Back to search results

Research Fellow in Planetary Atmospheres

University of Leeds - Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences - School of Chemistry

Location: Leeds
Salary: £37,099 to £44,263 per annum
Hours: Full Time
Contract Type: Fixed-Term/Contract
Placed On: 29th September 2023
Closes: 22nd November 2023
Job Ref: EPSCH1091

Would you like to help explore the frontiers of our knowledge of cloud formation on other planets, by addressing our lack of knowledge on the fundamental nucleation and crystal growth mechanisms? Do you have a background in physical or chemical science, and do you want to further your career in a one of the world’s leading atmospheric science Universities?

You will become a key team member of the Ice Nucleation Group and the Atmospheric and Planetary Chemistry group in Leeds. You will be responsible for exploring the mechanisms of ice clouds in a very poorly understood clouds in the atmospheres of Venus and Mars through novel experiments.

Recent missions reveal conditions where CO2 and H2O ice clouds can exist in the mesosphere of both Mars and Venus. Comparable ice clouds in Earth’s atmosphere are important for the redistribution of condensable materials, atmospheric chemistry and, in the case of denser ice clouds, radiative transfer. These cloud-atmosphere interactions depend critically on ice particle size and number, which is determined by the nucleation mechanism. However, our understanding of how ice particles in these clouds form in the mesosphere of Mars and Venus is in its infancy.

We have identified two specific issues that we wish to address:

  • H2O ‘cirrus’ ice cloud formation on Venus from sulphuric acid haze droplets. We think that these ice clouds on Venus form in a cold layer above the main sulphuric acid clouds and are analogous to cirrus on Earth. Our hypothesis is that they form in a similar way to cirrus on Earth, but the droplet freezing experiments have never been done under the much colder conditions on Venus.
  • CO2 ice nucleation on H2O ice surfaces under Martian conditions. This is thought to be a viable mechanism of CO2 cloud formation, but again, the specific measurements have never been made.

See the Scientific Background section for a brief scientific rational and description of the experimental programme.

What we offer in return

  • 26 days holiday plus approx.16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – That’s 42 days a year!
  • Generous pension scheme plus life assurance – the University contributes 21.6% of salary. 
  • Health and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports halls.
  • Personal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team, and self-development courses including languages, Creative Writing, Wellbeing Therapies and much more.
  • Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.

And much more!

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Ben Murray, Professor of Atmospheric Science

Email: B.J.Murray@leeds.ac.uk

OR

John Plane, Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry

Email: J.M.C.Plane@leeds.ac.uk

Location: Leeds - Main Campus

Working time: 37.5 hours per week

Contract type: Fixed Term (Until 30 September 2025 - grant funding)

Downloads: Candidate Brief  

We value your feedback on the quality of our adverts. If you have a comment to make about the overall quality of this advert, or its categorisation then please send us your feedback
Advert information

Type / Role:

Subject Area(s):

Location(s):

Job tools
 

PhD Alert Created

Job Alert Created

Your PhD alert has been successfully created for this search.

Your job alert has been successfully created for this search.

Ok Ok

PhD Alert Created

Job Alert Created

Your PhD alert has been successfully created for this search.

Your job alert has been successfully created for this search.

Manage your job alerts Manage your job alerts

Account Verification Missing

In order to create multiple job alerts, you must first verify your email address to complete your account creation

Request verification email Request verification email

jobs.ac.uk Account Required

In order to create multiple alerts, you must create a jobs.ac.uk jobseeker account

Create Account Create Account

Alert Creation Failed

Unfortunately, your account is currently blocked. Please login to unblock your account.

Email Address Blocked

We received a delivery failure message when attempting to send you an email and therefore your email address has been blocked. You will not receive job alerts until your email address is unblocked. To do so, please choose from one of the two options below.

Max Alerts Reached

A maximum of 5 Job Alerts can be created against your account. Please remove an existing alert in order to create this new Job Alert

Manage your job alerts Manage your job alerts

Creation Failed

Unfortunately, your alert was not created at this time. Please try again.

Ok Ok

Create PhD Alert

Create Job Alert

When you create this PhD alert we will email you a selection of PhDs matching your criteria.When you create this job alert we will email you a selection of jobs matching your criteria. Our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy apply to this service. Any personal data you provide in setting up this alert is processed in accordance with our Privacy Notice

Create PhD Alert

Create Job Alert

When you create this PhD alert we will email you a selection of PhDs matching your criteria.When you create this job alert we will email you a selection of jobs matching your criteria. Our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy apply to this service. Any personal data you provide in setting up this alert is processed in accordance with our Privacy Notice

 
 
More jobs from University of Leeds

Show all jobs for this employer …

More jobs like this
Join in and follow us

Browser Upgrade Recommended

jobs.ac.uk has been optimised for the latest browsers.

For the best user experience, we recommend viewing jobs.ac.uk on one of the following:

Google Chrome Firefox Microsoft Edge