Jobs
United Nations Environment Programme, Adaptation at Altitude, in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is looking for a Climate Change and Environment Expert to focus on the Adaptation at Altitude (A@A) programme. The UNEP - Vienna Programme Office coordinates the UNEP Mountain Network and maintains a number of different projects related to sustainable mountain development and climate change adaptation, including the first phase of the SDC-funded programme "Adaptation at Altitude: Taking Action in the Mountains" (2019-2023) and the Austrian funded project "Mountains ADAPT: Advancing Climate Action" (starting 2023). The overall objective of the Adaptation at Altitude (A@A) programme is to increase knowledge on climate change and appropriate adaptation solutions in mountains and feed it into science-policy platforms for informed decision-making in national, regional and global policy processes, in order to increase the resilience and adaptive capacity of both mountain communities and ecosystems to climate change.
A master’s degree in Environmental Governance, Environment/Natural Resources Management, Environmental Technology, and / or International Affairs or similar is required, as well as a minimum of 5 years of work experience in environmental sector/international affairs, preferably with a focus on sustainable mountain development/climate change adaptation/regional governance-related aspects.
Work Location: Tbilisi, Georgia
Expected duration: 1 July 2023 - 31 December 2023
Application deadline: 11 June 2023.
Institute of Geography and Geology at the Earth Observation Research Hub at the University of Würzburg, Germany.
The University of Würzburg is seeking a highly motivated candidate holding a M.Sc. degree with expertise in remote sensing and/or geo-information, and the handling of various sources of geodata. A sound knowledge in remote sensing or geographic information systems (GIS) and programming (e.g., Python, R) is required. The ability to work independently, as well as within an interdisciplinary team of collaborators, is essential. A strong interest in applying interdisciplinary approaches, conducting field work in alpine ecosystems, and to bridge gaps between Earth Observation and in-situ data collection is required. Further, proficiency in the English language, and the capability to write research reports and peer-reviewed publications are required. Candidates are expected to pursue a PhD degree within this project.
The position is financed for a duration of 3 years and is available at the earliest date (please indicate potential starting date in your application), with salary according to TV-L (65%).
Application deadline: 1 July 2023.
Hydrology Research Group at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.
Are you interested in using science and engineering to contribute to sustainable water resource management? Dr. Lauren Somers at the Somers Hydrolic Change Lab is currently looking for two self-motivated master’s students and a PhD student. Prospective graduate students should have (or will have) an undergraduate degree in engineering, geoscience/earth science, environmental science, or a related discipline, and have a history of academic excellence. Preferred candidates will have a background (through coursework, research, or professional experience) in hydrology or hydrogeology, and some experience with computer modelling, programming, or fieldwork.
Dr. Somers is currently looking for two Canadian Master’s students to begin funded projects (see below) in autumn 2023 or winter 2024, plus a PhD student with a flexible start date.
- Project 1: Quantifying and enhancing peatland carbon balance in the face of encroaching development in Atlantic Canada.
- Project 2: Climate Change Impacts on Community Groundwater Resources in Nova Scotia.
- Other project themes:
- Mountain and highland groundwater
- Community water supply and source water protection
- Hydrology and greenhouse gas emissions dynamics in natural and disturbed wetlands
- Passive managed aquifer recharge (MAR) techniques
The Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada.
The University of Lethbridge invites applications for a Tenure-Track position in Physical Geography at the rank of Assistant Professor, to begin 1 January 2024, subject to budgetary approval. They are seeking a Physical Geographer with research interests in Climatology and expertise in Climate Change Impacts, Extreme Weather and Climate Change, or Climate Modelling. Expertise in climate dynamics and geospatial computation will also be considered. Successful applicants will have a Ph.D. in Geography or a cognate field and will be able to instruct undergraduate courses in climatology, geographical hazards and statistical or computational methods.
Salary range: $78,000 to $92,000 CAD per year.
Start date: 1 January 2024.
Application deadline: 15 September 2023.
The Waterways Centre at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.
