Research Fellow: Understanding Compound Flooding In The Past, Present And Future For North Atlantic Coastlines University of Southampton Physical Oceanography United Kingdom

Research Fellow: Understanding Compound Flooding In The Past, Present And Future For North Atlantic Coastlines

Physical Oceanography

Location:  National Oceanography Centre Southampton
Salary:   £30,395 to £34,189 per annum
Full Time - Fixed Term for 36 months
Closing Date:  Tuesday 30 April 2019
Interview Date:   To be confirmed
Reference:  1127719HN

This post is being advertised as part of the CHANCE (Understanding compound flooding in the past, present and future for NorthAtlanticcoastlines) project, funded by the UK’s National Environment Research Council. In low-lying coastal regions, flooding arises from oceanographic (storm surges plus tides and/or waves), fluvial (increased river discharge) and/or pluvial (direct surface runoff) sources. The adverse consequences of a flood can be disproportionately large when these different sources occur concurrently, or in close succession, a phenomenon that is known as ‘compound flooding’. In CHANCE we will deliver a step-change in our understanding, quantification and prediction of compound flooding in coastal areas around the North Atlantic basin.

As a Research Fellow on this project, you will be responsible, supported by the other investigators on the project, for:

1. Determining relevant variables that can lead to compound events along coastlines on both sides of the North Atlantic;
2. Assessing which large-scale weather types and other conditions (e.g., river catchment characteristics) led to the identified compound events in the past and determine if and how the frequency of compound events has changed in the past and may change in the future;
3. Estimating the likelihood (i.e., probability) of the occurrence of compound events along different stretches of coastline;
4. Quantifying the extent to which compounding effects from multiple flood sources exacerbate impacts to coastal communities; and

The successful candidate will have quantitative statistical and numerical modelling skills to support the project team in this process. They are expected to have experience with Matlab, R or Python or other relevant programming languages, have a strong statistics background/experience, and have experience configuring and running numerical models. The post holder will also be expected to be an ambassador for the projects, including disseminating findings by taking the lead in preparing a journal publication, presenting results at conference, participating in workshops or exhibiting work at other appropriate events, and providing material for the project web site and the sponsors such as policy briefs. The candidate will attend project workshops in US and work closely with Assistant Professor Thomas Wahl from the University of Central Florida. 

The applicant should have PhD* or equivalent professional qualifications and experience in ocean science, statistics, maths, physics, engineering or a related field, as well as experience in programming, statistical analysis and numerical modelling.

The post is full time, fixed term for 36 months. It is anticipated that the start date will be 1 July 2019 but there is some flexibility.

The post will be responsible to the Project Leader, Associate Professor Ivan Haigh, and will be based at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton.  If you would like further information please contact Ivan Haigh (I.D.Haigh@soton.ac.uk; +44 (0) 2380 596501).

The University of Southampton is the top one per cent of world universities and in the top 10 of the UK’s research-intensive university. You will join one of the UK’s and world’s most dynamic centres for marine sciences. In REF 2014, Ocean and Earth Science reaffirmed its position as a world-leader in research excellence by ranking 2 in the UK for proportion of research recognised as world-leading (41% of research outputs judged 4*, with 93% judged either 3* or 4*) and our overall submission had the greatest proportion (41%) of world-leading (4*) research for large submissions (> 50 staff).

Application Procedure

You should submit your completed application form online at https://jobs.soton.ac.uk. The application deadline will be midnight on the closing date stated above. If you need any assistance, please call Geraldine Lewis (Recruitment Team) on +44 (0) 23 8059 3462. Please quote reference 1127719HN on all correspondence.

*Applications for Research Fellow positions will be considered from candidates who are working towards or nearing completion of a relevant PhD qualification.  The title of Research Fellow will be applied upon successful completion of the PhD. Prior to the qualification being awarded the title of Senior Research Assistant will be given.

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