项目介绍

2026年9月3日

PhD position

There is a vacancy for two PhD Research Fellows in Climate Dynamics at the Geophysical Institute (GFI). The positions are for a fixed-term period of 3 years with the possibility of a 4th year with career-promoting work (e.g. teaching at the Department). The positions are affiliated with the Bjerknes Centre strategic project Global Responses and Drivers of the Tropical Pacific Zonal SST gradient Trend (GRADIENT). One position is financed by the GRADIENT-project, and one position is financed by the University of Bergen.

About the project/work tasks:

The tropical Pacific zonal sea surface temperature (SST) gradient is a key component of global climate variability, yet climate models consistently fail to reproduce the historical gradient trend. This discrepancy affects climate sensitivity estimates and regional climate projections through teleconnections. As a PhD-candidate in GRADIENT, you will join an interdisciplinary team with expertise in climate dynamics, paleoclimate, data assimilation, and climate and isotope modelling. 

The PhD candidates will investigate mechanisms linking tropical Pacific SST trends with external forcing and their influence on regional climate (e.g., Atlantic and Indian Oceans, East African rainfall trends). Tasks include analysis of model simulations and a new paleo-reanalyses which uses a state-of-art data assimilation system and an extensive collection of paleo-proxy records, as well as designing and performing targeted climate model experiments.

As a PhD candidate at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Bergen, you will be affiliated with the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research (BCCR), the largest climate research centre in the Nordic countries with a broad international environment. The candidate is encouraged to participate in the national PhD network The Norwegian Research School for Climate-Informed Innovation and Decision-making (Climate-Informed). 

Qualifications and personal qualities:

• Applicants must hold a master’s degree or equivalent education in climate dynamics, meteorology, oceanography, physics, mathematics, or related fields, or must have submitted his/her master’s thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the master’s degree has been awarded
• Solid background in mathematics and physics is a requirement
• Experience in scientific programming (e.g., Matlab, Python) is requirement
• Experience in statistical analysis of climate data (observations or model output) is an advantage
• Experience in climate dynamics is an advantage 
• Applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner and demonstrate good collaborative skills
• Applicants must have good written and oral English skills

Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Research experience, ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates.

About the PhD position:

Special requirements for the position 
The University 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 Research Fellow position
The fellowship will be for a period of 3 years, with the possibility for a 4th year contingent on the qualifications of the candidate and the teaching needs of the department and will be decided by the Head of department upon appointment. If a 4th year is granted, one year of career-promoting work associated with teaching, dissemination or research infrastructure/services, will be distributed over the full employment period and thus corresponding to 25 per cent of the time each year. 

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 Research Fellow, 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 Science and Technology 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 stimulating working environment 
• salary as PhD research fellow (code 1017) in the state salary scale. This constitutes a gross annual salary of NOK 593 700. 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 of the applicant’s research interests and motivation for applying for the position
• a detailed justification of your qualifications in relation to the listed requirements, explaining how you meet each criterion. Additionally, you should address the “advantages” mentioned above, as these will be taken into account when ranking the candidates
• 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. If you have not yet completed your master’s degree, please submit a statement from your institution confirming 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 works of a scientific nature (publication list with links)