The University of Canterbury in New Zealand is currently offering a PhD opportunity in the area of rock glacier change in mountain regions. Snow, ice, and permafrost are in a state of rapid change, directly impacting water resources, natural hazard occurence, and habitat availability in mountainous regions. While glacial and nival variability has been relatively well constrained using Earth Observation (EO) data, large uncertainties still remain in the state of mountain permafrost, including features such as rock glaciers. Recent advances in machine learning and computer vision offer new opportunities to automate the detection and monitoring of rock glaciers over larger scales. The aim of this PhD thesis will be to develop a machine learning framework to reliably map rock glaciers in different environments at regional scales using EO datasets from Aotearoa New Zealand, the Andes, and Norway.
The successful candidate for this PhD position (three years, full-time) may be funded either by a GRI scholarship or a University of Canterbury scholarship, and will work on a project entitled "Towards a machine learning driven framework for quantifying regional scale rock glacier change in mountain regions."
Application deadline: 30 June 2023, 17:00pm New Zealand time.
Department für Agrarökonomie und Rurale Entwicklung (Agricultural Economics and Rural Development) at the University of Göttingen in Germany.
The University of Göttingen is currently looking for a Research Assistant to join their research group and develop a PhD project in social-ecological systems. The research group on 'Social-ecological Interactions in Agricultural Systems' investigates the interface between ecological and social sciences, drawing on concepts of sustainability science and social-ecological systems. Their research is collaborative and interdisciplinary, focusing on ecosystem services, landscape management, and sustainability transformations. This broad scope allows for the analysis of various trade-offs and synergies between agricultural and forestry production, biodiversity, and multiple ecosystem services. The group is involved in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Start date: 1 September 2023.
Duration: 3 years (The position is limited to 08/31/2026).
Application deadline: 17 June 2023.
The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies (DGES) at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies (DGES) invites applications from qualified candidates for an NSERC Tier II Canada Research Chair (CRC) appointment in Applied Earth Systems Modelling and Climate Change Science, whose research will link climate scenarios with climate change impacts, adaptation, and planning. The chair will be at the rank of assistant or associate professor, beginning 1 July 2023. Appointment is conditional on the approval of the application by the CRC Secretariat.
Application deadline: Applications will be considered until the position is filled.
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology (SET) at the University of Adelaide in Adelaide, Australia.
The University of Adelaide is currently looking for five enthusiastic PhD students to work on a hot topic in global change ecology: 'How do species survive climate change, land use and other human pressures?'
The successful candidates will be enrolled in a joint award PhD program established between the University of Adelaide and University of Copenhagen. They will work closely with a diverse and highly skilled group of international researchers, having access to state-of-the art computational facilities, distributional and movement data, high-resolution climate and land-use data, and genomics data.
Salary: Tax free stipend of $32,500/yr (AUD) plus a top-up scholarship of $8,000 to $20,000/yr (AUD) for a total of 3.5 years.
Duration: 3.5 years.
Application deadline: 3 July 2023.
The GeoSphere Austria, Federal Institute for Geology, Geophysics, Climatology and Meteorology in Innsbruck, Austria.
GeoSphere Austria is looking for a PostDoc Research Associate in Innsbruck, Austria. The PostDoc working at GeoSphere Austria will focus on the NWP model AROME and will investigate the potential underrepresentation of exchange processes between boundary layer and surface in Alpine valleys in the model. The aim of this topic is to better understand the origin of the model deficiencies and to work on approaches to minimize them (e.g. adaptations in parametrizations, physics processes, representation of surface characteristics and exchange process with the atmosphere, etc.). The focus of this investigation will be the Inn valley around Innsbruck where a major part of the TEAMx field campaign will be carried out and a huge amount of observation data will be made available.
Application deadline: 16 June 2023.
The German Research Foundation in western Rwanda, Africa.
The German Research Foundation is funding a new research project that will investigate the social and ecological consequences of ecosystem restoration in rural Africa, with a particular focus on western Rwanda, and in collaboration with many Rwandan stakeholders. Expressions of interest for 6 Ph.D. positions and 1 Postdoc position are now open.
The research is organised into several sub-projects, which are summarised briefly below:
- Sub-project 1: Biodiversity impacts;
- Sub-project 2: Landscape context and connectivity;
- Sub-project 3: Governance for justice;
- Sub-project 4: Social cohesion;
- Sub-project 5: Food security and livelihoods;
- Sub-project 6: Nature’s contributions to people;
- Sub-project 7: Living lab.
