Liège University

The position is available at the Liège University (the Modelling for Aquatic Systems-MAST group, Department of Astrophysics, Geophysics and Oceanography and the laboratory of Climatology, Department of Geography. The work will be in collaboration with the University of Grenoble Alpes (MEOM group).The position is offered in the frame of the Horizon Europe RIVIERADE project on Improving modelling methods to produce climate services for resilient European seas and coasts in a decadal to multi-decadal horizon.

Homepage: https://www.uliege.be/upload/docs/application/pdf/2026-03/job_offer_-_stochastic_climate_projections.pdf

About the REsearch project

A 4-year PhD or 2-year postdoctoral position (that can be extended up to three years if the candidate is in international mobility^[i]) is available at the Liège University (the Modelling for Aquatic Systems-MAST group, Department of Astrophysics, Geophysics and Oceanography and the laboratory of Climatology, Department of Geography) to project and understand the effect of climate change on the Black Sea’s physics and biogeochemical cycles. A stochastic approach will be developed to assess the main sources of uncertainties of the modelling system and to analyse the predictability at seasonal, interannual and decadal time scales The position is offered in the frame of the Horizon Europe RIVIERADE project on Improving modelling methods to produce climate services for resilient European seas and coasts in a decadal to multi-decadal horizon.The work will be in collaboration with the University of Grenoble Alpes (MEOM group).

JOB description

The research project aims at performing an ensemble of model simulations of the physical and biogeochemical state of the Black Sea over different scenarios of parameterization, initial and boundary conditions. The modelling system consists of a coupled (i.e. one way) atmosphere-ocean model. The atmospheric model is the regional atmospheric model (MAR), the oceanographic model couples the Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) hydrodynamical model and the BiogeochemicAl Model for Hypoxic and Benthic Influenced areas (BAMHBI). An ensemble configuration considering the uncertainties in optical parameters has already been developed and published (Macé et al., 2025, Biogeosciences). The different components of the modelling system are run at the Liège University in the frame of various European projects.

specific duties and activities

• Starting from an existing ensemble configuration developed in Macé et al., 2025, Biogeosciences and in the frame of the ODESSA research project, to develop an ensemble prediction system that considers sources of uncertainty from internal dynamics (e.g. initialization, parameterization) versus external forcings (atmospheric and lateral forcings).
• Run and analyse ensemble climate projections until the end of the century under two scenarios of climate changes, assess the uncertainties in the physics and biogeochemistry, in particular on the water masses physical characteristics, oxygen and hypoxia, pH and acidification, primary/export production and carbon sequestration.
• Make a predictability analysis, at seasonal up to decadal time scales, of the physical and biogeochemical state and indicators differentiating the influence of internal and forced variability, similar to what is done the Decadal Climate Prediction Project (DCPP).

In addition to the scientific project described here above, the successful candidate will have to:

• Travel to project and international scientific meetings.
• For the PhD candidate, to follow the Doctoral Formation mandatory for obtaining a PhD.
• To help in the supervision of master students and teaching activities performed by the group.

Profile

The post-doc candidate must not have spent more than 12 months in Belgium during the last 3 years (counted at the date of hiring of the candidate).

• required skills :
• For PhD candidate: Applicants must have completed a master’s degree in a field closely related to geosciences, physics, engineering, meteorology or equivalent.
• For post-doc candidates: Applicants must have a PhD in geoscience (ocean, atmosphere, climate), physics, mathematics or equivalent. Experience in (big) data analysis is an added value.
• Skill in programming in languages like Phyton, FORTRAN, is required. Experience with HPC is an advantage.
• Good to very good written and verbal English communication skills are required.
• Good communication skills for communicating results to different audiences.
• SOFT skills :
• Scientific autonomy: the candidate must be able to work independently to lead, organize, and prioritize the various stages of the modeling project;
• Analytical rigor and critical thinking: the candidate must demonstrate analytical and critical thinking skills and a methodical approach to evaluating the quality of simulations, identifying uncertainties, and interpreting project results;
• Ability to solve complex problems: the candidate must be able to solve complex problems in a multidisciplinary numerical modeling environment;
• Organizational skills: the candidate must be able to organize his/her work to respect an gantt chart established with his/her promoters;
• Clear communication: the candidate must be able to communicate clearly, particularly scientific results, to a variety of audiences (scientists, project partners, students);
• Collaboration and teamwork: the candidate must be able to work effectively in a team within European projects and in collaboration with different laboratories;
• Flexibility and adaptability: the candidate must be able to adapt quickly to changes in models, scenarios, tools, and project requirements;
• Scientific curiosity: the candidate must be motivated to explore and learn in order to understand ocean-atmosphere processes and contribute to international research projects;

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Type of contract : Full-Time
• Contract duration: 4 years (for doctoral studies) & 2 years (for postdoctoral studies, with the possibility of having a one year extension in case of international mobility)
• Expected start date: as soon as possible

our offer

• A 4-year (for the PhD) and 2-year (for the post-doc, possibly extended up to three years in mobility conditions) full time contract starting as early as possible.
• An attractive salary.
• The successful candidate will benefit from a dynamic working environment benefiting from the research projects of the groups in different fields of oceanography connecting modelled predictions with observations and end-users requirements (e.g., Horizon Europe NECCTON, the Copernicus Marine Service, UN Decade GOOD program, EU BioGeoSeaT).
• Enjoyable living and working conditions. The Liège University offers comprehensive and innovative training programs, which enable early-career scientists to carry out their research in the best possible conditions, in compliance with the European Charter for Researchers.

With your career path and personal details, ULiège Human Resources Department can assess the gross monthly salary. Employment benefits such as reimbursement of public transportation fees and access to a variety of training opportunities are also included.

[i] The candidate must not have spent more than 12 months in Belgium during the last 3 years (counted at the date of hiring of the candidate).

The candidate should send by e-mail his/her curriculum vitae, a covering letter of motivation, together with two references (name and email address), to Marilaure Grégoire (mgregoire@uliege.be) and Xavier Fettweis (Xavier.Fettweis@uliege.be) with copy to Mrs. Célia Norga (cnorga@uliege.be)