17 Jun 2026
Job Information
- Organisation/Company
CNRS- Department
Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace- Research Field
Environmental science
Environmental science » Earth science
Environmental science » Global change- Researcher Profile
First Stage Researcher (R1)- Application Deadline
7 Jul 2026 - 23:59 (UTC)- Country
France- Type of Contract
Temporary- Job Status
Full-time- Hours Per Week
35- Offer Starting Date
1 Sep 2026- Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?
Not funded by a EU programme- Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?
No
Offer Description
This work, funded by the ARCHIVES ANR project under the PEPR TRACCS program, will be carried out at the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences (LSCE), at the intersection of the MOSAIC team (which develops the ORCHIDEE model) and the CLIM climate modeling team.
Recent developments of vegetation dynamics models (DVGMs) now enable the dynamic simulation in plant functional types (PFTs) in response to climate change. Yet, the representation of the natural evolution of vegetation has remained virtually unchanged. This type of model is however very useful in paleoclimatology because it helps understand the evolution of vegetation documented by natural archives, particularly pollen records, and study the role of interactions between natural climate changes and vegetation. While current DVGM accounts for competition between functional types, the consideration of climatic constraints on the survival and the regeneration of vegetation types (fitness) is based on a highly simplified, parameterized niche approach calibrated to the current climate. This makes extrapolation to different climatic conditions highly uncertain and compromises the proper consideration of vegetation feedback on climate within the framework of an Earth system model. Similarly, vegetation dynamics are based on current functional types. However, vegetation has evolved significantly, as evidenced by the fossil record, particularly when considering very ancient periods. The traits incorporated into the models are no longer valid in the distant past.
The objective of this thesis will be to test new hypotheses that allow for a better representation of the dynamics of the area covered by natural vegetation in the ORCHIDEE model, and ultimately, in the IPSL-CM7 Earth system model. In particular, we propose to explore a hybrid approach based on the concepts of the PHENOFIT model, which explicitly models phenology and adaptation at the species level by integrating survival, reproductive success, phenological traits, and plasticity in response to climate change. In parallel, we will seek to redefine the types of PFTs. Drawing on both current physiological trait databases (e.g., TRY) and the fossil record, we will explore new parameterizations for different climatic periods (pre-industrial, and ancient warm periods such as the Eocene and Miocene) to assess their impact in different contexts and their consequences for the representation of vegetation-climate feedbacks.
Where to apply
- Website
- https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Doctorant/UAR636-MARCAS-011/Default.aspx
Requirements
- Research Field
- Environmental science
- Education Level
- Master Degree or equivalent
- Research Field
- Environmental science
- Education Level
- Master Degree or equivalent
- Research Field
- Environmental science
- Education Level
- Master Degree or equivalent
- Languages
- FRENCH
- Level
- Basic
- Research Field
- Environmental science
- Years of Research Experience
- None
- Research Field
- Environmental science » Earth science
- Years of Research Experience
- None
- Research Field
- Environmental science » Global change
- Years of Research Experience
- None
Additional Information
- Website for additional job details
https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Doctorant/UAR636-MARCAS-011/Default.aspx
Work Location(s)
- Number of offers available
- 1
- Company/Institute
- Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace
- Country
- France
- City
- GIF SUR YVETTE
Contact
- City
GIF SUR YVETTE- Website
http://www.ipsl.jussieu.fr/
STATUS: EXPIRED
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