PhD in Glaciology & Glacial Hazards — Field & Modeling

ETH Zurich; Schweiz; On-site; CHF 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

ETH Zürich’s Professorship of Glaciology invites a Doctoral Student to join the ICEFAL project for four years. The position is embedded in VAW and in collaboration with WSL, focusing on ice temperatures, hazard indices, and thermo-mechanical modeling.

Fieldwork in the Swiss Alps will be essential, with data integration from meteorology and geospatial analyses. The successful candidate will develop an inventory of hanging glaciers, perform high-elevation measurements, and apply Elmer/Ice to

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in geophysics, physics, environmental or earth science, environmental engineering, or related fields
• Excellent knowledge of English, both in oral and written form (C1 to C2)

Responsibilities

• Create an inventory of hanging glaciers using manual mapping and possibly machine-learning aided approaches
• Perform field measurements at high-elevation sites in Switzerland
• Collect measurements of ice temperatures and mass balance data
• Drive a state-of-the-art thermo-mechanical model (Elmer/Ice) to study temperature evolution and stability
• Predict basal temperatures and derive a hazard index for hanging glaciers in the study region

Skills

English (C1–C2)

Geophysics background

Math & Physics

Glaciology knowledge

Fieldwork in high mountains

Geospatial analysis (QGIS)

Python or Matlab scripting

Team collaboration

German/French knowledge

Education

Master’s degree in geophysics, physics, environmental/earth science or related fields

Tools

QGIS

Elmer/Ice modeling

Job description

ETH Zürich’s Professorship of Glaciology invites a Doctoral Student to join the ICEFAL project for four years. The position is embedded in VAW and in collaboration with WSL, focusing on ice temperatures, hazard indices, and thermo-mechanical modeling.

Fieldwork in the Swiss Alps will be essential, with data integration from meteorology and geospatial analyses. The successful candidate will develop an inventory of hanging glaciers, perform high-elevation measurements, and apply Elmer/Ice to