Postdoctoral Researcher in High-Resolution Atmospheric Modelling for Wildfire Prediction University of Cyprus in Cyprus

The University of Cyprus is recruiting a full-time Postdoctoral Researcher for the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, based in Nicosia, Cyprus. The post is part of the FireMap project, which aims to deliver the first wildfire prediction and simulation system for the Republic of Cyprus. The role focuses on the high-resolution atmospheric modelling component of that system, with applications to wildfire prediction over complex Mediterranean terrain.

The successful candidate will work within the Computational Sciences Laboratory and will be supervised by Dr Dimokratis G.E. Grigoriadis, with co-supervision and research collaboration from Pitys.ai Ltd. The project is positioned at the interface of computational fluid dynamics, atmospheric modelling, wildfire simulation, and high-performance computing. It combines university research with an active technology company and is intended to support a national-scale system moving toward operational service.

Main duties include adapting and extending an established OpenFOAM configuration, developing robust steep-terrain meshing and boundary-condition treatments, running large ensembles on HPC resources, and managing large simulation datasets. The researcher will also establish coupled atmosphere-fire modelling for Cyprus, validate model performance against historic fire events such as the 2021 Arakapas fire, define operational performance metrics, and help develop reusable benchmark cases and uncertainty quantification methods. In the later phase of the project, the work will also involve comparing statistical and dynamical downscaling approaches and building a modular downscaling framework for Cyprus that could later be adapted to other Mediterranean regions.

Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering, Atmospheric Science, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field before the start date. Strong practical experience with OpenFOAM is essential, together with experience on HPC clusters, Python workflow automation, a record of research output, independent working ability, and excellent English. Knowledge of Greek is not required. Desirable skills include WRF or WRF-SFIRE, atmospheric boundary-layer modelling, machine learning for physical systems, C++, Fortran, GPU computing, climate downscaling, numerical weather prediction, wildfire modelling, geospatial data processing, and remote sensing.

The appointment is fixed-term for 16 months, with possible extension depending on performance and funding availability. The salary is up to €3518.20 gross per month, depending on qualifications and experience. The position is funded through the FireMap project under the SEED Programme of the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation, co-financed by the Republic of Cyprus and the European Union.

Applications must be emailed to [email protected] by 1 November 2026. Candidates should quote FireMap in the subject line and submit a CV including publications, a cover letter of up to two pages describing relevant research experience and motivation, and the names and contact details of two referees. Shortlisted candidates will later be asked to provide degree certificates. Non-EU candidates may receive relocation and visa assistance, but should ensure they can reside in Cyprus full-time if selected.