Whenever there are any new positions available at the ICOS or related communities we will announce it on this page.
If you have information about related open vacancies, please send an email to ICOS Communications at icos-comms (at) icos-ri.eu
Open positions in the ICOS field
PhD Opportunity: Developing Self-Supervised Models for High-Resolution Reconstruction of Biomass Carbon Storage Change in Equatorial African Forests, LSCE & INRAE
Tropical forests play a vital role in climate mitigation and biodiversity preservation. However, they are increasingly threatened by human activities and climate-related disturbances. Accurately quantifying the impact of these disturbances on the carbon dynamics and demography of tropical forests is crucial for understanding their future response to global change.
This PhD project will leverage recent advancements in remote sensing and artificial intelligence to generate 30 m resolution estimates of above-ground biomass dynamics in tropical moist and dry forests from 1990 to 2025. The project will integrate high-resolution biomass maps from the One Forest Vision Initiative (OFVI) with long-term forest disturbance records from Landsat satellites to construct spatially explicit biomass recovery curves. These curves will track biomass changes at different forest ages following disturbances such as fire, degradation, deforestation, and regrowth.
A data-driven carbon accounting model will be developed to estimate dynamic annual carbon losses and gains, providing new insights into regional and national carbon budgets of forest ecosystems. Additionally, forward-looking scenarios will be developed to assess how reductions in human-induced disturbances could enhance carbon storage.
The study will focus on humid forests in Central Africa, particularly in Gabon (in collaboration with AGEOS, the Gabonese Space Agency), the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. If successful, the approach will be extended to other regions.
Additionally, this research could be linked to an AMAP Masters project on habitat and biodiversity mapping using foundation models.
Please apply as soon as possible. Read more and apply here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hQ_XzjfQ8L2ZOv8EfpuZ_Ok8bvJ7gkmN/view
Research Engineer position. Laboratoire de l’Atmosphère et des Cyclones (LACy), University of La Reunion, Saint-Denis, France
We invite you to apply for a 2-year Research Engineer position on developing visualization tools for the various and numerous datasets generated by the Observatory of Atmospheric Physics of La Réunion (OPAR) and satellite data.
The Observatory of Atmospheric Physics of La Réunion (OPAR) is a unique observation site through the quality of its infrastructure and instruments, and through its location in an area sparsely documented where physico-chemical processes take place that are essential for the understanding of the climate and improvement in its modelling. OPAR hosts 51 instruments (in situ, passive and active remote sensing) operated routinely and feeding national and international databases linked to national and international networks (WMO/GAW, AERONET, TCCON, WWLLN) and European Research Infrastructures (ACTRIS and ICOS). OPAR is operated by the Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers de la Réunion (OSU-R).
The objective of this Research Engineer position is to design and develop data visualizations and dashboards for researchers using data sets from various sources. This includes:
- Develop following OSU-R and AERIS development standards and best-in-class solutions
- Build high-performance, scalable and maintainable user interfaces using the latest web data visualization tools
- Play both sides of the house and act as an analyst and as engineer when defining solutions to user problems and prioritize for optimal outcomes
- Need to be able to speak to the researchers in their jargon and translate to Data Services solutions/providers such as AERIS
- Early-stage troubleshooting
- Application access
Please apply as soon as possible. Read more and apply here (advertisement is in French, then in English): http://wp1.aeris-data.fr/wp-content-aeris/uploads/sites/78/2025/02/REALISTIC-IR_offer_merged-freng.pdf
Postdoctoral researcher, Agricultural Micrometeorology and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark
The Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, Denmark, is offering a postdoctoral position in agricultural micrometeorology and greenhouse gas emissions, starting 1 June 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. This is a full-time position for a 3-year period.
Agriculture is a large source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural systems are rapidly needed to meet the goal of net-zero production, while maintaining yields, avoiding pollution swapping, and promoting farmer’s engagement to adopt mitigation measures. This role contributes to the SmartField project, which seeks to develop a research and development platform renowned worldwide for its advanced monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions, especially nitrous oxide.
