The post

The Faculty wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to participate in the EU-funded project “Past to Future” (P2F, https://past2future.org/). This is a Horizon Europe funded research project which launched in March 2025 and is coordinated by Utrecht University. It brings together 24 partners from a wide-range of disciplines in future climate model development, paleo-climate data collection, and applied mathematics. Our goal is to make optimal use of past climatic information to better understand Earth’s climate response to various kinds of forcing, focusing on abrupt climate transitions and tipping points. This post at Exeter is available from 2nd January 2026 to 31st December 2027.

The successful applicant will contribute to research related to WP15 and WP16 of the project, looking at downstream effects of abrupt changes that result in changes of variability and extremes downstream in nonlinear models, and contributing to evaluating transients during spin-up of climate models. It will be theoretical in nature, though there will be opportunities to connect to data and output from paleo-climate models and future climate projections.

About you

The successful applicant will be able to develop research objectives, projects and proposals; identify sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing funds and make presentations at conferences and other events.

Applicants will possess a PhD in mathematics, physics, meteorology, geosciences or a related field. The successful applicant will be a nationally recognised authority in dynamical modelling and possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop research programmes and methodologies. Some knowledge of multiscale systems and/or climate modelling is an advantage. You should have excellent theoretical and numerical analysis skills. The successful applicant will also be able to work collaboratively, supervise the work of others and act as team leader as required. Applicants will be able to build, simulate and apply theoretical tools to understand dynamical behaviour of complex systems.

What we can offer you

• Freedom (and the support) to pursue your intellectual interests and to work creatively across disciplines to produce internationally exciting research;
• Support teams that understand the University wide research and teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly
• An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development
• Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career
• A multitude of staff benefits including sector leading benefits around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave (up to 26 weeks full pay), Paternity leave (up to 6 weeks full pay), and a Fertility Treatment Policy
• A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Devon

For further information please contact Prof Peter Ashwin, e-mail P.Ashwin@exeter.ac.uk.