Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with over 37,000 students and about 4,700 employees. The University offers a diversity of high-quality education and world-leading research in several fields. Notably, the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made here. At Umeå University, everything is close. Our cohesive campuses make it easy to meet, work together and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture.
The ongoing societal transformation and large green investments in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, conducting research about – and in the middle of – a society in transition is key. We also take pride in delivering education to enable regions to expand quickly and sustainably. In fact, the future is made here.
We are pleased to announce a postdoctoral position focusing on developing advanced computational techniques to reduce the complexity in simulating lake physical dynamics at scale. Borrowing from numerical methods used to design wind turbines and understand turbulent combustion in jet engines, this research aims to address critical computational challenges in simulating the physical dynamics of millions of lakes worldwide. The successful candidate will create innovative solutions that significantly enhance large-scale environmental simulations and meaningfully advance the modeling of global lake ecosystem dynamics. This is a full-time, two-year position. The application deadline is May 5, 2025, and the expected start date is September 1, 2025, or as agreed upon.
Project description and job duties Lakes and reservoirs are significant sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide and methane; however, global emission estimates remain highly uncertain because existing approaches often neglect critical lake-specific dynamics and feedback mechanisms that are essential for accurately predicting ecological responses and climate interactions.
Lake physical dynamics is crucial for ecosystem dynamics, as it governs key processes like energy balance, turbulence, and thermal structure, directly influencing ecological and biogeochemical responses. However, modeling these dynamics globally remains computationally challenging. To address this, our research employs advanced computational methods to simplify high-fidelity 1-D hydrodynamic models based on Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). This approach yields efficient reduced-order models that accurately represent essential lake behaviors with significantly lower computational demands. By enabling efficient, accurate simulations of physical dynamics across lakes worldwide we can better predict ecological and biogeochemical processes.
The planned work for this position consists of performing 1-D hydrodynamic model simulations using tailored techniques of projection-based model order reduction. The selected candidate will take part in designing their project and take responsibility for its implementation, from carrying out model simulations through to publication and communication of results through conference presentations. The selected candidate is expected to spend some of the research time at Lund University.
The postdoctoral researcher will join a dynamic research group at Umeå University, focusing on global lakes ecosystem dynamics. The research primarily aims to understand interactions between climate processes and carbon dynamics, including fluxes at Earth System scales. Collaborative opportunities within the group are highly encouraged and actively supported. The project will be supervised by Cristian Gudasz at Umeå University, done in close collaboration with Philipp Birken and Mengwu Guo from the Scientific Computing group at Lund University. Other collaborators within the project includes Yves Prairie (UQAM), Jan Karlsson and Paolo Bientinesi (Umeå University).
Qualifications To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, the postdoctoral fellow is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This qualification requirements must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the appointment decision.
To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, priority should be given to candidates who completed their doctoral degree, according to what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years prior. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree prior to that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organizations, military service, or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area.
The successful candidate must hold a PhD in one of the following fields: mathematics, physics, computational science, or engineering, and have a strong background in numerical analysis and scientific computing. Required qualifications include basic knowledge of numerical methods for PDEs, expertise in High Performance Computing and proficiency in a programming language. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, the capability to conceive, execute, and finalize research projects independently, creative and analytical thinking skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively both independently and within a team are also expected. It is considered a strong merit to have experience with C/C++ or Fortran and knowledge of Model Order Reduction. Additionally, experience from working in interdisciplinary projects are meritorious.
How to apply The application should contain the following, written in Swedish or English:
A personal cover letter motivating your application and how you can contribute to the research (max one page).
CV including full list of publications.
A copy of doctoral thesis
A copy of doctoral degree certificate or documentation that clarifies when the degree of doctor is expected to be obtained.
Copies of up to three relevant publications.
Contact information for two reference persons.
Other documents that the applicant wishes to submit.
The closing date is May 5, 2025.
Contact Any additional questions about the research or application should be directed to Cristian Gudasz, Umeå University (cristian.gudasz@umu.se).
The Department of Ecology and Environmental Science carries out research and postgraduate education in ecology, environmental science and physical geography. The department has about 160 employees, about 20 of whom are postdoctoral researchers. For more information, visit: https://www2.umu.se/en/department-of-ecology-and-environmental-science/
Umeå University wants to offer an equal environment where open dialogue between people with different backgrounds and perspectives lay the foundation for learning, creativity and development. We welcome people with different backgrounds and experiences to apply for the current employment.
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