PhD Fellow in Remote Sensing of Rain-On-Snow Preconditioning Sea Ice Melt Onset
PhD Fellow in Remote Sensing of Rain-On-Snow Preconditioning Sea Ice Melt Onset
at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Department of Physics and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, with the Earth Observation Group in Tromsø.
This PhD project examines how rain-on-snow (ROS) events influence the snow/sea-ice physical system and affect the timing of seasonal spring melt onset in Arctic landfast sea ice. The work combines multi-frequency satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data (including TerraSAR-X, Sentinel-1, RCM, NISAR, ALOS-2/-4) with laser and radar altimetry missions (ICESat-2, CryoSat-2, SWOT, and forthcoming CRISTAL), supported by meteorological data, climate reanalysis, and in-situ observations. Case studies will focus on Arctic landfast sea ice in the Atlantic and Canadian Arctic sectors, with a possible extension to Antarctic sea ice if time permits.
The PhD has three connected aims: detect and characterize ROS events and their impacts using reanalysis, meteorological, satellite, and field data; detect ROS-induced melt from SAR plus altimetry observations and test whether ROS preconditions the snow/sea ice system and shifts melt onset timing; and improve melt-onset detection and prediction using information from earlier ROS events. The position is for four years, with the standard three-year PhD programme plus one extra year distributed as 25% teaching and other duties each year.
Required qualifications include a Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field such as physics, remote sensing, geosciences, geodesy, or environmental science; documented English proficiency; practical experience with satellite remote sensing systems used in the project, ideally SAR for cryosphere applications; strong programming skills, preferably Python or MATLAB; and a strong background in statistics. Admission to the PhD programme is required and normally expects a bachelor’s degree of 180 ECTS and a master’s degree of 120 ECTS or equivalent, with a master’s GPA of C/3.0 or better and a thesis containing independent work. Desired experience includes cryosphere work, especially snow, Norwegian or Scandinavian language skills, and international experience.
The position offers participation in a strong international research group, opportunities for polar sea ice fieldwork, travel, flexible hours, and a competitive salary of 580,000 NOK/year with annual increases. Moving-cost reimbursement may be available. The workplace is in Tromsø, Norway.
Applicants must submit their materials via Jobbnorge by 11 October 2026 at 23:59 (Europe/Oslo). Required documents include a motivation letter, CV, diplomas and transcripts, translations if applicable, explanation of grading systems for foreign education, proof of English proficiency, two references, and the master’s thesis or other academic works.
