Concerns are rising that several subsystems of the Earth may respond highly nonlinearly to future levels of anthropogenic forcing from greenhouse gas emissions. These levels are associated with tipping elements such as the Atlantic ocean circulation, leading to abrupt transitions. As tipping elements are coupled, cascades of abrupt transitions can occur and affect the whole climate system. The mechanisms leading to such cascading behavior and particularly the physical links between tipping elements are poorly understood. Tipping cascades are high impact events, which urgently need to be understood to estimate the associated societal, economic and environmental risks. This knowledge is also needed to develop emission targets minimizing risks of harmful transitions to undesired states of the Earth system in line with the Paris climate agreement. The aim of this project is to quantify the physical links between specific tipping elements and assess the likelihood of initiating tipping cascades within this century. Our team will identify positive feedbacks between tipping elements that could lower critical atmospheric CO2-levels, and quantify the expected climate response in the presence of cascading tipping behavior.

For this Postdoc position you will work on quantifying physical links between different tipping elements. You will make use of existing climate model simulations within CMIP5/6 and palaeoclimate simulations to investigate connections between e.g. the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, El Niño-Southern Oscillation, polar ice sheets, sea ice and tropical rainforests. Moreover, you will set up dedicated simulations within the CESM climate model framework. Within the team, you will work closely together with a PhD student to apply the physical links between tipping elements to more conceptual model studies of specific coupled tipping elements. The vacancy for the PhD position is posted simultaneously on the website of Utrecht University.

The project is funded through a NWO-Vici grant to Anna von der Heydt. You will work in a multidisciplinary team on the project objectives using numerical simulation and theory development. We will employ a full climate model hierarchy – from conceptual models to the most complex state-of-the-art climate models – to track cascading tipping behaviour. We work in collaboration with colleagues from EU-H2020 project TiPES and EU-ITN CriticalEarth, as well as the Centre for Complex Systems Studies at Utrecht University.

We are looking for an ambitious and driven candidate who has a strong eagerness to learn. You have the ability to work independently as well as part of a team. Next to that you have:

• a PhD in physics, applied mathematics, meteorology, geosciences or a related field;
• experience in climate modeling (required), preferably with the CESM modeling framework;
• excellent skills in scientific programming and numerical / statistical analysis of simulated and observed data;
• basic knowledge of (geophysical) fluid dynamics (considered an advantage).

• the opportunity to work in and with a team of leading experts; the research group will provide you with necessary support on all aspects of the project;
• a full-time position for 3 years, with an evaluation after one year;
• a full-time gross salary, depending on previous qualifications and work experience, that ranges between €2.846,- and €4.490,- per month (scale 10 Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities);
• 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions based on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities.

In addition to the employment conditions laid down in the cao for Dutch Universities, Utrecht University has a number of its own arrangements. For example, there are agreements on professional development, leave arrangements and sports. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment yourself via the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This is how we like to encourage you to continue to grow. More information about working at the Faculty of Science can be found here.

The Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht (IMAU) offers a unique research and teaching environment, in which the fundamentals of the climate system are studied. Research is organized in five themes: Atmospheric Dynamics, Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry, Coastal and Shelf Sea Dynamics, Ice and Climate and Oceans and Climate. In 2017, IMAU research quality and impact were qualified as 'world leading' by an international visitation committee. Currently, IMAU employs 15 faculty members and 10 support staff and about 20 Postdocs and 30 PhD candidates, and offers a friendly, open and international atmosphere.

At the Faculty of Science there are 6 departments to make a fundamental connection with: Biology, Chemistry, Information and Computing Sciences, Mathematics, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Physics. Each of these is made up of distinct institutes which work together to focus on answering some of humanity’s most pressing problems. More fundamental still are the individual research groups – the building blocks of our ambitious scientific projects. Find out more about us.

Utrecht University is a friendly and ambitious university at the heart of an ancient city. We love to welcome new scientists to our city – a thriving cultural hub that is consistently rated as one of the world’s happiest cities. We are renowned for our innovative interdisciplinary research and our emphasis on inspirational research and excellent education. We are equally well-known for our familiar atmosphere and the can-do attitude of our people. This fundamental connection attracts Researchers, Professors and PhD candidates from all over the globe, making both the university and the Faculty of Science a vibrant international and wonderfully diverse community.