Postdoctoral Scholar - Synchronous Ice Sheet-Earth System Modeling

Position Overview

Salary range: $69,073 - $82,836

Open date: September 1, 2026

Next review date: Sunday, Nov 1, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Final date: Sunday, Jan 31, 2027 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Professor Henri Drake in the Department of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine is seeking a postdoctoral scholar for an NSF-funded project that aims to use computational models to investigate the role of ice sheets in the global Earth System, with a focus on advancing understanding of two-way feedbacks between the cryosphere (grounded ice sheets, floating ice shelves, ice bergs, and sea ice) and the ocean – and their role in global climate dynamics.

The start date is very flexible, anytime from Jan 1, 2027 to Sep 1, 2027.

• Developing, running, and analyzing fully-coupled experiments using novel configurations of the Community Earth System Model (CESM3) with dynamic representations of the Greenlandic and Antarctic ice sheets, utilizing two-way synchronous coupling to the Community Ice Sheet Model (CISM3).
• Evaluating and calibrate newly implemented parameterizations for basal melt and calving
• Developing and applying new process-based diagnostics to evaluate the fidelity of the simulations, grounded in available remote sensing and in-situ observations.
• Running mechanism denial experiments to isolate the role of coupled feedbacks.

• Contributing to a supportive, collaborative, and vibrant group culture
• Collaborating closely with CESM3 and CISM3 developers at NSF NCAR
• Mentoring both graduate students and undergraduate students on related projects.
• Disseminating their results through conference presentations and journal publications.

This is a two-year position that is renewable, pending good progress and available funding. The salary will range from $69,073 tot $82,836 USD per year, scaling with experience as detailed in the Postdoc Salary Scale, and includes generous benefits, see Postdoctoral Scholar Benefit Plan (PSBP)

The Ocean and Climate Dynamics group led by Dr. Henri Drake uses theory and numerical simulation to study the multi-scale ocean processes that play an outsized role in global Earth System dynamics, with a recent emphasis on the ocean’s overturning circulation, sea ice, and ice sheets. The group benefits from close collaborations with model developers at NSF NCAR (e.g., Bill Lipscomb in this project), DOE’s LANL, and NOAA GFDL, and with field-going observationalists such as Eric Rignot right here at UCI and Andy Thompson at nearby Caltech.

The Earth System Science Department at UC Irvine is highly interdisciplinary. It includes 25-30 faculty with broad expertise, all devoted to the study of the Earth as a coupled system. UC Irvine is located in Orange County, about halfway between the diverse metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and San Diego. It is a sunny and pleasant place to live, surrounded by beaches, parks, mountains.

Basic Qualifications (required At Time Of Application)

• An expected or recent PhD in Physical Oceanography, Glaciology, or related field
• Experience modifying, running, and analyzing ocean, ice sheet, or Earth System models
• Expert at programming (Python, Matlab, Julia, Fortran, or C++)
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills
• Detail oriented with strong organizational and communication skills
• Extraordinary curiosity about how the Earth System works