You will join efforts with a diverse, multidisciplinary team aiming to lower greenhouse gas outputs in Danish agricultural crop production. You will have the opportunity to focus your academic career on micrometeorological measurements of greenhouse gas emissions, using a newly build sensor infrastructure. The focus of the position will be on (i) the analysis of large biogeochemical datasets with the aim to assess mitigation measures of greenhouse gas emissions, and (ii) the management of research activities at a highly monitored experimental field site.
In addition, you will be part in teaching or supervision activities and can report your research results in high-impact scientific journals and on international conferences. You will be an important part of the department’s research environment and contribute significantly to the good social working environment.
Deadline for applications is 7th March 2025, 23:59 CET. Read more and apply here: https://international.au.dk/about/profile/vacant-positions/job/postdoc-in-agricultural-micrometeorology-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions-1
Postdoctoral Fellow, Marine Carbon Cycle Science in ICOS Norway and NUBICOS, Geophysical Institute and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Norway
There is a vacancy for a postdoctoral research fellow position at the Geophysical Institute and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen within marine carbon cycle science. The position is for a fixed term of 3 years. The position is funded by the Research Council of Norway project ICOS-3 and the Horizon Europe project NUBICOS.
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate who will:
- Combine data from the ICOS measurement network, data from various satellites, and marine reanalysis products using machine learning to quantify CO2 uptake in the North Atlantic and the Nordic Seas.
- Clarify magnitude and causes of interannual variation in this CO2 uptake.
- Scientifically supervise operations of a measurement system for CO2 partial pressure in seawater installed aboard the cargo vessel Tukuma Arctica, which operates a route between Denmark and Greenland. Ensure the high quality of these data and make them available for the Global Carbon Budget and other efforts.
- Contribute to ensuring that the methods for calculating CO2 uptake become accessible through ICOS's Carbon Portal.
- Further develop a method to calibrate oxygen sensors based on measurements of oxygen content in the air.
The successful candidate will be part of the Biogeochemistry Research Group at the Geophysical Institute, of the Carbon System Research Theme at the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, and is also expected to actively engage in research collaboration across both ICOS-3 and NUBICOS. A strong motivation to perform research at an internationally competitive level is expected too.
Deadline for application is 6th March 2025. Read more and apply here: https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/275511/postdoctoral-fellow-in-marine-carbon-cycle-science
Research fellow (up to six years) for ecosystem-climate interactions, Physical Geography and Land Use Systems, Department of Geography, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Germany
The Chair for Physical Geography and Land Use Systems (Prof. Julia Pongratz) at LMU’s Department of Geography investigates the interactions between humans, ecosystems and climate. Our group develops and applies the latest generation of carbon cycle, land surface and climate models and integrates them with Earth observations. We investigate the fate of ecosystems under the pressures of land-use and climate change; Earth system feedbacks that emerge through energy, water and biogeochemical cycles; and the role that vegetation and soils can play for greenhouse gas emissions reduction and CO2 removals in support of the Paris Agreement. The team is strongly involved in large national and international collaborations such as the Global Carbon Project, IPCC, CDRterra and several Horizon Europe projects such as Rescue, ForestNavigator, ClimTip.
The research associate is expected to develop a creative and independent line of research in one of the thematic areas listed above. The successful candidate will have considerable freedom in defining their own research questions. An ability to articulate new ideas and leverage new opportunities is paramount.
Responsibilities will be to
- contribute to a better understanding of ecosystem-climate interactions and/or provide research results that are relevant for decision-making in support of sustainable land use and climate neutrality
- take a leading role in the development of scientific publications, contribute to outreach activities, and write own research proposals
- engage in shared responsibilities at the Chair and actively contribute to strengthening the intellectual atmosphere of the Department
- join the teaching activities at the Department of Geography and co-supervise Bachelor, Master and Ph.D. students.
