PhD Position Resolution Ocean Modelling of Greenland Fjords

Job description

Are you interested in the interaction between Greenland's glaciers and the surrounding ocean? Come join our team!

Greenland's fjords are where the ice sheet and the ocean meet: glaciers slowly flow into the fjords, icebergs calve from the glaciers, and the relatively warm ocean water melts the ice. This two‑way interaction takes ice from the ice sheet and puts it into the ocean, causing sea level rise. The fresh water from the melting ice furthermore impacts the regional and global ocean circulation, with potentially large consequences for climate in Europe.

Fjords are thus a vital link in the coupled ocean‑ice system, but the interaction between the ocean, glaciers, ice bergs and sea ice, and the link with large‑scale ocean circulation, are poorly understood. In this project, you will set up high‑resolution, realistic numerical simulations of Greenland fjords, and study the ocean dynamics and the interaction with ice. This project is a collaboration between the TU Delft, Utrecht University and the Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany), and you will have the opportunity for research visits to AWI during this project.

• An MSc degree in Physical Oceanography, Environmental Fluid Mechanics, (Climate) Physics, Meteorology, Civil Engineering, or another relevant discipline involving Fluid Dynamics.
• Demonstrable affinity with studying the physics of the ocean and preferably with polar oceanography.
• Experience with numerical modelling.
• Excellent ability to communicate in both written and spoken English.
• Good organisational skills and ability to work independently and in a team.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4‑year period of employment in principle, but in the form of two employment contracts. An initial 1.5‑year contract with an official go/no‑go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €3059‑€3881 gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a full‑time contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end‑of‑year bonus of 8.3%.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact dr. R. (Renske) Gelderloos at r.gelderloos.

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 26 January 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• Your motivation letter.
• Your Curriculum Vitae.
• Your list of grades/transcripts (bachelor and master).
• Contact information of two references.
• If already available: your master thesis.
• Bachelor thesis, or another example of written original work, if available.

You can address your application to Renske Gelderloos, Assistant Professor.

Make sure to include relevant examples of projects/experience that demonstrate your skills (and enthusiasm) to fill this position in your motivation letter and/or CV. We also welcome your application if your experience does not fully fit our advert.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English‑taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis.

Please note you can only apply online. For information about the application procedure, please contact Monique Scheers‑van der Horst, HR advisor, email: m.scheers-vanderhorst.

We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.