PhD in Past Weather and Climate Extremes in Switzerland
PhD position at the University of Bern
in the Climatology Group at the Institute of Geography and the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research.
The project, led by
Prof. Stefan Brönnimann
, focuses on
past weather and climate extremes in Switzerland
. The thesis will develop multi-variable, high-resolution daily weather reconstructions for Switzerland and Europe and analyse the historical frequency, intensity, characteristics, and timing of extremes such as
heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and floods
.
Research tasks include statistical analysis of multi-century observation-based meteorological fields and climate model simulations, studying the meteorological and climatological conditions that lead to extremes, and examining their historical impacts. The work contributes to storylines of climate extremes and attribution studies within the interdisciplinary
NCCR CLIM+
programme, which links many Swiss institutions and addresses climate change mitigation, resilience, and heat/health topics.
Eligibility:
applicants should hold an MSc in geography, climate science, environmental science, or a similar field, and have proven skills in statistics, quantitative methods, and programming. Openness to interdisciplinary work is required.
Funding and terms:
the position is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation through NCCR CLIM+. It is a 100% PhD appointment for 3.5 years, renewable up to 4 years, with a 2026 gross annual salary of CHF 50,042 including the 13th month salary.
Application deadline:
2026-10-08. Apply with a motivation letter, CV, publication list, and names of three references combined into one PDF.