PhD Position: Gravity wave sources in the middle atmosphere (f/m/d) Job Details

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PhD Position: Gravity wave sources in the middle atmosphere (f/m/d)

Job Description

Req ID: 610

Place of work: Oberpfaffenhofen

Starting date: ab sofort

Career level: Doctorate

Type of employment: Part time

Duration of contract: 3 Jahre

Remuneration: Remuneration is in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector - Federal Government (TVöD-Bund)

Enter the fascinating world of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V.; DLR) and help shape the future through research and innovation! We offer an exciting and inspiring working environment driven by the expertise and curiosity of our 11,000 employees from 100 nations and our unique infrastructure. Together, we develop sustainable technologies and thus contribute to finding solutions to global challenges. Would you like to join us in addressing this major future challenge? Then this is your place!

Vacancy-ID: 610
Place of work: Oberpfaffenhofen
Starting date: ab sofort
Career level: Doctorate
Type of employment: Part time
Duration of contract: 3 Jahre
Remuneration: Remuneration is in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector - Federal Government (TVöD-Bund)

The Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the German Aerospace Centre conducts research into the physics and chemistry of the global atmosphere from the ground up to 120 kilometres altitude.

What to expect

The department “Earth System Modelling” investigates the movement and chemical composition of atmospheric air and the associated energy and mass fluxes with the help of numerical simulation and appropriate observation data. The department has currently three main working areas: climate modelling, process modelling, and the information technology administration. The middle atmosphere (10–100 km above Earth's surface) is a vital region connecting surface weather and climate with the near-Earth space environment. Understanding this area is critical as space technology advances, with implications for satellite operations and for the environmental effects of space vehicle launches and re-entries on the atmosphere. Gravity waves are essential for coupling different layers of the atmosphere: while they have small ampltiudes in the troposphere, they amplify with height and drive a global transport circulation in the middle atmosphere. Because of their relatively small scales (down to tens of km), it is both diffcult to simulate them in global models and to constrain their effects from observations. Recent work has shown that the traditional assumption that gravity waves originate near the surface does not hold. Instead, they are also generated within the middle atmosphere, and this likely has important consequences for understanding and simulating the middle atmosphere. This PhD project offers a unique opportunity to work both with modern weather and climate model and with lidar-based temperature observations with the aim to identify gravity wave sources in the middle atmosphere and reveal their effects on the circulation.

Your tasks

conduct and analyse high-resolution simulations that explicitly resolve gravity waves
identify gravity wave source regions and investigate their role for the global circulation
validate this framework with real-world Lidar datasets from Scandinavia, South America and South Pole
play an active part in planning and implementing an airborne lidar campaign on gravity waves, that is planned from Scandinavia for December 2026

Your profile

a university degree (Master´s degree / university diploma) in physics, mathematics, meteorology or other degree programmes relevant to the position with an appropriate technical basis for a doctorate in physics
strong motivation and interest in atmospheric dynamics, preferably knowledge in fluid dynamics and/or atmospheric science
experience in numerical modeling or data analysis and programming skills
fluency in English (written and spoken)
ability to work independently and as part of a team
willingness to participate in field campaign

Depending on qualification and assignment of tasks, remuneration will be up to pay grade 75% EG 13 TVöD-Bund.

We offer

DLR stands for diversity, appreciation and equality for all people. We promote independent work and the individual development of our employees both personally and professionally. To this end, we offer numerous training and development opportunities. Equal opportunities are of particular importance to us, which is why we want to increase the proportion of women in science and management in particular. Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preference if they are qualified.

If you have any questions about this position (Vacancy-ID 610) please contact:

Anja Schmidt
Tel.: +498153284365