Applications received prior to 28th February 2025 will receive full consideration, but the position will remain open until filled. Read more and apply here: https://job-portal.lmu.de/jobposting/9f89107ce2bf333f5571be8c07b4878f648e1a570
Postdoctoral researcher for terrestrial carbon cycle modeling in the Horizon Europe project NextGenCarbon, Physical Geography and Land Use Systems, Department of Geography, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Germany
The Chair for Physical Geography and Land Use Systems (Prof. Julia Pongratz) at LMU’s Department of Geography investigates the interactions between humans, ecosystems and climate. Our group develops and applies the latest generation of carbon cycle and climate models and integrates them with Earth observations. In support of the EU's climate and sustainability targets we open a position in the Horizon Europe project NextGenCarbon. NextGenCarbon will develop a novel framework to improve our understanding and quantification of greenhouse gas budgets, incorporating enhanced ecosystem data, advanced modeling, scenario predictions, and climate policy support. This way, substantial knowledge gaps impeding predictive capabilities and the ability to evaluate the EU's climate policy targets will be closed. A core component will be delivering more accurate estimates of CO2 emissions and removals related to land-use activities, which play a crucial role in the annual Global Carbon Budgets and are increasingly important for cross-validating national greenhouse gas budgets.
The postdoctoral researcher will elevate the model-data integration approach to new levels of innovation: novel observation-based information on biomass estimates, regrowth dynamics and impacts of disturbances will be integrated into the semi-empirical land-use flux model BLUE developed at LMU. High-resolution simulations will be run at unprecedented level of detail concerning land-use activities (including land management aimed at carbon dioxide removal) and ecosystem processes.
Responsibilities will be to
- lead the development of a new version of BLUE in close collaboration with the observational partners in NextGenCarbon
- take a leading role in the development of scientific publications and contribute to outreach activities
- co-lead NextGenCarbon’s work package on enhanced model representation of anthropogenic and natural disturbances with coordinative and reporting duties
- engage in shared responsibilities at the Chair and actively contribute to strengthening the intellectual atmosphere of the Department.
Applications received prior to 28th February 2025 will receive full consideration, but the position will remain open until filled. Read more and apply here: https://job-portal.lmu.de/jobposting/6be893b57ba4de35308581a2d767ddb080c1f1280
Junior research scientist on climate science, ISPA (Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Interactions) unit, French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE), Bordeaux, France
The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) is a major player globally in research and innovation. Gathering a community of 12,000 people with 272 units including fundamental and experimental research, spread out throughout 18 regional centres in France.
INRAE is recruiting researchers by open competition and offering a permanent position.
The goal of the ISPA (Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Interactions) unit is to understand how soil, plants, and the atmosphere interact within agricultural and forest ecosystems that are subject to disturbances brought on by global changes. Within the unit, you will join the YSYS (PhYSique à l'interface des EcoSystèmes) team, whose research deals with issues involving turbulent wind, micro-meteorology, and material transfers (water vapour, CO2, biotic and abiotic particles), as well as energy transfers on various spatial scales, including landscape, ranging from a few meters to several kilometres. The YSYS team relies on field experiments and numerical models of atmospheric flow. YSYS has gained considerable expertise in modelling micro-meteorology on a landscape scale with high spatial resolution by explicitly simulating turbulent exchanges using an LES approach (Large-Eddy Simulations). The use of agricultural and forest land is subject to tensions between economic, social and environmental interests. Its dynamics are the result of compromises and competition between the need for new energy infrastructures (such as solar farms) and the many services provided by forests and agrosystems. The biophysical interactions between these surfaces and the atmosphere, and their effects on local and regional climate remain poorly understood due to the complexity of the landscape structure.
