4 Year Funded PhD Position in Climate Modelling at NUI Galway

Increasing greenhouse gas emissions and changing land use are having a significant effect on the Earth’s climate. The climate of Ireland and northwest Europe is dominated by the Atlantic Ocean and its interaction with the atmosphere. It is therefore vital for the assessment of national climate change that climate models demonstrate high skill in the representation of the North Atlantic Ocean, and associated atmosphere-ocean interactions. This research will investigate and improve the EC-Earth Earth System Model (ESM) in the representation of the North Atlantic Ocean-Atmosphere System, and provide more accurate projections of the North Atlantic and Irish climate by running high-resolution dynamically downscaled coupled atmosphere-ocean-wave Regional Climate Model (RCM) simulations.

This PhD is funded by Met Éireann, Ireland’s National Meteorological Service, and will be co-supervised by Dr Paul Nolan from the Irish Centre for High-end Computing (ICHEC) and Dr Stephen Nash from the College of Science & Engineering at National University of Ireland Galway. The student will have the opportunity to spend time at Met Éireann on research visits and remote/flexible working arrangements may also be possible.  

The candidate should have a Bachelor’s degree, with at least a 2.1 or equivalent, in a relevant discipline (e.g. physics, mathematics, computational modelling). Experience in climate / atmospheric-ocean modelling is strongly desirable but not essential. The project will require a mix of skills, including computational modelling, programming, simulation, and data/statistical analysis skills. Strong written and spoken English communication skills are essential including the ability to write concise, readable reports, and the ability to interact with other researchers. 

Please send a letter of introduction and a current CV, indicating your experience and including the names of two referees via email to Dr Stephen Nash (ei.yawlagiun@hsan.nehpets). In the subject title of the email please put Met Éireann PhD Scholarship followed by your surname.