PhD student in physical geography with focus on ice sheet modelling

PhD student in physical geography with focus on ice sheet modelling

Are you interested in studying the future of the East Antarctic ice sheet, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favorable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a PhD position at Uppsala University.

The Department of Earth Sciences at Uppsala University is Sweden´s largest and most versatile department of its kind. The department has approximately 300 employees. Our activities are interdisciplinary and combine natural science and technology with social science. We have research programs in air, water and landscape science; geophysics; natural resources and sustainable development; petrology, mineralogy and tectonics; paleobiology, and wind energy. By investigating the history of Earth, we understand how our planet has developed over time and how sustainable development benefits from this knowledge. Read more here; Department of Earth Sciences

The announced position is in the research program Air, Water and Landscape Science (LUVAL) which brings together research and education in hydrology, meteorology, environmental analysis and physical geography. The research in physical geography has a main interest in cold environments, with a primary focus on glaciological topics, but also other aspects of the cryosphere.

This doctoral project will be part of SEAL, the National Research School of Excellence in Arctic and Antarctic Research Training. SEAL’s research environment is built on strong collaboration between Swedish universities, which together offer an internationally competitive, field-based doctoral school with unique infrastructure and integrated courses, supervised by leading national and international polar researchers. The research school encompasses the full spectrum of polar expertise—from glaciology, oceanography, and climate modelling to radar, remote sensing, and technology development, as well as social sciences and Indigenous perspectives. The doctoral student will also be part of the international research programme iQ2300 – East Antarctic Sea level rise contribution in 2300, with fieldwork logistical support from the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, coordinated by Stockholm University.

The project follows up on recent experiments to estimate ice thickness on mountain glaciers in the Arctic and globally (see e.g. Frank and Van Pelt, 2024; Van Pelt and Frank, 2025), and connects to an ongoing project on modelling of the Greenland ice sheet. The project will include collaboration with Utrecht University, Mid Sweden University, Gothenburg University, Stockholm University, and the Danish Meteorological Institute.

Duties

The aims of the PhD project are to generate new bed elevation and ice thickness maps for the Riiser-Larsen ice shelf catchment, East Antarctica, and simulate the evolution of grounded and floating ice up to 2300. To achieve this, a novel, fast and versatile inverse approach will be used that infers present-day bed topography under the ice from surface data and simultaneously provides initial conditions for prognostic modelling. Ice flow will be modelled using the Utrecht Finite Volume Ice Sheet Model (UFEMISM; Berends et al. 2025). The use of machine learning ice flow emulators, e.g. for uncertainty quantification, will be explored.

The position will include participation in fieldwork and research campaigns in polar and subpolar environments, as well as national and international travel for field activities, mobility stays at other research organizations, conferences, and project meetings. Fieldwork may involve extended stays in remote areas and requires flexibility and the ability to work under demanding environmental conditions.

Requirements

To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in glaciology, Earth Sciences, computer science, physics, or similar, and
• have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

Previous experience with modelling/analysis of the cryosphere, preferably glaciers, is a requirement. The candidate is required to be able to communicate easily in oral and written English, work independently and in an international team of researchers with different disciplinary backgrounds.

Additional qualifications

Experience with machine learning, inverse methods, programming (in Python or similar), and remote sensing data are valued. Furthermore, familiarity with spatial analysis software (e.g. ArcGIS) is considered a merit.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University´s rules and guidelines.

About the employment

The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 15 of August, 2026, or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Ward van Pelt, ward.van.pelt@geo.uu.se

Please submit your application by 20 of March, 2026, UFV-PA 2026/490.

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