Stockholm
Ref. No. SU FV-2459-24
at Stockholm university Baltic Sea Science Center. Closing date: 22 September 2024.
The Baltic Sea Centre (BSC) at Stockholm University (SU) is the administrative host of Tarfala Research Station (TRS), SU’s centre for glaciological and alpine research. TRS has offices at SU’s campus, but the station itself is situated in the remote Tarfala valley at 1135 m a.s.l. east of Kebnekaise, in northern Sweden, ca 1200 km north of Stockholm. TRS is Sweden’s only research station in a high alpine arctic environment surrounded by glaciers. TRS is open for operations during 5 months of the year (March and April, and late June to Late September). During this time, the station’s own research projects and long term observations on e.g. glaciers, permafrost, hydrology and climate are conducted - among the latter, the mass balance record of Storglaciären (initiated in 1946), and the annual measurement of Sweden’s formerly highest peak, Kebenkaise South Peak, are world-famous. Also, TRS is frequently visited by national and international guest resarchers who conduct field science projects and education in the unique environment surrounding the station.
During off-season time, TRS operates at SU with a focus on data processing, analysis and synthesis, and dissemination of research findings to both specialist and wider general audiences. TRS has a permanent staff of 2-3, complemented by seasonal employees (4-5) during TRS opening times in spring and summer. TRS premises at SU are co-located at the BSC, where about 40 employees work. BSC belongs to the Faculty of Science at SU, which is Sweden’s largest university, and employer of about 5500 staff and education provider for ca 30 000 students anually.
Project description
According to the Randolph Glacier Inventory, Sweden has currently 269 glaciers, of which some are threated by extinction. The first modern swedish glacier change inventory, derived from satellite imagery, shows that since 2017, Swedish glaciers have lost ca 11% of their area, though volume losses cannot be quantified with certainty. Volume loss quantification requires knowledge of the ice-bed interface, which is not available for the majority of the Swedish glaciers. For a few glaciers in the Kebnekaise massif, subglacial topography was acquired from 1970s-2000s, but these have limited use as input to modern numerical glacier dynamics models, because many were acquired with analogue radar systems, pre-GNSS positioning, and data are not openly available.
Under “business as usual” emission scenarios, 4 out of 5 glaciers in Sweden are predicted to have retreated considerably, or vanished, by 2100. Notably, this already initiated glacier retreat is accompanied by other substantial changes. For example, glacier thermal and hydrological processes, such as thinning of the cold surface layer in polythermal glaciers like Storglaciären, and the potential impact on surface-to-bed meltwater transport processes due to recent increases in moulin occurrence.
Geophysical methods such as radio-echo sounding (RES) allow for both mapping of subglacial topography, and for studying englacial architecture and dynamics. Within a pilot project in collaboration with Prof. Neil Ross/Newcastle University/UK conducted during spring 2024 (here referred to as TRS-RES), TRS has acquired RES data at Storglaciären, Moarhhmáglaciäern, and Rivgojiehkki, three of Sweden’s four reference glaciers for which reports are sent annually to the World Glacier Monitoring Service. Data was acquired from the ground as well as from airborne (helicopter) systems, and will be extended to Rabots Glacier (the fouth Swedish reference glacier) and several others in the near future. RES missions have so far been carried out to establish modern reference ice thicknesses and subglacial topography, but the next step in the project will focus on englacial architecture and glaciological processes and dynamics.
TRS is now looking for a postdoctoral fellow to support, and work with, TRS-RES. The selected candidate is offered an exciting opportunity to join the TRS-RES research team, with both TRS and SU as a workplace, and with Prof. Nina Kirchner (TRS) and Prof. Neil Ross (Newcastle U, TRS collaborator) as advisors. We are seeking a scientist with expertise in:
and a keen interest in
Main responsibilities
Main dutys are to process, analyze, visualize and interpret TRS-RES RES data collected from Swedish glaciers in 2024. The fellow will create 3D maps of subglacial topography maps from these data, and analyse the RES data with focus on englacial architecture and structure, to inform understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of these glaciers. The postdoctoral fellow will also be actively involved in field work (based at TRS, during 2025 and 2026) targeting further data acquisition for Swedish glaciers, and will be actively involved in the design of these future data acquisition campaigns, and the data acquitition itself. The formulation of specific research questions to be addressed in these missions is expected to depend on the results of the analysis of the data collected in spring 2024, and will be carried out by the postdoctoral fellow in collaboration with TRS staff and Prof. Neil Ross/Newcastle University.
The postdoctoral fellow will organise their own day-to-day workload, making decisions on short-term priorities, on experimental design and analyses. Decisions around significant changes of direction or sustained difficulties will be taken together with the senior collaborators. Moreover, the successful candidate is expected to disseminate research results through peer-reviewed research articles to be published in international scientific journals, to provide guidance to graduate students, and to participate in outreach and communication efforts.
Qualification requirements
Postdoctoral positions are appointed primarily for purposes of research. Applicants are expected to hold a Swedish doctoral degree or an equivalent degree from another country.
Assessment criteria
The degree must have been completed at latest before the employment decision is made, but no more than three years before the closing date. An older degree may be acceptable under special circumstances. Special reasons refer to sick leave, parental leave, elected positions in trade unions, service in the total defense, or other similar circumstances as well as clinical attachment or service/assignments relevant to the subject area.
Candidates for this position should hold, or have submitted, a PhD in geophysics, glaciology or equivalent physical-science discipline. Documented previous experience from working in the field of radar-glaciology is required, including experience with radar-data processing, visualisation and interpretation. Further, candidates should have excellent command of GIS software, and employ scientific coding (e.g. in Matlab or Python) on a daily basis in their work. Polar and/or geophysical fieldwork experience as well collaboration experience with glaciologists and numerical modellers is meriting.
We seek a highly motivated candidate, who can work independently, and work effectively towards deadlines, and who is able to organize and manage allocated resources in both a field and office setting. As project outputs will, among others, be important input data for the running of glacier dynamic models (by others in the wider TRS working group), the candidate is also expected to be able to work collaboratively in a team. The same applies for the occasionally extended field work periods at TRS. As the TRS team at the station is small the candidate must have excellent interpersonal skills. Selection among eligible candidates is based on their expected capacity to complete the project tasks.
The appointment process will consider the applicant’s documented knowledge and skills relevant for the project, quality of oral and written communication in English, capacity for analytical thinking, creativity, ability to take initiative, as well as publication record (articles in peer-reviewed international journals of good quality, lead authorships), experience in organising or leading work tasks, research activity (networks, applications for financing), and communication skills (conference presentations, outreach). The evaluation is based on previous education and experience, quality of previous published research, ambition expressed in the motivation letter, professional recommendations and, potentially, interviews.
In the appointment process, special attention will be given to research skills as well as personality.
Terms of employment
The position involves full-time employment for a minimum of two years and a maximum of three years, with the possibility of extension under special circumstances. Start date as per agreement.
Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.
Contact
Further information about the position can be obtained from Prof. Nina Kirchner, telephone: +46 8 16 29 88, nina.kirchner@su.se.
Union representatives
Ingrid Lander (Saco-S), telephone: +46 708 16 26 64, saco@saco.su.se, Alejandra Pizarro Carrasco (Fackförbundet ST/OFR), telephone: +46 8 16 34 89, alejandra@st.su.se, and seko@seko.su.se (SEKO).
Application
Apply for the position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.
Please include the following information with your application
and, in addition, please include the following documents
The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.
You are welcome to apply!
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Closing date: 22/09/2024
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