The Permafrost Laboratory at the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, seeks a postdoctoral researcher to work on a range of projects that focus on improving our ability to understand and model permafrost response to climate and disturbances.

The successful applicant will utilize and modify, e.g., the Geophysical Institute Permafrost Model (GIPL) to improve predictions of the rate and magnitude of permafrost degradation and associated subsidence and land loss for several regions across Alaska. The work will involve a range of modeling conditions, including the built and natural environment inland and along the coast. The study regions to be modeled include the North Slope and Interior of Alaska and the Yukon Territories of Canada. 

There may also be potential for coupling the permafrost model with a coastal erosion model to understand future rates of permafrost-affected coastal change better. The successful candidate will also lead the development of several infrastructure hazard maps under the effects of permafrost degradation and coastal erosion.

In this position you will:

• Develop and parameterize 1-D and 2-D models of the temperature dynamics in the active layer and near-surface permafrost.
• Participate in remote field trips to collect data relevant to the model parameterization.
• Evaluate and verify developed models against collected in-situ data.
• Develop and address your own scientific hypotheses and questions within the bounds of the projects.
• Participate in proposal writing.
• Lead and co-lead publications of peer-reviewed manuscripts on permafrost modeling and related topics.

There will also be potential to participate in other ongoing research projects and associated fieldwork focusing on understanding permafrost response to climate and disturbances.

Requirements:

• Ph.D. in physics, mathematics, engineering, geophysics, or related field. Some experience with geocryological processes is beneficial. No field experience is okay.
• Excellent computational skills and working knowledge of MATLAB, FORTRAN, or at least some other programming language (e.g., Python, JavaScript);
• Experience with Linux and parallel computations is a vital asset.
• Some knowledge of ArcGIS, common formats, georeferencing, and mapping toolboxes is desired. Understanding calculus, linear algebra, statistics, numerical analysis, differential equations, finite differences, or finite element methods is advantageous.
• Good working knowledge of the written and oral English language.

Additional Information

Please get in touch with Dmitry Nicolsky (djnicolsky@alaska.edu) or Louise Farquharson (lmfarquharson@alaska.edu) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute Permafrost Laboratory.