Head of climate group at Physikalisch-Meteorologische Observatorium Davos and World Radiation Center

80%-100%, permanent The „Physikalisch-Meteorologische Observatorium Davos und World Radiation Center“ (PMOD/WRC) is advertising for the position of head of the climate group. We are a research institute and international calibration center focused on meteorological solar radiation and imaging measurements. In our function as the World Radiation Centre, we ensure the worldwide standardization of solar irradiation measurements and maintain several groups of reference instruments. A substantial part of our activity also relates to study of atmospheric aerosol, ozone layer, terrestrial climate, Sun’s activity and space weather. A team of about 50 employees conducts research and designs and builds instruments (both for ground and space) at PMOD/WRC, which is situated in the highest alpine city and has a research history going back more than 100 years (www.pmodwrc.ch). We also have a strong link to ETH Zürich through a joint appointment of the PMOD/WRC director, and many of our students (MSc and PhD) graduate from ETH Zürich.

Job description

The climate group deals with different aspects of the Earth system behavior. Since 2001 the research focus was aimed at the understanding of the solar influence on the ozone layer and climate, and their evolution driven by different anthropogenic and natural forcings. The activity was based on a set of chemistry-climate models developed in collaboration with other Swiss and international institutions. Since 2001 the team published more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals. We also provided our results for international assessments like IPCC report on climate change and WMO/UNEP assessments on ozone depletion. The work of the team was supported by internal funding as well as external funding from Swiss national science foundation, European COST, and other sources. Due to the retirement of the climate group head, we are looking for a new scientist, who will continue and develop research into the Earth’s system and upper atmosphere modeling.         

Your profile

She/he should hold a PhD in a related area such as physics, mathematics, environmental sciences, or Earth sciences and has a proven record of publications in refereed international journals. You should have demonstrated ability to obtain external funding from national and international agencies. Experience in leading scientific teams, supervising students and participation in international projects is essential. You should have knowledge of code development, chemistry-climate modelling, and aeronomy. A good knowledge of mathematical fundamentals, FORTRAN-95, Unix Shell-scripting, IDL or other visualization packages will be required. Experience in using chemistry-climate models in general and SOCOL family versions in particular is desirable. Fluency in spoken and written English is essential.