Research Associate: Atmospheric Modelling

Limited funding: The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.

Applications are invited for a 36 month post-doctoral research associate position funded through the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Advanced Research + Innovation Agency (subject to contract negotiations), in the atmospheric chemistry-climate modelling research groups of Prof Alex Archibald, Prof. Chiara Giorio and Dr Alison Ming. The successful applicant will work across two projects to broadly investigate the environmental impacts of stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) for solar radiation management (SRM). These projects include: ECLIPSE ¿ Evalutation of Climate Intervention through novel Potential StratEgies (led by the Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, Director of the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge) and Natural Materials for Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAIM) project (led by Prof. Hugh Hunt, Deputy Director of the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge).

The principal research tools for these projects are the UKCA/UKESM1 model and the NAME model, experience of use of either model is highly desirable.

We are looking for a highly motivated, technically proficient, physical scientist with a good track record at problem solving using numerical models. The successful candidate will be engaged in both the development and analysis of extended functionality to better simulate the role of stratospheric aerosols and the effects of these on the chemistry and climate of the stratosphere and troposphere. Tasks associated with the projects include development of code to simulate the radiative properties of new SAI material, running model simulations, extracting data along idealised stratospheric trajectories, and analysing the ozone and climate response of novel SAI material. Your exact duties will be tailored to best match your skills and expertise. You will be working as part of a wide team of international researchers but you must have sufficient time management skills to work independently on a day-to-day basis.

Applicants must have (or be about to obtain) a PhD in the physical sciences (or similar relevant experience); desirable fields of study include atmospheric science, computational mathematics and physics. Experience with the Unified Model or atmospheric modelling is highly desirable but not essential. Experience with radiative transfer models, especially the SOCRATES code, is highly desirable. Experience interpreting large model datasets or observational datasets using software such as Python, R or Matlab and experience running computer code on HPC is essential. Expertise in stratospheric or tropospheric chemistry or atmospheric aerosols is essential.

The earliest start date for the successful candidate is July 2025. Interviews are likely to be mid-June.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click the 'Apply' button above. 

Please ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV), a covering letter and publications list in the Upload section of the online application. If you upload any additional documents that have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

For queries regarding applying online for this post, please contact Alex Archibald (email: a.archibald.group.admin@ch.cam.ac.uk).

The Department holds an Athena SWAN silver award for women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Advert information