job – Academic Europe

PhD candidate meteorology, physics, geography or similar (f/m/x)

7330

The use of hydrogen can reduce climate impacts in many areas. For example, "green" hydrogen, i.e. hydrogen produced from renewable energy, can be used in heavy goods transportation or steel production to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, even green hydrogen is not a climate-neutral energy carrier, as its distribution, storage and use have an indirect impact on climate through chemical processes in the atmosphere - both when molecular hydrogen is released and when hydrogen derivatives are burned.

The quantification of possible effects on the climate, considering various options for the development of a hydrogen economy, is at the core of the planned PhD project. To address such topics, the Department of Earth System Modelling at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics employs the global climate-chemistry model EMAC, which you will further develop with regard to the hydrogen cycle. You will be part of a European project and discuss your results in this international consortium, which includes working groups from the fields of modeling and measurements. The overall project goals are to reduce remaining uncertainties in the atmospheric hydrogen budget and to advise policy makers on the implications of a hydrogen economy. You will use the advanced model to shed light on the climate impact of different hydrogen deployment options, helping to identify the most suitable future pathways.

Your tasks include:

further development of the hydrogen cycle representation in the global climate-chemistry model system EMAC
conducting and evaluating EMAC simulations to evaluate the model system through comparisons with measurement data- Conducting and evaluating EMAC simulations for selected measures on the way to a hydrogen economy
communication and knowledge exchange in the project
presentation/publication of results at conferences and in scientific journals

Your qualifications:

completed university degree (at least master or diploma level) in meteorology, physics, geography or a related subject
basic knowledge of the subject area "Chemistry of the atmosphere and climate"
programming skills, ideally in Fortran95 and Python
very good written and spoken English skills
ability to work in an interdisciplinary and international team
ideally experience in the analysis of large datasets and/or with HPC systems and/or Linux
ideally also good written and spoken German skills

Your benefits:

Look forward to a fulfilling job with an employer who appreciates your commitment and supports your personal and professional development. Our unique infrastructure offers you a working environment in which you have unparalleled scope to develop your creative ideas and accomplish your professional objectives. Our human resources policy places great value on a healthy family and work-life-balance as well as equal opportunities for persons of all genders (f/m/x). Individuals with disabilities will be given preferential consideration in the event their qualifications are equivalent to those of other candidates.