Potential start date: October 2023
WSL-Institut für Schnee- und Lawinenforschung SLF in Davos, Schweiz.
Im Rahmen der laufenden Forschungsaktivitäten im alpinen Umfeld suchen das WSL-Institut für Schnee- und Lawinenforschung SLF befristet für zwei Jahre eine/-n Koordinator/-in / Projektleiter/-in Feldversuche 80-100% (w/m/d). Sie organisieren und koordinieren gross angelegte Steinschlag- und Murgangversuche, bei denen eine Vielzahl von Messtechnologien eingesetzt werden. Von besonderer Bedeutung ist die Instrumentierung von Schutzmaßnahmen, einschliesslich Schutzwälder, zur Messung der zerstörerischen Kräfte von Steinschlägen und Murgängen. Sie haben einen PhD in (Geo-)Physik, Ingenieurwesen oder Geowissenschaften, mit ausgezeichneten Gesamtkenntnissen in Sensortechnik und sind interessiert an interdisziplinärer Zusammenarbeit. Erfahrung mit numerischen Methoden und Programmierkenntnisse (z.B. Python, Matlab und C) zur Analyse von Messdaten ist unerlässlich.
Perry Bartelt, Tel. +41 (0) 81 417 02 51, steht Ihnen für Fragen und weitere Informationen gerne zur Verfügung.
Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics at the University of Venice, Italy
The University of Venice is looking for PhD candidates in the area of hydrologic controls on stream metabolism/carbon cycling/ecosystem dynamics. Candidates must have either a mathematical/modelling background or with experimental/field experience. Field site is in the Dolomites.
For further information, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Professor of Hydrology at the University of Venice Ca' Foscari.
Start date: September 2023
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, Germany
Title: W2-Professorship for Hydrogeology at the Institute of Geosciences, Geology Section - starting on 1 April, 2024.
The Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn are looking for an internationally renowned scientist with an outstanding track record in innovative research that quantifies hydrogeological processes and mechanisms, aiming to understand groundwater distribution, fluxes, chemistry and vulnerability. This should involve numerical modelling and ideally link with aspects of climate change, e.g., at the hydrospherecryosphere transition or the terrestrial-marine transition.Teaching is an integral part of the professorship.
The candidate will:
- Be expected to cover the entire range of hydrogeology/hydrogeochemistry and numerical process modelling in the B.Sc. Geosciences and M.Sc. Geology degree programmes.
- Contribute to the further development of these programmes.
- Be required to have excellent didactic skills and teaching experience.
Application deadline: 11 April 2023
The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Title: Scientific Assistant in Tree Ring Analyses 80% (f/m/d).
- Be responsible for different types of tree ring analyses.
- Accurately prepare micro-sections from microcores and increment cores for the subsequent measurement of various wood anatomical traits, ring width measurements from scanned increment cores and preparation of wood for laser ablation and 13C isotope analysis.
Requirements:
- Master's degree in forest ecology, climatology, biology or in an equivalent field.
- Strong and proven skills in preparing anatomical micro-sections and in assessing wood anatomical traits.
- Experienced in dendrochronology.
- Knowledge in tree-ring width measurements, cross-dating, stable isotope analyses and other tree-ring related approaches is an asset.
- You work structured, efficiently as well as independently and have a high level of team spirit and flexibility.
- Your English is fluent.
Please send your complete application here to Stefania Pe, Human Resources WSL, by uploading the requested documents through their webpage. Applications via email will not be considered.
Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
Excellent PhD candidates with a background in plant ecology, ecophysiology, and/or botany are sought to join an exciting project, co-funded by the Australian Research Council and our industry partners Parks Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Mount Hotham Alpine Resort and Southern Alpine Resort Management Board, and will make use of the Australian Mountain Research Facility. Depending on the project scope, the candidate will have a unique opportunity to focus on aspects of plant water relations and ecophysiology, plant regeneration, and recruitment, seed ecology, snow ecology, plant thermal tolerance, and Alpine plant community ecology. The results of the project will assist alpine land managers in choosing the right species for restoration projects, thereby building resilience in these vulnerable environments.
Position open until filled. Start date mid-2023.
