"Research Fellow in Climate Dynamics"

University of Southampton - Physical Oceanography

About the Role

We are seeking to recruit a Research Fellow in Climate Dynamics to become a member of the School of Ocean and Earth Science at the University of Southampton. The successful candidate will be part of the ‘Accurate projections of climate recovery from a combination of historical data, simple models and AI’ Future Leaders Fellowship project, which seeks to understand how climate will warm and recover in a net-zero future.

As part of this project, you will (i) quantify global and regional patterns of asymmetric climate recovery using CMIP6 Ramp-Up–Ramp-Down and Zero-Emission simulations; (ii) diagnose and attribute the physical mechanisms driving inter-model differences in recovery; and (iii) design and run targeted mechanism-denial experiments (e.g., in CESM and related Earth System Models) to isolate and evaluate the role of individual processes. You will also assess how climate variability and extremes, including changes in the probability of high-impact events, are altered in the recovery phase. Finally, you will work closely with the team to ensure that these diagnostics and experiments directly inform the development and testing of the project’s new climate modelling framework.

The successful applicant will join an active ocean and climate physics group at the University of Southampton. You will have the opportunity to engage with the vibrant oceanographic and climate science community at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and the National Oceanography Centre, working closely with our national and international partners. We are strongly motivated to improve climate data, deepen our understanding of climate dynamics, and develop the next generation of climate modelling tools. By joining us, you will advance the field of climate dynamics and climate modelling by combining historical data and physical modelling to significantly improve the accuracy of large-scale and regional climate projections.

The post is a fixed-term appointment for 36 months (3 years), as part of a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project awarded to Dr Duo Chan.

About You

We invite applications from candidates holding a PhD (or equivalent) in climate science or a related field, with demonstrated proficiency in designing and conducting climate model simulations and analyzing large volumes of data and model outputs. Experience with climate mitigation scenarios is preferred. Applicants should demonstrate strong knowledge of modelling and large-scale climate dynamics, excellent quantitative and problem-solving skills, and effective communication abilities.

What we can offer you

We are an ambitious, mutually supportive academic community and are passionate about creating an environment where everyone can achieve their full potential in education, research and enterprise. We hold a departmental Athena SWAN bronze award coupled to an institutional Athena SWAN silver award. We value diversity and equality and recognise that employees may wish to have working patterns that fit with their caring responsibilities or work-life balance. Due consideration will be given to applicants who have had career breaks for reasons including maternity, paternity or adoption leave, disability, or illness. We offer generous holiday allowance and additional University closure days, subsidised health and fitness facilities and access to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). We are committed to supporting early career researchers as outlined by the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.

Enquiries

For informal inquiries please contact Dr. Duo Chan (Duo.Chan@soton.ac.uk).