The WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF is part of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL and thus of the ETH Domain. WSL focuses on the sustainable use and protection of the environment and on the handling of natural hazards. WSL employs approximately 600 people, of whom 140 work at SLF in Davos.
The group Hydrology and Climate Impacts in Mountain Regions at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF in Davos and the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich studies water and climate extremes in mountain regions under global change. The group has strong expertise in water resources, extreme value analyses, statistical modelling, and climate impact assessments and is looking, from summer 2024, for a
PhD student in Hydrologic Extremes (f/m/d)
You will work in the project “Riverine heatwaves under climate change”, which is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). Anomalously high river water temperatures introduce thermal stress to fish and other aquatic species and reduce the thermal cooling efficiency of power plants, in particular if they persist over time. Despite the potentially severe impacts of riverine heatwaves, there exists limited understanding of their occurrence, drivers, future changes, and risks. Within this PhD project, you will provide an overview of where and when riverine heatwaves are most severe and frequent in Europe using statistical and machine learning approaches. You will publish your results in scientific journals and present them at international conferences. The work location will be at SLF in Davos and you will obtain a PhD degree at the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zurich (https://iac.ethz.ch/ ). You hold a MSc degree in hydrology, environmental sciences or engineering, climate sciences, statistics, or a closely related field. Experience with machine learning and large datasets are desired and we seek candidates that have previous experience with programming (e.g. in Python, R). We encourage applications from enthusiastic and dedicated individuals who have very good oral and written communication skills in English. You are motivated to work in an interdisciplinary and international working environment and you would enjoy living in a beautiful and diverse mountain environment. Please send your complete application to Jasmine Zollinger, Human Resources WSL/SLF, by uploading the requested documents (including a cover letter, CV, certificate & transcript of your highest degree earned, and an example of your own scientific writing in English) on our webpage: https://apply.refline.ch/273855/1601/pub/1/index.html. Applications via email will not be considered. Manuela Brunner (https://www.slf.ch/en/employees/brunnerm.html , phone +41 81 417 03 42, e-mail [email protected] ) will be happy to answer any questions or offer further information. The WSL strives to increase the proportion of women in its employment, which is why qualified women are particularly called upon to apply for this position. The job advertisement remains online until the position is filled.