Postdoc in physical geography with focus on the future of the Greenland Ice Sheet

Uppsala Universitet · Uppsala, Sweden

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Postdoc in physical geography with focus on the future of the Greenland Ice Sheet

Are you interested in studying mass changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favorable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a postdoc position at Uppsala University.

The Department of Earth Sciences is Sweden’s most comprehensive academic environment for research and education in geoscience. It offers a broad range of expertise that can contribute to solving important societal issues.

Earth is a dynamic and constantly changing planet. To understand how this planet works, our researchers seek answers in the field, through laboratory experiments and advanced models. Our research and education cover a wide range of disciplines, including rocks and minerals, weather and climate, the evolution of life, natural disasters, wind power and energy, environmental and water engineering, and sustainable development.

Our research combines natural sciences and technology with social sciences and is often interdisciplinary. More than 300 people from over 30 countries work at the department, both in Uppsala and at Campus Gotland.

Our six research divisions:

Geophysics • Air, Water and Landscape Science • Mineralogy, Petrology and Tectonics • Natural Resources and Sustainable Development • Palaeobiology • Wind Energy

For more information see: www.uu.se/earthsciences

The announced position is in the research program Air, Water and Landscape Science (LUVAL) which brings together research and education in hydrology, meteorology, environmental analysis and physical geography. The research in physical geography has a main interest in cold environments, with a primary focus on glaciological topics, but also other aspects of the cryosphere.

Duties

The postdoc will work in a project funded by the Swedish National Space Agency, with the main aims to generate new bed height and thickness maps for the Greenland Ice Sheet, and to simulate the evolution of the ice sheet up to 2300. To achieve this, a novel, fast and versatile inverse approach will be used that infers present-day bed topography under the ice and simultaneously provides initial conditions for prognostic modelling. After recent applications on mountain glaciers in the Arctic and sub-Arctic (see e.g. Frank and Van Pelt, 2024; Van Pelt and Frank, 2025), and an application to all mountain glaciers on Earth (Frank et al. 2026), in this project the method is optimized for use on the larger Greenland Ice Sheet, while making use of the newest high-resolution satellite data products. Ice flow modelling is done with the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM), but also machine learning alternatives like the Instructed Glacier Model (IGM) will be considered.

The project will include close collaboration with a PhD student in the same research group at Uppsala University, as well as collaboration with colleagues at Oslo University, Mid Sweden University, the Danish Meteorological Institute, University of Liège, the University of Fairbanks and the University of Lausanne.

The position includes 20% teaching at the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, at the first- and second-cycle levels in the field of Earth Sciences (physical geography/hydrology).

Requirements

PhD degree in glaciology, geoscience, computer science, physics or similar or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD degree in mentioned subjects. The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the decision of employment. Priority will be given to applicants who have completed their degree no more than three years before the deadline for applications. Due to special circumstances, the degree may have been obtained earlier. The three-year period can be extended due to circumstances such as sick leave, parental leave, duties in labour unions, etc

Previous experience in numerical modeling and analysis of the cryosphere, preferably glaciers, is a requirement. The candidate should be able to communicate in spoken and written English at an advanced level, work independently and in an international team of researchers with different disciplinary backgrounds.

Additional qualifications

Programming skills in Python or similar are valued. Furthermore, knowledge of machine learning and spatial analysis software (e.g. ArcGIS) is an advantage.

About the employment

The employment is a temporary position of 2 years according to central collective agreement. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date November 15, 2026, or as agreed upon. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact: Ward van Pelt, ward.van.pelt@geo.uu.se

Please submit your application by September 4, 2026, UFV-PA 2026/2399**.**

Are you considering moving to Sweden to work at Uppsala University? Find out more about what it´s like to work and live in Sweden.

Uppsala University is a broad research university with a strong international position. The ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a difference in society. Our most important asset is all of our 7,600 employees and 53,000 students who, with curiosity and commitment, make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at Uppsala Universityhttps://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/ The position may be subject to security vetting. If security vetting is conducted, the applicant must pass the vetting process to be eligible for employment. Please do not send offers of recruitment or advertising services. Submit your application through Uppsala University's recruitment system.