University of Vienna, Department of Meteorology and Geopyhsics

If you have any content questions, please contact Aiko Voigt, aiko.voigt@univie.ac.at.

The research team “Climate Dynamics and Modeling”, co-led by Prof. Aiko Voigt and senior scientist Dr. Blaz Gasparini, is part of the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics. Our ambition is to think deeply about seemingly simple questions. While we study various topics ranging from future climate change to the climates of Earth-like extrasolar planets, all of our work is related to clouds, radiation, and atmospheric circulation. Climate models are at the core of our research, in particular models that simulate global weather and climate at kilometer-scale resolution. We highly value collaboration, teaching and outreach. To learn more about our team, we invite you to visit our website.

Ready to be part of our team? Let’s shape the future together!

Your personal sphere of influence:

We are looking for a highly motivated and creative PhD student to explore fundamental questions of planetary habitability related to Snowball Earth or Earth-like exoplanets. Possible topics could be the mechanisms that allow or inhibit water belt states as alternative scenarios for Snowball Earth, the impact of clouds, aerosols and hazes on the climate and habitability of Earth-like exoplanets, or the development of a new radiation scheme for climate model simulations with high atmospheric carbon dioxide. Whatever the topic, you will develop and run climate model simulations and combine the modeling work with theory and mechanistic understanding. You will have the opportunity to run global simulations with km resolution on some of the fastest supercomputers available for climate science. You will also benefit from our long-term collaborations on Snowball Earth and exoplanets with the Department of Astrophysics of the University of Vienna, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, and Peking University.

Rather than assigning a fixed topic from the start, we aim to define the research focus together, giving you ample freedom to shape your own project.

You will work closely with both Aiko Voigt and Blaž Gasparini, as well as other members of our team.

Your future tasks:

Active participation in research and teaching, which means:

- You conduct research on the topic of your thesis.
- You contribute to the further development of ICON or CESM as needed for your work.
- You disseminate your research through high-quality peer-reviewed publications and presentations at conferences.
- You teach independently within the scope of the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.
- You help to build and shape the positive, collaborative culture of our team and the department.
- You become an active member of the doctoral school “Vienna International School of Earth and Space Sciences”.

This is part of your personality:

- M.Sc. degree or equivalent in climate science, meteorology, physics, computational sciences or a related field
- Creativity, curiosity, and a proactive approach to problem-solving
- Ambition to plan and conduct independent research that pushes the boundaries of science
- Strong English communication skills

Additional skills that would be an advantage:

-Programming and data analysis experience
- Experience with working on high-performance computers

What we offer:

- A longer-than-average PhD student contract: You will have time and flexibility to develop your own research and kick-start your scientific career.
- Inspiring and supportive working atmosphere: You will be part of an international team in a healthy and fair working environment (see the public document on our team culture and values) with excellent research infrastructure.
- Enrollment in the VISESS doctoral school, with benefits described under https://visess.univie.ac.at/phd-programme/.
- Fair salary plus health care and social benefits: The gross salary of at least EUR 2.786,10 (14 times per year / amount for 2025) allows for a comfortable life in a vibrant city with quick access to the outdoors.
- Work-life balance: You have flexible working hours and – upon agreement – the option to work from home (within Austria) partly.
- Training and coaching: We offer you the opportunity to develop your skills on an ongoing basis.
- Equal opportunities for everyone: We welcome diverse personalities in our team!
- The University of Vienna aims to become carbon neutral by 2030: We fully support low-carbon options for traveling.

The employment duration is 4 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years, the employment relationship is automatically extended to 4 years if the employer does not terminate it within the first 12 months by submitting a non-extension declaration.

The position is available immediately. We envision a start in Sep 2025, an earlier or later starting time can be negotiated. Review of applications will begin on 01 June 2025, with the search continuing until the position has been filled.

Please apply via the Job Portal of the University of Vienna:

- With a short letter (1 page) stating your interest in the position; this could include a description of the topic(s) that you would consider most interesting for your doctoral thesis
- With your CV
- With contact details of two persons who could provide a reference letter upon request