Open phd positions

We offer an excellent professional background, working on interesting scientific projects in an international team. Basic stipendium is CZK 14 000 (EUR 560) with a potential of additional funding based on grant projects (internal grant agency, supervisor's projects).

Deadline for applications: 30th April 2020

1) Atmospheric fronts and temperature variability (supervisor Radan Huth, radan.huth@natur.cuni.cz)

The thesis will investigate whether and how atmospheric fronts are associated with day-to-day temperature changes in the Northern Hemisphere Extratropics. The position and type of a front will be determined by objective tools. The objective of the thesis is to find out whether, and to what extent, the abrupt temperature changes are associated with frontal passages, what is the geographical variability of this association, and whether temperature signatures of fronts have changed (and, possibly also, will change) in a response to ongoing (and future) climate change.

2) Runoff response to climate change and forest disturbance in montane regions (supervisor Jakub Langhammer, jakub.langhammer@natur.cuni.cz)

The project analyses the changes in the runoff process in the Czech mountain ranges, resulting from climate change and forest disturbance. The research aims to fill the gaps in knowledge on changing patterns in spatial distribution, frequency, seasonality and magnitude of hydrometeorological extremes in montane catchments and on the effects of climate change and forest disturbance as principal driving forces of recent changes of runoff regime in montane catchments. 

3) Analysis of hydrological drought in drought-sensitive catchments (supervisor prof. Bohumír Janský, bohumir.jansky@natur.cuni.cz)

4) Variability in growth trends and climate-growth responses in forest stands of temperate and boreal Europe – geographical and ecological factors (supervisor assoc. prof. Václav Treml, vaclav.treml@natur.cuni.cz)

Topics in cooperation with Czech Academy of Science

5) Compound extreme events in outputs of regional climate models (Institute of Atmospheric Physics, supervisor Eva Pejchová Plavcová, co-supervisor assoc. prof. Radan Huth) plavcova@ufa.cas.cz; radan.huth@natur.cuni.cz

Compound extremes events represent a simultaneous occurrence of two or more extreme events defined by different meteorological variables (e.g., combinations of strong wind, extreme low or high temperatures, heavy precipitation, or deficit of precipitation). Project will focus on evaluation of recent climate models to reproduce selected compound events (especially their frequency and intensity, and their driving mechanisms) and analysis of their characteristics in scenarios of future climate change.

6) Unveiling the first Ice Ages with cosmogenic nuclides (Geofyzikální ústav,  školitel dr. John Jansen, koškolitel: dr. Martin Margold, dr. Mats Knudsen (Aarhus University)) jdj@ig.cas.cz, martin.margold@natur.cuni.cz

Cosmogenic nuclides are produced by cosmic rays bombarding Earth’s surface. Measurement of these rare nuclides in rock and sediment has revolutionised the study of how climate and tectonics have shaped landscapes through time. Earth’s climate has changed dramatically over geologic time, and knowledge of what drives those changes is fundamental to understanding our planet and its future.

It is well known that vast ice sheets have advanced and retreated across northern Eurasia many times over the past few million years. For instance, ~20,000 years ago the maximum extent of the last ice sheet covered the northern parts of Germany and Poland. Prior to that, however, the glaciations are poorly understood, and geologists have spent the past century trying to resolve how the distribution of ice sheets has varied over time.

This research project will set out to apply a newly developed set of dating and modelling tools to unveil the history of the Early to Middle Pleistocene glaciations in Eurasia (i.e. before 130,000 years ago). The research will involve analysing samples of glacigenic sediments from sites across northern Europe, stretching potentially from Russia to the British Isles.

The PhD candidate will be involved with 1) collecting field samples in some far-flung places, 2) extensive laboratory sample preparation for cosmogenic nuclide analysis, 3) mathematical modelling, and 4) presentation of results at international conferences. The project will be funded in part by the Czech Academy of Sciences and a significant period will be spent at Aarhus University, Denmark, where the student will be trained in advanced laboratory and mathematical methods.