entered on the list of applicants. 

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Francesco Cherubini, email: francesco.cherubini@ntnu.no or Bo Huang, email: bo.huang@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR consultant Renate Fjellheim, e-mail: renate.fjellheim@ntnu.no.

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Diploma Supplement is required to attach for European Master Diplomas outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI).  

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to the application number IV-136/22 when applying.  

Application deadline: 12.06.2022

NTNU

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Energy and Process Engineering

We conduct research and teaching covering the entire energy chain, from resources to the end-user. We look at how energy is produced and used by humans and machines in a sustainable way with regard to health, climate change and the resource base. The Department of Energy and Process Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.

Deadline 12th June 2022
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Fixed Term
Place of service Gløshaugen

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