Post-Doctoral Researcher in High-Resolution Atmospheric Modelling for Wildfire Prediction

Positions: Postdoc Positions Application Deadline: 15 Dec 2026 - 14:30 (Asia/Nicosia) Country: Cyprus Type of Contract: Temporary Job Status: Full-time Hours Per Week: 140/month Offer Starting Date: 1 Feb 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No Offer Description Host institution: University of Cyprus Department: Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus Location: Nicosia, Cyprus Employment type: Full-time (140 hours per month) Duration: Fixed-term, 16 months Salary: Up to €3518.20 per month gross (depending on qualifications and experience) Expected Start: February 2027 (to be confirmed) Application deadline: 15 December 2026 Wildfires is one of the most dominant natural hazards across the Mediterranean basin. While total burned area has fluctuated over recent decades, the extreme end of the distribution has shifted markedly, with events such as Pedrógão Grande (2017), Mati (2018) and Alexandroupolis (2023) exceeding suppression capacity and causing mass casualties. Cyprus is subject to the same drivers: prolonged summer drought, accumulating fuel loads and an extensive wildland–urban interface. The 2021 Arakapas fire was the deadliest recorded in the island’s modern history. The FireMap project will deliver the first wildfire prediction and simulation system for the Republic of Cyprus. The present position is responsible for the high-resolution atmospheric modelling component of that system. The Position The Computational Sciences Laboratory at University of Cyprus announces one (1) full-time Post-Doctoral Researcher position in high-resolution atmospheric modelling for wildfire prediction. The position is funded through the FireMap project under the SEED Programme of the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation, in collaboration with Pitys.ai Ltd. The appointment is for 16 months, with the possibility of extension subject to satisfactory performance and the availability of funding. The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr Dimokratis G.E. Grigoriadis (University of Cyprus, Department of Mechanical Engineering), with co-supervision from Pitys.ai Ltd. and regular collaboration with its research and development team. The filling of the position is subject to the availability of funding. Research Context Operational fire danger assessment across Europe is presently conducted at kilometer-scale resolution. This is sufficient to identify regions at elevated risk on a given day, but it does not resolve the processes that govern propagation during an individual event. Slope and valley wind systems over the Troodos massif, flow channeling through drainage features, and the circulation induced by the fire itself all fall below the grid scale of such products, while exerting first-order control on the rate and direction of spread. The project addresses this gap through high-resolution simulation. Pitys.ai Ltd. will provide an established high-performance OpenFOAM configuration together with terrain meshing for the Cypriot landscape. The successful candidate will be responsible for (i) extending and validating this configuration, (ii) establishing coupled fire–atmosphere simulation capability, and (ii) executing large simulation ensembles. Duties and Responsibilities The successful candidate is expected to: Microclimate wind modelling over complex terrain Extend and adapt the provided OpenFOAM case configuration, including steep-terrain meshing and boundary condition treatment, to achieve robust simulations Design and execute large simulation ensembles on high-performance computing facilities, spanning the wind, stability and terrain conditions relevant to Cypriot fire weather Manage the resulting datasets at scale Contribute to ensemble design in collaboration with the Pitys.ai Ltd. research and development team Coupled fire–atmosphere simulation Establish and configure a coupled atmosphere–fire modelling system for the Cypriot domain, including domain design, nesting, fuel and terrain inputs, and coupling configuration Validate model performance against historic Cypriot fire events such as the 2021 Arakapas fire, using observational records from the national weather station network Validation Define quantitative performance metrics appropriate to operational wildfire prediction, with emphasis on errors affecting predicted rate and direction of spread Develop reusable benchmark cases derived from historic fire events and weather station records Quantify and document model uncertainty in a form suitable for integration into the wider prediction platform Climate downscaling Undertaken in the later phase of the project, in collaboration with Pitys.ai Ltd.: Benchmark statistical against dynamical downscaling approaches for the variables governing fire behaviour Develop a downscaling framework for Cyprus with a modular architecture supporting subsequent application to other Mediterranean regions General Prepare and submit research outputs for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentation at international conferences Contribute to project reporting and deliverables, and participate in project meetings with partners Required Qualifications A doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering, Atmospheric Science, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Applied Mathematics or a closely related discipline, awarded before the start date Substantial practical experience with OpenFOAM , covering case setup, meshing, solver configuration and the diagnosis of convergence problems. As an established configuration is provided, emphasis is placed on competence in the application and adaptation of CFD at scale Demonstrated experience conducting simulations on high-performance computing clusters, including scheduling systems, parallel scaling and the management of large numbers of concurrent jobs Proficiency in Python, including the automation of simulation workflows A record of research output commensurate with career stage Capacity to work independently and to deliver against defined project milestones Excellent command of written and spoken English. Knowledge of Greek is not required Desirable Qualifications Experience with WRF , WRF-SFIRE or another mesoscale atmospheric model, which would be considered a strong advantage Experience in atmospheric boundary layer or environmental flow modelling, particularly over complex terrain Familiarity with machine learning applied to physical systems, including surrogate modelling, training data design or reduced-order methods Programming experience in C++ (including OpenFOAM solver customisation), Fortran, or GPU computing (CUDA, OpenCL, MPI) Experience in climate downscaling, numerical weather prediction or regional climate modelling Background in wildfire modelling, geospatial data processing or remote sensing Experience of working across academic and industrial research settings The Position Offers Participation in a national-scale system entering operational service with a government agency Access to university high-performance computing facilities, with anticipated access to Tier-1 and Tier-0 national and EuroHPC resources Co-supervision spanning a university research group and an active technology company Support for conference attendance and relevant training Opportunity to lead publications in an area not previously addressed for Cyprus Where to Apply E-mail: grigoria@ucy.ac.cy Requirements Research Field: Engineering — Education Level: PhD or equivalent Research Field: Mathematics — Education Level: PhD or equivalent Research Field: Geosciences — Education Level: PhD or equivalent Additional Information Benefits Terms and Conditions The appointment is subject to the standard terms of employment of University of Cyprus. The University of Cyprus is committed to promoting inclusivity, diversity and equality, and to the elimination of all forms of discrimination. Applications are welcomed from all suitably qualified candidates. Assistance with relocation and visa procedures is available to candidates who are non-EU nationals. Non-EU applicants should, however, ensure before applying that, in the event of selection, they will be residing in Cyprus on a full-time basis. Submission of an application implies acceptance of this condition. The gross monthly salary is up to €3518.20/month for full-time employment and will depend on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate. Selection process How to Apply Applications should be submitted to grigoria@ucy.ac.cy no later than 01 November 2026, quoting the project FireMap in the subject line, and should comprise: A curriculum vitae, including a full list of publications A cover letter of no more than two pages describing the applicant’s relevant research experience and motivation for the position, with particular reference to prior work involving large-scale simulation The names and contact details of two academic or professional referees Copies of degree certificates will be requested from shortlisted candidates and need not accompany the initial application. Informal enquiries regarding the position are welcome and may be directed to Dr Dimokratis G.E. Grigoriadis ( grigoria@ucy.ac.cy ). Early application is encouraged. The best 3 candidates that satisfy the required qualifications will be interviewed by a 3-member Committee. Candidates shall be informed of the result of their application by the relevant entity. Work Location(s) Number of offers available: 1 Company/Institute: University of Cyprus Country: Cyprus Contact City: Nicosia Website: http://ucy.ac.cy Street: University House, Anastasios G. Leventis Postal Code: 1678 This position is funded under the FireMap project, SEED Programme, co-financed by the Republic of Cyprus and the European Union through the Research and Innovation Foundation.