King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Homepage: https://kaust.edu.sa

The Physical Science and Engineering Division at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) invites applications for a faculty position at any level (Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor) in the broad area of Climate Science, with focus on climate modeling and dynamics, aerosol-climate interactions, and the impacts of climate change on arid and hyper-arid regions like the Arabian Peninsula and its adjacent seas.

We are seeking candidates whose research addresses fundamental and applied aspects of climate systems and their evolution, with relevance to environmental challenges across desert and dryland regions and their interaction with adjacent oceans. Areas of interest include and future research are:

• Large-scale atmospheric dynamics and climate variability in arid regions, with focus on the Middle East and North Africa, including the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Arabian/Persian Gulf.
• Interactions between dust, aerosols, clouds, ocean surfaces and solar radiation, and their roles in regional climate processes
• Climate teleconnections and their influence on extreme weather and seasonal predictability
• Development and evaluation of regional or global climate models tailored for arid environments
• Climate change projections and their implications for water resources, habitability, agriculture, tourism and public health
• Integrated assessment of climate risks and adaptation strategies in vulnerable dryland and coastal systems

We welcome applicants who are advancing state-of-the-art Earth system and climate modeling, including large-scale multi-physics simulations, machine learning-enhanced modeling, stochastic parameterizations, or fully coupled atmosphere–land–ocean systems. Experience integrating modeling with observational datasets, whether through ground-based measurements and satellite products, is especially valued.

The successful candidate will be expected to establish an internationally recognized research program, collaborate across disciplines, and contribute to strategic national and regional initiatives related to climate. This role is particularly well-suited to researchers interested in transdisciplinary and applied science to supports climate resilience and policy-relevant decision-making across the Arabian Peninsula.

The position offers access to advanced modeling and laboratory facilities, acess to regional environmental data, a high-perfomance computing center, and collaborative partnerships across academia, government, and industry. It is aligned with major Saudi National priorities and KAUST’s Strategic Mission in the four sectors Energy – Food – Water – Health.

Please contact P. Martin Mai (martin.mai@kaust.edu.sa) for further information.