Research Fellow in Firn Modelling

This role will be based on the university campus, with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

We are looking to recruit an independent and ambitious Research Fellow on the NERC-funded project, Losing their Cool, which aims to investigate the physical interactions between the atmosphere and the glacier surface at high-elevation (>6,000 m a.s.l.) in the Everest region of Nepal. The project is seeking to understand the processes that determine ice temperatures at the point of formation, with melting and refreezing in the accumulation area being a possible explanation for the surprisingly warm ice temperatures observed previously at lower elevations. To help test this hypothesis, we are seeking a numerical modeller, who can combine field observations of conditions within the firn with physically-based simulations of key subsurface processes to evaluate the role of melting and refreezing in prescribing glacier characteristics.

The project will focus primarily on the accumulation area of the Khumbu Glacier, in the Western Cwm of Mount Everest, building on the team’s previous experience drilling in the lower part of the glacier, below the icefall. This time, the team will drill and instrument shallow boreholes using an ice corer, to measure englacial firn and ice temperatures, and image the interior of the boreholes to characterise firn density and quantify the magnitude and frequency of previous re-freezing events. The Research Fellow will use these empirical data to drive a numerical model that can simulate both the energy fluxes driving warming at the surface, and the consequent subsurface meltwater flow and refreezing processes. These data will enable us to isolate the impact of meltwater re-freezing on ice temperature, and determine the extent to which this changes in a warming climate.

Visa Information

Please note that this post may be suitable for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route but first-time applicants might need to qualify for salary concessions. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

For research and academic posts, we will consider eligibility under the Global Talent visa. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/global-talent

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 14.5% 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.
• Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.
• And much more!

If you are looking for a role that provides practical as well as theoretical stimulation and contributes to an exciting project that promises to shed light on a rarely explored region of the cryosphere, apply today.

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

Professor Duncan Quincey

Email: d.j.quincey@leeds.ac.uk

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