Ghent University

The Climate and Earth Lab at Ghent University is a young, fast-growing and dynamic research team passionate about understanding how clouds, precipitation and land surface interact in a changing climate. Our team currently hosts five international PhD students working at the forefront of regional climate modelling and satellite and ground-based remote sensing, in a collaborative environment where new ideas travel fast. We maintain strong international connections, working closely with partners such as the UK Met Office, the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Belgian and Czech Meteorological Services, KU Leuven, TU Delft and research teams in Uganda and Rwanda, giving our researchers a truly global network from day one. Ghent University consistently ranks among the world's top universities and is located in one of Europe's most vibrant and welcoming student cities, the perfect base for launching a career in climate science.

Homepage: https://geoweb.ugent.be/climate-and-earth

Fully funded 4 year PhD on process-based evaluation of convection-permitting climate models over Equatorial East Africa

We have an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated PhD student to work on the process-based evaluation of kilometre-scale regional climate models over Equatorial East Africa, using novel ground-based and satellite observations, in the Climate and Earth lab of Ghent University (UGent).

Job description:

Equatorial East Africa is among the regions most vulnerable to rainfall variability, with frequent floods, landslides and droughts. Regional climate models at kilometre-scale resolution (convection-permitting models, or CPMs) show improved skill in resolving key features of tropical convection, but limited observations so far suggest that they overestimate rainfall extremes and inadequately capture cloud radiative properties. Understanding the origin of these biases is essential to anticipate how climate change will reshape rainfall in this highly vulnerable region.

This PhD position is part of the FWO-funded AfricaN conVective systems In a changing cLimate (ANVIL) project, which aims to transform the understanding and representation of African convective precipitation systems in CPMs. ANVIL is very much a team effort, built around three closely collaborating PhD students at three universities: a PhD student at TUDelft (Prof. Remko Uijlenhoet) will develop novel observational rainfall products for the data-scarce Equatorial East African region; this PhD student at UGent (Prof. Kwinten Van Weverberg) will perform process-based evaluation of a multi-model CPM ensemble; and a PhD student at KULeuven (Prof. Nicole van Lipzig) will investigate the impacts of global warming, aerosol changes and land-use change on the regional climate of Equatorial East Africa. The three students will interact intensively, exchange data and tools, and meet regularly throughout the project.

As the UGent PhD student, you will conduct a process-based, multi-model evaluation of an ensemble of state-of-the-art CPMs (ALARO, AROME, ICON, SCREAM and CP4A), run in weather-forecasting and climate mode over Equatorial East Africa, to systematically attribute model biases to large-scale and regional circulation, fast moist physics, and slow land–atmosphere interactions. To do so, you will make extensive use of novel rainfall observations (rain gauges, disdrometers, dual-polarization weather radars and commercial microwave links from related projects in our team) and cutting-edge satellite missions, including the EarthCARE cloud profiling radar and lidar, the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) imager and sounder, and related EUMETSAT cloud, land-surface and radiation products. Combining Eulerian and Lagrangian (storm-tracking) evaluation approaches, you will identify systematic bias mechanisms in the simulated convective storms and guide future model development, in collaboration with model development experts from the Belgian and Czech Meteorological Services, the UK Met Office and the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

We offer:

• A fully funded, full-time PhD position at a competitive salary. There will be a one-year probation and, after a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for another three years (4 years in total). The selected candidate is expected to start no later than 1 November 2026.
• You will be working in the friendly and dynamic Climate and Earth Lab at UGent, advised by Prof. Kwinten Van Weverberg, and as part of the ANVIL team, closely collaborating with PhD students and scientists at KULeuven and TUDelft, as well as with external partners at the UK Met Office, the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Belgian and Czech Meteorological Services.
• Access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure at the Flemish High-Performance Computing Centre (VSC), and to unique observational datasets from recently launched satellite missions and newly installed ground networks in East Africa, allowing for high-level scientific training at a top-ranked university.
• Ghent University has a generous benefits package open to all its staff members, including a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave and a wide range of sports and leisure facilities. Ghent is a vibrant, safe and welcoming university city allowing great quality of life.
• You will have the opportunity to attend international conferences, publish your results in high-profile journals and visit relevant research institutes. If desired, you can assist in teaching of courses on atmospheric sciences and modelling at master level.

Job profile:

• You hold a master's degree in Physics, Mathematics, Earth Sciences, Engineering, or equivalent.
• You have a strong background in atmospheric modelling and remote sensing.
• You have experience with Linux and with working on High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems, and preferably have some notion of Fortran programming.
• You have a problem-solving, analytical mind, dedicated to overcoming technical challenges.
• You are a driven, hard-working team player, committed to obtaining a PhD.
• You have good oral and written communication skills, and are fluent in English.

How to apply:

Send a motivation letter (English), transcripts of your bachelor and master grades, the name and contact details of two references, and a Curriculum Vitae (English), using “Application ANVIL PhD” as the subject line, to kwinten.vanweverberg@ugent.be, no later than 31 August 2026. More information can also be requested via this email address.

After a favorable evaluation of your application, you will be invited for an interview on Friday 2 October 2026 (interviews can be held online for candidates from outside Belgium).