Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
The Greenland Ice Sheet is losing mass at an accelerating rate and is currently one of the largest contributors to global sea level rise. A substantial part of this mass loss occurs at marine-terminating glaciers, where ice flows from the interior of the ice sheet into fjords and the ocean. At these glacier termini, complex processes such as submarine melting, ice mélange dynamics, and iceberg calving determine how rapidly glaciers retreat and discharge ice into the ocean.
Your Job
Despite their critical role in sea level rise, fjord–glacier–ocean interactions remain poorly understood and are inadequately represented in current climate and ice sheet models.
This project focuses on improving the physical representation of glacier dynamics, calving laws, and ice–ocean interactions in numerical ice sheet models, reducing uncertainties in future projections of the contribution of Greenland to sea level rise.
The PhD position is embedded in the GreenLand’s ice-Ocean interactions and Warming impacts, GLOW project, which aims to address critical knowledge gaps in our understanding of retreating and accelerating marine-terminating glaciers and their interaction with the ocean around Greenland. The project is a collaboration between Utrecht University, TU Delft, and the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI, Germany). Research visits to AWI are envisioned as part of the project.
To support academic and personal development, PhD candidates follow courses and assist in teaching Earth Sciences at Bachelor’s and Master’s level. Together these activities amount to twenty percent of the contracted time.
Requirements
Applications are welcome from candidates with the following qualifications:
- MSc in glaciology, (climate) physics, geophysics, applied mathematics or a related field;
- affinity with numerical modelling, preferably glacier modelling;
- strong programming skills (e.g., Python, MATLAB, Fortran);
- experience with processing large scale datasets from remote sensing products and models;
- interested in interdisciplinary scientific challenges and interactions;
- ability to work both independently and collaboratively in an international team;
- excellent English oral and writing skills and willingness to learn Dutch.
Conditions of Employment
Utrecht University offers:
- a position (1.0 FTE) for 1 year, with an extension to a total of 4 years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
- a working week of 36 – 40 hours and a gross monthly salary between € 3.059 and €3.881 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
- 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
- a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.
In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University also offers a range of its own schemes for employees. This includes arrangements for professional development, various types of leave, and options for sports and cultural activities. You can also tailor your employment conditions through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, Utrecht University encourages you to keep investing in your personal and professional development. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.
Application deadline 20 March 2026.