PhD student in Environmental Analysis with focus on hydroclimatic extremes

PhD student Environmental Analysis with focus on hydroclimatic extremes
Are you passionate about researching how hydroclimatic extremes impact aquatic ecosystem services? Do you want to work alongside skilled and supportive colleagues in an international and collaborative environment? Are you seeking an employer that values sustainability, invests in employee development, and provides a safe and dynamic workplace? We invite you to apply for a PhD position in Environmental Analysis at Uppsala University.

The Department of Earth Sciences at Uppsala University is Sweden´s largest and most versatile department of its kind. We are approximately 280 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: Earth sciences

We are now looking for a PhD student in Environmental Analysis within the Program for Air, Water and Landscape Sciences (Luval) to join our team and work with us in the European project “REACTION - Navigating the Risks of Hydroclimatic Extremes for Freshwater Ecosystem Services in Forest Landscapes” funded by the Water4All partnership. The project is an international collaboration with partners in Finland, Spain, Slovakia and Austria, and assesses the risks that hydroclimatic extremes (such as heatwaves, floods, droughts and heavy rain) pose to freshwater-related ecosystem services in forest landscapes. Combining a multidisciplinary risk framework with extensive efforts on harmonizing data and innovative data-driven modelling techniques, we explore existing data resources, develop relevant indicators, and build models that simulate the complex relationships between statistically rare extreme events and freshwater-related ecosystem services.

Duties
You will conduct research within a series of planned projects applying the ICPP risk framework to quantify and map hydroclimatic extremes, the exposure of freshwater ecosystem services to these extremes, and their sensitivity and resilience to environmental and existing human stressors in four unique case studies across Europe.With your work, you will provide insights on current and future hydroclimatic risks to ecosystem services and lay the foundation for developing management and restoration strategies to reduce the vulnerability of ecosystem services and the risk posed by hydroclimatic extremes. You will work within a larger research team that includes experts in hydrology, risk assessment, remote sensing, modeling, ecosystem services and governance from Sweden, Finland, Spain, Slovakia and Austria.

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in hydrology, climatology, meteorology, water management, environmental science, earth sciences, or
• 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 that the employer considers equivalent/qualifying for the assignment.

We are looking for candidates who are passionate about research, highly independent, and proactive. The ideal candidate will have good computer skills, excellent oral and written English, and experience in scientific programming (e.g., Matlab, R, or Python). Some experience in GIS and mapping is also required.
As a PhD student, you will be part of an international research environment where you will further develop your skills in the field and work towards your PhD thesis. This means that you should be open to many discussions, enjoy independent work and be prepared for some travel to project meetings and conferences, especially within Europe.

Additional qualifications
Experience in data management and processing, in particular linked to climate models, environmental data and statistics, is highly advantageous. Working experience with extreme events, such as droughts or floods, as well as biodiversity, aquatic ecosystems and their services, is an advantage. We also value experience working with the IPCC risk framework and analyses of risk factors such as natural hazards, exposure and vulnerability. Good oral skills in Swedish are also an advantage. Great emphasis will be placed on personal suitability.

The application should include a cover letter shortly describing your personal motivation for applying for this PhD position, relevant skills/ qualifications and research interests. The application should also include a CV, copies of relevant exams, degrees and grades, your MSc thesis and other relevant documents, such as letter(s) of recommendation and contact details of two referees. We would also like to know the earliest possible date for starting.

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 01-03-2025 at the latest. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Claudia Teutschbein, claudia.teutschbein@geo.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 30 December 2024, UFV-PA 2024/4035.

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