Hydrogeology Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
The topic of this three-year postdoc project is the development of resilient water management strategies for tectonically active, intensely used volcanic watersheds via integrated hydrological modelling and online tracer & seismic monitoring. The successful candidate will focus on the geological and hydrogeological model development and on climate and water use change projections of the Mt. Fuji volcanic aquifer system. The postdoc position will be funded for three years, 70% employment level, starting in March 2023.
The review of applications will start immediately.
The Universities of Fribourg (UniFr), Lausanne (UNIL) and Zurich (UZH), and the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), Switzerland
RoDynAlpS is a 4-year project, starting in spring 2023. The RoDynAlpS project is the first comprehensive and consistent study of past, present and regional evolution of rock glaciers in Switzerland. Through the combination of local and region-wide remote sensing analyses, integrative field-based studies and detailed numerical modelling, the project will provide a complete framework for understanding the dynamics of rock glaciers in the context of climate change. Four research positions are open for the entire
duration of the project (3 PhDs and 1 post-doc) and distributed amongst the partner institutions:
- PhD 1 (UNIL) – read more about the position and how to apply
- PhD 2 (UZH) – read more about the position and how to apply
- PhD 3 (SLF) – read more about the position and how to apply (en) / (de)
- Postdoc (UniFR) – read more about the position and how to apply
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Davos, Switzerland
Are you a bachelor's/master’s student interested in mountains, forests, management, disturbances, droughts, and protective forests? The WSL is offering these two master theses for Summer 2023:
- Early detection and management of bark beetle infestations in the canton of Grisons, Switzerland
- Thinning and impact of drought in mountain forests: what are the trade-offs with forest ecosystem services?
For questions and further information please contact Alessandra Bottero (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (D-BAUG), ETH Zürich and WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
In this thesis, you will work with a coupled CFD-DEM model to investigate entrainment mechanisms in alpine mass movements. One important objective will be to decipher the influence of the saturation degree of the bed material on entrainment rates and ultimately on the flow mobility. Results will be implemented in a depth-averaged model evaluated based on the simulation of documented events. You will publish your results in scientific journals, present them at international conferences and contribute to teaching at ETH Zurich.
Position open until filled.
Sea Level, Ice, and Climate Research Cluster, Durham University, UK
This project is suitable for students who have studied subjects such as Geography or Environmental Science, and the successful applicant will gain a broad interdisciplinary skillset, including training in geochemical analytical techniques, glacier field research, engaging with stakeholders to communicate and understand risk, and in the application of existing computer models. The student will be supported in the development of transferable skills, fostering professional development and employability post-PhD. The student will present their research nationally and internationally and will be encouraged to drive the direction of their research throughout the project, contributing to their development as an independent researcher.
Position open until filled.
Catchment Hydrology and Geomorphology Lab, EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne), Sion, Switzerland
The Catchment Hydrology and Geomorphology Lab (CHANGE) led by Prof. Sara Bonetti at EPFL in Sion is looking for a postdoctoral researcher in the area of ecohydrology and/or geomorphology. CHANGE is a new EPFL laboratory (opening in Sept. 2022) which will seek to improve current understanding and forecasting capabilities of multiple catchment processes both in natural and managed ecosystems.
Position open until filled.
Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor (2 positions on Fixed Term, Full-Time Faculty Contracts), Communications and Media Programme, University of Central Asia, Naryn, Kyrgyzstan
The University of Central Asia seeks to fill two Full-Time Faculty positions in the Communications and Media programme at UCA’s campus in Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic. In your role as faculty member, you will be contributing to the development and implementation of a new Communications and Media curriculum at the Bachelor Level that has been designed in partnership with the University of Technology Sydney in Australia and individual course developers.
Positions open until filled.
Arctic Landscape Ecology Lab, University of Victoria, Canada
Funded MSc Opportunity. The Arctic Landscape Ecology Lab at the University of Victoria is seeking an MSc student to lead a project on community-based monitoring of landscape change. This MSc project focusses on developing a protocol that will enable individuals such as park rangers, highway inspectors, hunters, and utility maintenance crews to record observations of anomalous conditions
Application review starts on 15 July 2022. Submissions will be accepted until a suitable candidate is found.
