Postdoctoral researcher/scientist in high resolution ocean modelling

The Environmental Physics Group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) is a vibrant interdisciplinary team of researchers studying the ocean, its physics, biogeochemistry, and ecology and their interactions with climate. One of the foci of the group is the investigation of ocean mesoscale processes (eddies) and their role in ocean biogeochemistry and climate from regional to global scales. In this context, we are searching for a postdoctoral researcher or research scientist in high-resolution ocean modelling.
The position is funded for a total of three years, with the opportunity to extend the contract beyond the lifetime of the project

The position is associated with the Horizon-Europe funded European Eddy-Rich Earth System Models (EERIE) project. EERIE brings together a total of 17 partners across Europe and Africa, with the goal to quantify the role of ocean mesoscale processes in shaping the climate trajectory over seasonal to centennial time scales. In this project, we will use the 10 km global setup of the ICON Earth System Model (ICON-ESM) in close collaboration with researchers at the project partner Max Planck Institute of Meteorology in Hamburg. The position also benefits from the opportunities offered through the EXCLAIM project led by the PI that aims to ready ICON for the next generation of supercomputers in order to be run at resolutions approaching 1 km.  

You will run and analyze multi-decadal numerical experiments with the ICON-ESM with the objective of elucidating the impact of resolving the oceanic mesoscale on the state and dynamics of the ocean. A focal region will be the Southern Ocean, where eddy-driven dynamics are particularly important for the oceanic uptake and redistribution of heat. In addition to setting up and running the model, the tasks include the evaluation of the model simulation results with observations and with results from other EERIE models, the development and application of tools and diagnostics to assess the role of eddies for the ocean and atmosphere and to take leadership in the analysis, further development and application of ICON-ESM and other high-resolution climate models run in the context of EERIE. Areas of further studies include ocean extremes (heatwaves etc.), mesoscale ocean-atmospheric coupling, and the role of ocean eddies in the carbon cycle and biogeochemistry.

As an ideal postdoc/researcher, you have a PhD degree in atmospheric, oceanic and/or climate sciences, with strong expertise in ocean or atmospheric modelling. You have very good oral and written English skills, you are an excellent communicator, you like to work in an interdisciplinary environment, and you have demonstrated the ability to lead projects and write publications.

We offer a rich and inspiring work environment with the option for further development into a longer-term position within the Environmental Physics Group. You can also profit from the broad network offered by the EERIE project as well as the broad modelling environment offered by the weather and climate modelling groups at ETH and beyond (e.g. MeteoSwiss and the Swiss supercomputer facility (CSCS)), facilitated by the Center for Climate Systems Modeling.