The International Max Planck Research School on Earth System Modelling (IMPRS-ESM) offers a structured, interdisciplinary and international program for graduate students who want to earn a PhD degree. The main focus of our doctoral program is to advance our understanding of processes and dynamics in the Earth system as well as our prediction skills.
IMPRS-ESM is a joint program by the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M) and the Universität Hamburg (UHH).
Research Areas in IMPRS-ESM
In the Earth’s climate system, what happens locally often has global consequences. A regional disturbance—such as aerosol pollution over Europe or tropical deforestation—can trigger far-reaching effects through atmospheric and oceanic circulation. How do aerosols influence tropical rainfall? How does rising CO₂ reshape circulation patterns across space and time? What unintended consequences might geoengineering bring? And how do land–atmosphere interactions modulate climate change? These are the central questions that drive our research.
Answering them requires a systems-level perspective on Earth’s tightly interconnected climate. Local perturbations—whether from greenhouse gases, aerosols, stratospheric ozone depletion, or land surface changes—can induce global-scale responses through feedbacks involving atmospheric and ocean circulation, cloud–radiation interactions, and land–surface processes. Our work spans all major components of the Earth system to uncover the mechanisms that govern global climate responses and the evolution of large-scale patterns under external forcing.
To tackle these challenges, we employ a hierarchy of climate models—from idealized aquaplanet frameworks to state-of-the-art, storm-resolving coupled simulations. By integrating physical theory with computational experimentation, we aim to advance fundamental understanding of climate dynamics and address some of the most pressing questions in Earth system science.
Research Area: Atmospheric Processes and Climate Change
Our research aims to understand how climate is influenced by the water content in the atmosphere. We study how clouds affect the reflection of sunlight, how moisture changes the structure of the lower atmosphere and how water-based weather systems interact with the Earth’s surface and upper atmosphere. In recent years, we have developed new methods both in modeling and in our observational techniques.
Doctoral candidates are affiliated with either the department Climate Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology or the Meteorological Institute at the Universität Hamburg. Individual research topics are inspired and guided by the interests of the candidate’s host research group.
Ongoing PhD studies related to Atmospheric Processes and Climate Change
Research Area: Ocean Climate Physics and Climate Variability
We investigate climate and Earth-system variability on all timescales from seasonal to millennial. A particular focus lies on the role of the ocean in climate variability and change. The main research tools are coupled ocean-atmosphere and Earth-system models, but observations, statistical analysis, and data assimilation are also employed.
Doctoral candidates are affiliated with either the department Climate Variability at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology or the Institute of Oceanography at the Universität Hamburg. Individual research topics are inspired and guided by the interests of the candidate’s host research group.
Ongoing PhD studies related to Ocean Climate Physics and Climate Variability
Research Area: Earth System coupled Dynamics and Climate Change
How do different regional habitats – and changes in these habitats – affect the global climate? In our land research area, we investigate the development of mutual interactions between the land surface, climate and human development. We use mathematical models, in situ measurements, and satellite observations as investigative tools.
Doctoral candidates are affiliated with the department Climate Dynamics at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Individual research topics are inspired and guided by the interests of the candidate’s host research group.
Ongoing PhD studies related to Earth System coupled Dynamics and Climate Change
Research Area: Economics and Sustainability Sciences
Expected research topics include the assessment of weather and climate extremes and their socio-economic impacts, as well as their interactions with sustainable development goals. Integrated studies on agriculture and forestry will also be conducted, focusing on reducing negative environmental impacts, developing sustainable adaptation strategies and analyzing conflicts and synergies between multiple land use objectives. Other research includes the development of methods to produce reliable climate policy recommendations using economic models that take uncertainties into account, with the aim of providing informed advice to policy makers.
Doctoral candidates are affiliated with either the Department of Economics or the Research Unit Sustainability and Global Change, both at the Universität Hamburg. Individual research topics are inspired and guided by the interests of the candidate’s host research group.
Ongoing PhD studies related to Economics and Sustainability Sciences