Your research will focus on understanding and predicting atmospheric interactions between rural landscape surfaces and their effects on exchanges with the atmospheric boundary layer, from landscape to regional scale. The aim of your work will be to better describe the climate on the scale of the territory and the evolution of the environmental conditions of the canopies under different climatic and land use scenarios. You will develop a body of knowledge on atmospheric transfers within the landscape mosaic and on feedback effects between surface heterogeneity and the atmosphere on a regional scale. To do this, you can rely on meteorological models to link the landscape scale, currently studied by the YSYS team, to the regional scale. Your research will provide a new and innovative approach to the representation of surface heterogeneities in regional-scale meteorological models based on high-resolution models. From a more applied point of view, you will be able to deduce from your work simplified parameterizations of the microclimatic effects of surface heterogeneities for integration into models of ecosystem functioning over long time scales and decision support models.
Candidates can be of any nationality. A scientific report of max 10 pages must be attached to the application. It is advised to contact the lab before applying.
Deadline for applications is 4th March 2025, 17:00 CET. Read more and apply here: https://jobs.inrae.fr/en/open-competitions/open-competitions-research-scientists-job-profiles-crcn/cr-2025-agroecosystem-3
PhD fellowship/scholarship 'High Arctic carbon dynamics, sink or source?', Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark
The PhD project focuses on advancing our understanding of carbon dynamics in undisturbed high-arctic ecosystems at the Zackenberg Research Station, located in northeast Greenland. The primary objective is to analyse and interpret an extensive 25-year dataset from the Greenland Ecological Monitoring (GEM) and the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) Greenland ecosystem stations. The PhD position is supported by the Aage V Jensen Charity Foundation.The project aims to address research questions, such as determining the current carbon balance, identifying critical factors influencing shifts between carbon sink and source states, and projecting the long-term sustainability of these ecosystems under the impacts of climate change. This study will contribute valuable insights into the resilience and potential vulnerability of high-arctic ecosystems in the context of global climate goals.
The successful candidate will engage in data mining and analysis of long-term datasets from GEM and ICOS, combined with supplementary measurements as needed. The dataset includes comprehensive records of carbon flux, micrometeorological data, and ecosystem responses to climate variations in the high Arctic, providing a solid foundation for studying carbon dynamics in these unique environments. Fieldwork is expected to span 2-4 weeks during the field season (July to September) at the Zackenberg Research Station. Fieldwork responsibilities include setting up and maintaining advanced instrumentation, along with the opportunity to design and implement additional measurements that support an integrated carbon monitoring system. Through this project, the candidate will contribute meaningfully to the scientific understanding of high-arctic ecosystems in a changing climate.
Preferable starting date is 1st August 2025.
Deadline for applications is 25th March 2025, 23:59 CET. Read more and apply here: https://phd.tech.au.dk/for-applicants/apply-here/saeropslag/high-arctic-carbon-dynamics-sink-or-source
Doctoral student, Ecosystem water vapor exchange, Grassland Sciences Group, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
The Grassland Sciences Group is a vibrant and international working group at the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich. We are looking for a reliable, enthusiastic, and highly motivated doctoral student with a passion for science to join our team. Our research focuses on the process- and system-understanding of the biosphere-atmosphere greenhouse gas exchange and its drivers in forests and agroecosystems, in response to management and climate.
This position is part of the project Effect of climate and management on evapotranspiration in agricultural ecosystems (ECOVAP) funded by the ETH Grants programme. The aim of this project is to evaluate and partition evapotranspiration in Swiss agroecosystems along a management and climate gradient and to assess the influence of extreme events, such as droughts, on the ecosystem water vapor exchange. We will use eddy covariance to quantify the ecosystem water vapor exchange using measurements from the Swiss FluxNet as well as data on the plot scale from lysimeter and dendrometer measurements. Data analyses will be conducted using statistical and machine learning models including random forest models and Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) analyses. This project will improve our knowledge on the mechanisms of evapotranspiration in agroecosystems with an interdisciplinary approach (micrometeorology, ecophysiology and agricultural sciences), relevant for sustainable agriculture in a changing climate.
The earliest starting date is 1st March 2025. We will start interviewing candidates beginning of February 2025. Read more and apply here: https://jobs.ethz.ch/job/view/JOPG_ethz_vJpy0xrClmPytNAtIw