Ph.D. position - Physical Oceanography - Greenland's changing sea

The Greenland Climate Research Center (GCRC) at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR) is seeking a motivated PhD candidate for a 3-year position based in Nuuk, Greenland. The position is part of a project funded by the Danish Independent Research Fund (DFF) focusing on the changing ocean around Greenland and its significance for glaciers, fjords, and communities.

Greenland's continental shelf connects the fjords with the open sea and drives the exchange of heat and freshwater, which affects glacier melting, ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, and fisheries. Nevertheless, seasonal observations on the shelf remain sparse, particularly from autumn to spring. Based in Nuup Kangerlua in Southwest Greenland and the adjacent continental shelf, the selected candidate will combine seasonal research cruises, year-round moorings, and profiling floats to produce a year-round dataset on the exchange between the shelf and fjord.

Main Responsibilities

• Participate in seasonal research cruises to collect oceanographic data along the continental shelf and in Nuup Kangerlua.

• Deploy, maintain, and recover moorings and autonomous profiling floats.

• Process and analyze hydrographic data to quantify the seasonal exchange of heat and freshwater between the shelf and fjord.

• Contribute to data management, open data sharing, education, and public engagement in Greenland.

• Publish results in peer-reviewed international journals and present at scientific conferences.

Qualifications & Competencies

• A master's degree (MSc) in physical oceanography, engineering, marine science, environmental science, or a related quantitative field.

• Strong interest in fieldwork and the ability to work effectively on ocean-going research vessels in remote Arctic environments.

• Skills in data analysis and scientific programming (e.g., R, Python, or MATLAB).

• Knowledge of physical-oceanographic processes and their role in fjord and shelf systems.

• Experience with oceanographic instrumentation (CTD, moorings, sensors, or autonomous platforms) is an advantage.

• Good written and oral English skills, as well as the ability to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary collaborative team.

The Position

The PhD student will be employed full-time on the project and enrolled at Ilisimatusarfik (University of Greenland) for a 3-year period based in Greenland for most of the study (except for short courses or collaborations abroad). The project will be conducted in close collaboration between GINR and Aarhus University, and the candidate will be co-supervised by senior researchers from AU and GINR.

Salary and Employment Conditions
Salary and employment conditions, including the right to relocation travel and moving expenses, according to the applicable agreement/collective agreement between the Government of Greenland and the relevant negotiating organization at the time of commencement.

Housing 
No staff housing is provided for the position. If an applicant already has staff housing through employment in the Self-Government, the right to assigned staff housing is retained. The staff housing is tied to the employment relationship and must be vacated upon termination of the employment relationship.

Further Information

For further information: Lorenz Meire via email at lome@natur.gl.

Application deadline: August 31, 2026.

Application
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