项目介绍

2024年9月19日

There is a vacancy for a PhD position in physical oceanography at the Geophysical Institute and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research. The PhD position is a part of the I-CRYME project: Impact of CRYosphere Melting on Southern Ocean Ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles. This is an Antarctic multidisciplinary collaboration with biological sciences. The position is for a fixed-term period of of 3 years with the possibility of a 4 th year with compulsory other work (e.g. teaching duties at the Department).

About the project/work tasks

The I-CRYME project is an Antarctic multidisciplinary collaboration between the Norwegian Polar Institute (lead), University of Bergen (UiB) and several other research institutions in Norway, Germany (Alfred Wegener Institute), Australia and New Zealand. The main hypothesis of this project is that the melting ice sheets, glaciers and sea ice (the cryosphere) of the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic continent have a profound impact on marine biogeochemical dynamics and ecosystem productivity. To investigate this hypothesis, we focus on the poorly studied region of the Kong Håkon VII Sea, directly south of Africa in the Southern Ocean.

This PhD project will focus on Ice Shelf Water (ISW) and ocean properties and currents just north of the floating ice shelf called Fimbulisen. This is also where the Norwegian research base Troll is located, and some of the activity will take place related to the annual cruises used to supply the base every Antarctic summer. The PhD will focus on processes in front of the ice shelf and under land-fast sea ice through detailed measurements of ISW outflows, frazil ice crystals and platelet ice. High-resolution in situ measurements of ice crystals and water column properties are planned, but detection of supercooled waters is challenging. Suspended ice crystals can be detected in standard water samples and may be compared to new acoustic sensing methods. This should be complemented with process-oriented modelling that will provide the first synoptic overview of ISW outflow dynamics in this area. 

Main PhD supervisor will be Professor Lars H. Smedsrud, and co-supervisor will be Kjersti Daae (UiB) and Tore Hattermann (Norwegian Polar Institute). The PhD student will be enrolled at University of Bergen and work closely with scientists at the Norwegian Polar Institute. It is expected that the PhD candidate takes actively part in international cooperation by attending international workshops and conferences and is willing to spend part of the time at sea and in Tromsø. The PhD candidate will interact with multi-disciplinary researchers in the I-CRYME project. In-depth collaborations across the disciplines will be encouraged and facilitated.

Qualifications and personal qualities

• Applicants must hold a master’s degree or the equivalent in physical oceanography, meteorology, climate dynamics, physics, applied mathematics 3 or related fields. Alternatively, a master thesis must have been submitted for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the master’s degree has been awarded. 
• A good understanding of ice-ocean physical processes is required.
• Experience with physical processes at high latitudes is an advantage. 
• Experience with oceanographic field work and scientific programming (Matlab, Python, etc) including analysis of simulations and observations is an advantage. 
• Basic experience and interest in marine biology and biogeochemistry is an advantage. 
• Applicants must be able to work independently, in a structured manner, and demonstrate good collaborative skills. 
• Applicants must be proficient in both written and oral English and have good communication skills.
• It is an advantage if the applicant has basic knowledge in a Scandinavian language because project partners have active ongoing outreach towards high schools in Norway. 

Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates.

Special requirements for the position

TheUniversity of Bergen is subjected to the regulation for export control system. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications.

About the PhD position

The fellowship will be for a period of 3 years. There is a possibility for a 4th year, consisting of 25 % compulsory work. The 4th year is contingent on the qualifications of the candidate and the teaching needs of the department. This will be decided by the head of department upon appointment. 

The employment period may be reduced if you have previously been employed in a qualifying post (e.g., research fellow, research assistant).

About the research training 

As a PhD candidate, you must participate in an approved educational programme for a PhD degree within a period of 3 years. The deadline for applying for admission to the PhD programme at The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is 2 months after you start your position or after the start of the research project that will lead to the PhD degree. It is a condition that you satisfy the enrolment requirements for the PhD programme at the University of Bergen.

We can offer

• a good and professionally challenging working environment 
• salary as PhD research fellow (code 1017) in the state salary scale. This constitutes a gross annual salary of NOK 540 500 (equivalent to pay grade 55). Further increases in salary are made according to length of service in the position. 
• enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• good welfare benefits

Your application must include

• a brief account (less than 1 page) of your research interests and motivation for applying for the position. 
• the names and contact information for two referees. One of these should be the main advisor for the master’s thesis or equivalent thesis 
• CV 
• transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees, or official confirmation that the master’s thesis has been submitted. 
• relevant certificates/references 
• approved documentation of proficiency in English (if required, cf. English language requirements for PhD admission) 
• a list of any relevant scientific publications, including those in preparation. 
• a copy of any available scientific publications in your name

The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge.

General information:

For details about the position, contact Prof. Lars H. Smedsrud (Lars.Smedsrud@uib.no), associate professor Kjersti B. Daae (Kjersti.Daae@uib.no), or Tore Hattermann (Tore.Hattermann@npolar.no). 

For HR related questions contact: Maria Svåsand (maria.svasand@uib.no) 

The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. Age and gender balance among employees is therefore a goal. We therefore encourage all qualified candidates to apply for the position. The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

For further information about the recruitment process, click here.