Postdoctoral Research Associate

This new full time post is available from 1 February 2025 on a fixed term basis unto 9 May 2026.

The post

The faculty wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate of approximately 16 months duration. This fully-funded post is available from 1^st February 2025 until 9^th May 2026 (start date negotiable), with the strong possibility of extension until 31^st January 2027 (i.e. 24 months total), subject to approval.

The UK has committed to Jet Zero by decarbonising aviation by 2050. Despite aviation’s non-CO₂ effects having the potential for warming more than aviation CO₂, they have received little attention and there are large gaps in understanding and modelling their impacts. Assessments of contrail and contrail cirrus (CC) suggest they exert 50% more warming than aviation CO₂, but the confidence level is ‘low’ and constitute a very large uncertainty of aviation impacts on climate.

The successful candidate will perform atmosphere-only Unified Model (UM) simulations with high resolution (~30 km) for 2001-2022, focusing on the North Atlantic. Observed sea surface temperature will be prescribed, and simulations will be nudged to ECMWF reanalyses (also ~30 km resolution). Predictors will be developed using machine learning (ML) to represent the occurrence of aviation cirrus from satellite observations and their sensitivities to meteorology and aviation emissions. Embedding the satellite-observations within the UM framework, will enable verifiable 4D assessments of the ML-predictor algorithms and allow development of potential re-routing options. Comparison between the climate impacts of the short-lived aviation cirrus and long-lived CO₂, will be via using the double-call facility of the SOCRATES radiative transfer code (with/without aviation cirrus) and utilising the IPCC standard empirical relationship for CO2.

The successful applicants will be expected to work closely with colleagues at the University of Exeter, and with colleagues at the Met Office Hadley Centre. They will be expected to produce peer-reviewed papers documenting the results.   

About you

The successful applicant will be able to present information on research progress and outcomes, communicate complex information, orally, in writing and electronically and prepare proposals and applications to external bodies.

Applicants will possess or be nearing completion of a relevant PhD or possess an equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study and be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes. Applicants will be expected to learn how to perform analysis of climate model and/or satellite derived climate data and will preferably have an appreciation of the role of clouds on the energy budget of the atmosphere.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

Further information

For further information please contact:

Prof Jim Haywood, e-mail j.m.haywood@exeter.ac.uk or

Dr Cyril Morcrete, email c.morcrette@exeter.ac.uk.

Interviews are expected to take place in early December 2024.

This role may be subject to additional background screening.

Advert information