The University of Graz is looking for a
PhD student ('project assistant without doctorate') in the interdisciplinary Doktoratskolleg Climate Change – Uncertainties, Thresholds and Coping Strategies
PhD project on thresholds in geomorphic systems
(30 hours a week; fixed-term employment for the period of 3 years; position to be filled as of 01 April or 01 May 2015)
The Doktoratskolleg Climate Change (DK, mainly funded by the Austrian Science Foundation) is an interdisciplinary PhD programme and provides independent and cooperative research in the field of physical climate science, geosciences, system sciences, sustainability sciences, theories of justice, ethics, and economics of climate change.
Within this framework, the offered PhD student position deals with the analysis of hazardous tipping points in alpine watersheds. Starting with a literature review on thresholds in geomorphic systems worldwide, the PhD project will focus on torrential events (flash floods) in Styria/Austria, analyse thresholds and complex system response, and estimate future behaviour under climate change conditions. Apart from this outlined workflow, ample free space for developing own ideas and for interdisciplinary exchange within the DK will be provided. An extended project outline is available at http://dk-climate-change.uni-graz.at/en/thesis-topics/ (Project O. Sass).
The thesis work will contribute to answering the general research question of the DK Climate Change: What are critical climate change uncertainties and thresholds and what are ethically defensible strategies to cope with them? The DK offers an outstanding interdisciplinary environment including interdisciplinary seminars and colloquia, summer schools and workshops, as well as disciplinary training in the respective fields. The DK is offering fully-funded PhD student positions for three years (extendable by half a year in exceptional cases). The positions come with social insurance. In addition the DK provides funds for conference participation, visits, and research stays abroad. More information on the DK faculty members and PhD thesis topics is available at http://dk-climate-change.uni-graz.at/en/.
Job specification
- Pursuing a PhD project on thresholds in geomorphology within the Doktoratskolleg "Climate Change – Uncertainties, Thresholds and Coping Strategies", supervised by Prof. O. Sass
- Participating in the training programme of the Doktoratskolleg
Professional qualifications
- Master's degree (or equivalent) in geography or earth sciences
- Knowledge in English at level C1
The applications have to contain the following documents merged in one pdf: a motivation letter including your disciplinary and interdisciplinary skills, an abstract in English of the master thesis including a web-link or ftp-link to an electronic copy of the thesis, a Curriculum Vitae including information on previous work experience and publications and a transcript of records, evidence for knowledge in English at level C1 or higher (e.g. suitable IELTS, TOEFL, or EFL certificate and/or brief justification letter summarizing the experience), and two letters of recommendation. All communication, including interviews, will be conducted in English.
For further information, please contact dk.climate-change(at)uni-graz.at or oliver.sass(at)uni-graz.at. Information for international students about admission to doctoral studies, dates and deadlines is available at: https://studienabteilung.uni-graz.at/en/studying/international-students
Classification: Salary scheme of the Universitäten-KV (University Collective Agreement): B1
The minimum salary as stated in the collective agreement and according to the classification scheme is EUR 1997.20 gross/month.
Application Deadline: Feb 28th 2015
The University of Graz strives to increase the proportion of women in particular in management and faculty positions and therefore encourages qualified women to apply.
If you are interested, please submit your application documents within the stated deadline to: dk.climate-change(at)uni-graz.at