Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, TAIWAN

Global environmental changes have brought inevitable challenges to the sustainable development of human society. Science is the only way for the humankind to unravel the ins and outs of environmental changes and to formulate effective countermeasures and governance. Given the critical role of this topic, the Academia Sinica launched the Environmental Change Research Project and started the establishment proposal of the Research Center for Environmental Changes (RCEC). The seed research team was set as one of the research teams in the Institute of Earth Sciences, at the preparatory stage. Four years later, the RCEC was opened in 2004, and Dr. Shaw-Chen Liu (honored the Academician of Academia Sinica in 2012) was appointed as the founding director of the center. In the early stage, the RCEC developed researches in various fields including atmospheric composition, changes in the atmospheric circulations, changes in the global climate system, and biogeochemistry in waters surrounding Taiwan. These research topics engaged diverse discussions on critical issues such as the passage of dust storms in Asia, ozone formation and air pollution in Taiwan, changes in precipitation systems in the context of global warming, and influences of ocean acidification on coral reef systems. In particular, due to the relevance of aerosols for air quality and climate change, the RCEC worked with six local universities to investigate aerosols concentration and composition in Taiwan. These investigations, constituting the first large-scale field survey on atmospheric aerosols in Taiwan, served as a starting point for the RCEC’s research into PM2.5 and initiation of Taiwan’s first PM2.5 distribution map.

Homepage: https://rcec.sinica.edu.tw/index_en.php

Join Taiwan’s top earth system climate modeling team

The Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica (Taiwan), seeks a Full Research Fellow (professor equivalent) to provide strategic leadership for the Anthropogenic Climate Change Center (AC3, https://rcec.sinica.edu.tw/index_en.php?action=researchGroup&cid=1). The AC3 aims to understand and quantify the impacts of anthropogenic global warming on extreme climate and high-impact weather with focus on East Asia and Taiwan. We specialize in Earth system climate modeling and climate diagnostics using empirical and numerical methods, collaborate with top universities, secure government funding, and actively participate in CMIP6 and the upcoming CMIP7 using the in-house Taiwan Earth System Model (TaiESM).

Position Overview

We seek a distinguished senior researcher with proven expertise in climate science and demonstrated administrative leadership to server as the center’s principal investigator and administrative head. The appointed individual will be responsible for guiding interdisciplinary research initiatives, directing the strategic planning of the AC3, and enhancing Taiwan’s capabilities in Earth system modeling.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for AC3’s research programs and related administrative activities.
• Advance Taiwan’s earth system climate modeling and climate diagnostics capacity and impact.
• Supervise and coordinate participation in CMIP activities.
• Secure and administer research funding and promote national and international collaborations.
• Provide mentorship to junior researchers and contribute to capacity-building initiatives in climate science.

Qualifications

• Doctorate in climate science, atmospheric sciences, or a closely related discipline
• Extensive research expertise in Earth system modeling
• Proven track record in leadership and administration within a research institution or center
• Strong publication history, preferably including experience leading large-scale climate modeling initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to secure research funding and effectively manage collaborative projects

Prospective applicants are invited to submit a curriculum vitae, a statement of intent and research interests, along with the names of three references via the Academic Jobs Online (https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31574 ). Recruitment is currently ongoing and will remain open through the end of March 2026.

For inquiries, please contact Dr. Wei-Liang Lee at leelupin@as.edu.tw.