PhD position in Aircraft observations of Mountain Boundary Layer, Innsbruck, Austria
Department of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences (ACINN), University of Innsbruck, Austria
Department of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences (ACINN) is a world leading center in studying atmosphere over mountainous regions. University of Innsbruck aims at increasing the proportion of women at all employment levels, and therefore the applications by qualified women are especially encouraged.
ACINN is the leading center for studying the influence of mountains on the atmosphere at scales ranging from climatic to turbulence. The PhD student will be incorporated into the doctoral program Mountain Climate and Environment.
Homepage: https://www.uibk.ac.at/en/acinn/
The Atmospheric Turbulence group of the Department of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences (ACINN) at the University of Innsbruck (Austria) invites applications for a PhD position on aircraft observations of mountain boundary layer and its turbulent structure.
The successful candidate will work as part of the TEAMx (http://www.teamx-programme.org/) project and will be co-advised by Dr. Ivana Stiperski, Dr. Manuela Lehner and Dr. Alexander Gohm.
The PhD student will work with data from in-situ instrumentation and a wind lidar on board three research aircraft that conducted flights over the European Alps during the TEAMx observational campaign in 2025. The flight paths were designed to address key questions of the TEAMx programme which focuses on the transport and exchange processes in the atmosphere over mountainous terrain. The flights included, for example, measurements within the atmosphere of the Austrian Inn Valley to capture the three-dimensional structure of the mountain boundary layer (MoBL). The MoBL is strongly impacted by different mountain-induced flow systems, occurring at various spatio-temporal scales, and is thus characterized by strong heterogeneity. The goal is to gain a better description of the MoBL and a better understanding of how the different thermally and dynamically driven wind systems and their interactions shape the MoBL structure. Airborne measurements were collected at a high enough temporal frequency to also allow the characterization of the turbulent structure of the MoBL and to assess the validity of existing similarity scaling relations. To address these topics, the student will also work collaboratively with other TEAMx scientists both at the University of Innsbruck and at other institutions to combine the airborne data with additional surface-based observations collected during the TEAMx Observational Campaign.
The PhD student will also, if required, do independent teaching.
The position is initially awarded for one year and will be extended to a total duration of 3 years after positive evaluation. The preferred starting date is as soon as possible after 1.1.2026.
Essential qualifications: Masters degree in Meteorology/Atmospheric science, Physics, Mathematics, Statistics or Computational fluid dynamics (or being close to completion); excellent knowledge of statistics; demonstrated proficiency in Python, R, Matlab, or a similar programming language; experience with Linux/UNIX environments; excellent oral and written communication skills in English; strong motivation, curiosity and creativity; ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Assets: Knowledge of the atmospheric boundary layer and of mountain meteorology; experience analysing aircraft measurements or lidar measurements; experience in advanced statistical data analysis methods.
Applications received before Sunday, 30th December 2025, will be given full consideration. The application package should be submitted on the following link:
And should include:
- A curriculum vitae
- A formal letter of motivation, stating your interest and qualifications for the position
- Degree transcripts and copy of the master thesis
- Contact information for two referees
- A free form letter highlighting your vision for your PhD project (max 5 pages)
Applications should be submitted through https://lfuonline.uibk.ac.at/public/karriereportal.details?asg_id_in=15486
referencing the code GEO-15486.