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Post-doctoral Fellow in Climate Modelling of Volcanic Super-eruptions and Epidemics Lund University in Sweden
Degree Level
Postdoc
Field of study
Environmental Science
Funding
Available
Deadline
Dec 1, 2026
Country
Sweden
University
Lund University
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About this position
This two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Lund University sits at the intersection of climate modelling, palaeoclimate reconstruction, and epidemic research. The project asks how abrupt climate cooling caused by major volcanic eruptions may have influenced historical epidemics, with special attention to the Plague of Justinian after the eruptions of AD 536 and 540. The successful candidate will join the atmospheric and climate modelling team in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and contribute to an international collaboration involving researchers in Sweden and France.
The research focuses on the volcanic eruption–climate component of a broader interdisciplinary project that connects meteorology, geology, archaeology, history, medicine, biology, and mathematical modelling. A central scientific goal is to build a framework in which climate simulations inform an epidemiological and ecological model, which is then evaluated against historical and archaeological evidence. The postdoctoral fellow will help generate the climate inputs needed for this larger modelling effort and will work closely with project partners developing the disease and ecology side of the study.
The project involves developing an offline climate-modelling testbed based on a single-column version of a global climate model, forced by full coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations. This will be used to investigate the climate response to historical volcanic eruptions at selected locations, initially for the mid-sixth-century AD 536/540 case. The fellow will also compile palaeoclimate observational evidence—such as ice-core, tree-ring, speleothem, isotope, and pollen records—to constrain and validate simulations for northern Europe. The work is intended to improve understanding of how climate-sensitive ecology and demographics may shape epidemic dynamics under abrupt climate perturbations.
The research environment is highly collaborative and international, with links to expertise in atmospheric modelling, computational geoscience, ecology, archaeology, and history. The role is research-only and offers substantial scope for scientific programming, numerical modelling, and analysis of climate-model output in a Linux and Fortran-based environment. The position is a focused opportunity to contribute to a wider investigation of climate, ecosystems, and infectious disease through advanced modelling.
Funding details
Available
What's required
Applicants must have a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, in meteorology, atmospheric science, climate science, physics, applied mathematics, or a closely related subject. The doctoral degree should normally have been completed no more than three years before the employment decision, unless special circumstances apply. Required qualifications include documented experience in numerical modelling and scientific computing, programming in a Linux environment in a language such as Python, C or Fortran, strong knowledge of mathematics and numerical methods, good knowledge of physical meteorology, atmospheric science and/or climate science, and oral and written proficiency in English. Experience with global or regional climate models, high-performance computing, climate datasets, past-climate modelling, interdisciplinary research, differential equations, Fortran 90, and Linux-based computational environments is advantageous.
How to apply
Prepare one PDF application in English containing a CV with publications, a brief description of past and future research interests (max three pages), contact details for at least two references, a copy of the doctoral degree certificate, and any other relevant certificates or grades. Submit the application through the university's online application link.
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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.