"Postdoctoral Research Position in Earth System Modelling(Jones) [NCAS]"

University of Leeds - School of Earth and Environment

Location:	Leeds
Salary:	£41,064 to £48,822 p.a. depending on experience, Grade 7
Hours:	Full Time
Contract Type:	Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On: 6th February 2026

Closes: 26th February 2026

Job Ref: ENVEE1861

Would you like to join a team assessing the main risks associated with global climate change?

Would you like to apply your scientific expertise to understand the risks and consequences of tipping points in the global climate system?

Would you like to be part of a team developing the next generation of UK global climate and Earth system models?

We seek a postdoctoral research scientist to work within the ARIA-funded, multi-centre project PROMOTE (Progressing Earth System Modelling for Tipping Point Early Warning Systems). The successful candidate will join the UKESM core team, contributing to the development, evaluation, and application of a new hybrid-resolution version of the 2nd UK Earth system model (UKESM2). The key aim of PROMOTE is to develop and apply a high-resolution ESM to investigate the risks, consequences, and potential interactions between abrupt changes in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre (SPG) and the Greenland ice sheet. The resulting modelling system may act as an early-warning system for abrupt change in both phenomena.

PROMOTE consists of 7 partner institutes: the universities of Leeds, Reading, Edinburgh and Bristol, as well as the Met Office, the National Oceanography Centre, and the British Antarctic Survey. Staff at Leeds and Reading are also members of the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS). The successful candidate will be fully integrated into this consortium, as well as becoming a member of the UKESM core team. To increase integration with the UKESM team, while this is a University of Leeds position, the successful candidate will be physically based at the Met Office in Exeter, where the bulk of the UKESM team are located.

Please note: If you are not a British or Irish citizen, from 1 January 2021 you will require permission to work in the UK. This will normally be in the form of a visa but, if you are an EEA/Swiss citizen and resident in the UK before 31 December 2020, this may be your passport or status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

As the candidate will be based at the Met Office building in Exeter, they will need to go through Met Office security clearance.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Professor Colin Jones, Head of UK Earth System Modelling, Professor Colin Jones | School of Earth and Environment | University of Leeds

Email: colin.jones@metoffice.gov.uk