PhD student in "Observation & model representation of radiative transfer in firn" (f​/m​/d

PhD student in "Observation & model representation of radiative transfer in firn" (f/m/d)

The WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF is part of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) and thus of the ETH Domain. WSL focuses on the sustainable use and protection of the environment and on the handling of natural hazards. The institute employs approximately 600 people, of whom 180 work at SLF in Davos.

The Research Unit “Snow and Atmosphere” investigates snow and its interactions with the hydro‑ and atmosphere across different scales, with the aim to improve our understanding of the role of snow in the climate system. Within our Snow Physics group, we are looking for a PhD student in “Observation & model representation of radiative transfer in firn”.

This position is part of the deFIRN project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The project is a collaboration between WSL (Ruzica Dadic), the University of Fribourg (Martina Barandun and Horst Machguth), and ETH Zurich (Evan Miles core team consists of the four principal investigators, four PhD students, and four post‑docs and aims to quantify the impact of disappearing firn on mountain glaciers.

The project also features a broad network of partners in Europe and Central Asia.

The aim of this PhD position is to improve the model representation of albedo and radiative transfer of firn and glacier ice, with particular focus on the dry‑to‑wet firn transitions and newly exposed glacier ice, through existing and new field observations (Swiss Alps and Central Asia), laboratory experiments and process modelling. The 4‑year position is based at the SLF in Davos, supervised by R.

Dadic and co‑supervised by M. Baradun and H. Machguth.

We are looking for a candidate with a master’s degree in environmental science, geoscience, engineering, physics, or a related field. The applicant should have a strong interest in the cryosphere, experience in computational data analysis or modelling, and would like to work in the beautiful Swiss mountains. If you are interested, please send your application, including a motivation letter, CV, and educational transcripts to Clemens Güdel, Human Resources SLF, through our webpage.

Applications via email will not be considered. The optimal starting date for the PhD candidate is 1 April 2026. For questions, please contact ruzica.dadic.

WSL is committed to diversity and inclusion as core values. We actively promote equality and foster an open, inclusive work environment.