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PhD Position in Arctic Energy Budget Diagnostics at VINAR University of Vienna in Austria
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Environmental Science
Funding
Funding is available for the PhD candidate through the Vienna International Network for Atmospheric Research (VINAR). The gross monthly salary is at least EUR 3,776.10 on a full-time basis, payable 14 times per year, with health care and social benefits. The position is 30 hours per week and is offered as a four-year University assistant predoctoral employment, initially limited to 1.5 years and automatically extendable to four years if not terminated within the first 12 months.
Deadline
Nov 15, 2026
Country
Austria
University
University of Vienna
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About this position
The University of Vienna is offering a PhD position in Arctic energy budget diagnostics within the Climate Diagnostics research group at the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics. The group is led by Prof. Leopold Haimberger and Dr. Michael Mayer and works on coupled atmosphere–ocean–cryosphere energy-budget diagnostics and the quality and homogeneity of datasets used in climate reanalyses.
The doctoral project will investigate detailed energy and moisture budgets to trace the sources of major precipitation events affecting peripheral glaciers in Greenland and other high-latitude Arctic regions. The research will connect local glacier processes with larger-scale changes in the Arctic energy balance, including the possibility that the imbalance has increased beyond estimates represented in current climate models.
The PhD researcher will evaluate local glacier mass balances, potentially including work related to the Zackenberg region and participation in a field trip. The project will develop mass-budget modelling with modern interpolation tools such as diffusion models, and use Eulerian and Lagrangian diagnostics to identify the energy and water sources associated with temporarily positive glacier mass budgets.
A further component focuses on the evolution of surface energy budgets across Arctic areas, including processes related to permafrost thawing and ice melt. Through this work, the researcher will develop diagnostics for evaluating modelled energy-budget components against new reference datasets across multiple spatial scales.
The position is embedded in an international research environment and includes participation in the Vienna International School of Earth and Space Sciences doctoral school. The researcher will also contribute to teaching in the University's bachelor’s or master’s meteorology programmes and collaborate with the Climate Diagnostics group on broader Arctic and climate-diagnostics research.
Funding details
Funding is available for the PhD candidate through the Vienna International Network for Atmospheric Research (VINAR). The gross monthly salary is at least EUR 3,776.10 on a full-time basis, payable 14 times per year, with health care and social benefits. The position is 30 hours per week and is offered as a four-year University assistant predoctoral employment, initially limited to 1.5 years and automatically extendable to four years if not terminated within the first 12 months.
What's required
Applicants must hold a completed master's or diploma degree in atmospheric sciences, such as meteorology or climatology, or a related field. Programming and data-analysis experience, good teamwork and collaboration skills, and strong English communication skills are required. Experience with data assimilation or nonuniform model grids, expert programming knowledge preferably in Python and/or Fortran, and mountaineering or glacier experience are advantageous.
How to apply
Send a short letter stating your interest and possible doctoral-thesis topics, together with a CV including publications and contact details for two potential referees. For questions, contact Leopold Haimberger at [email protected]. Apply through the University of Vienna vacancy page.
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Prepare your application
Review drafts and confirm requirements with the university.
Make your next move.
Prepare your application
Review drafts and confirm requirements with the university.