PhD fellowship in storminess and construction damages in changing climate

 PhD fellowship in storminess and construction damages in a changing climate

Niels Bohr Institute
Faculty of SCIENCE
University of Copenhagen

The Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth group (PICE) at NBI invites applicants for an interdisciplinary PhD fellowship in wind storm damages to constructions under climate change in a Danish perspective. The project is part of the research project “Metoder til klimatilpasning af det byggede miljø”, which is financed by Realdania and in collaboration with Nationalt Center for Klimaforskning (NCKF) ved Danmarks Meteorologiske Institut (DMI). The fellowship will be carried out in collaboration with the project partners, which are NBI, DMI, DTU-Man and DTU-Construct

Start date is (expected to be) 15 December 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The PhD project has four interdiscipilary components addressing

1. Storms over Denmark in the future will vary depending on the geography

The purpose of this sub-project is to contribute to ongoing discussions in the Eurocodes Committee. Here, for currently defined basic wind events, which are exceeded once in 50 years, Denmark is currently divided into two zones with two values. To assess whether these two zones are sufficiently comprehensive in a changing climate, the project will establish an extended high-resolution data base for possible maximum wind strengths for the period 1900 until today and under different emission scenarios with a detailed geographical resolution for Denmark towards 2100. Terrain, and thus also urban space, affects the average speed of the wind. Data are prepared for the frequency of different wind strengths (for economic calculations) based on DMI’s measuring stations from the last 20 years, combined with empirically scaled-down winds based on ERA5 and ERA20C re-analyzes as well as climate scenarios.

2. Identification of geographical differences in storm damage related to wind strength (and direction). This includes both physical storm damage (number, type of buildings) and costs for repairs plus effects on health, cultural values etc. Insurance and pension (F&P) hold data on claims. Their data is linked to historical events (from 1 above). The damage must be assessed according to the age of the building. Building customs have changed over the last 100 years, and this must be considered when damage forecasts are to be made for newer buildings.

3. The occurrence of damage to construction in the future, which has not yet been realized, such as partial damage to roofs and facades. It must be assessed based on 1 and 2 above whether future changes in wind strength and frequency give rise to a development over time.

4. Current construction rules may be insufficient to withstand the storms of the future. One or more critical examples are selected, where points 1 to 3 above identify the need for adjustments of design principles to counter damage from extreme wind events and to estimate upon those needs the economic impact to implement such counter measures.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for candidates with a broad background within climate change. Applicants can have a background from

• a master’s degree in meteorology, physics, maths or other related disciplines in natural sciences and Earth science
• experience in post-processing of climate data and preferably physical data for e.g. number of buildings, type of buildings, physical damage around buildings (insurance data); repair costs; health; cultural values such as churches 
• familiarity with the analysis of data sets from climate models and/or data for assessing damages. Knowledge in appropriate programming languages such as Python and R and experience with Linux/Unix computer environments
• experience in communicating scientific results to a wider audience

Our group and research- and what do we offer?

The group is a part of the Niels Bohr Institute, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. We are located in Copenhagen.

We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment with a focus on climate and climate change both on contemporary and paleo time-scales. Our research facilities include modern laboratories and access to computing facilities.

Principal supervisor is Professor Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen, PICE, E-mail [email protected] , Direct Phone: +4535335658.

The PhD programme

A three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme)

Qualifications needed for the regular programme
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. in meteorology, physics, maths or other related disciplines in natural and/or Earth science. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database .

Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks in ThePhD programme

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other relevant professional activities
• Good language skills

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Application and Assessment Procedure

 Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include: 

Motivated letter of application (max. one page)

Your motivation for applying for the “wind storm damages to constructions under climate change in a Danish perspective” PhD project

Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position

Original diploma Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.

Publication list (if possible)

Reference letters (if available)

Application deadline:

The deadline for applications is 11 November 2022, 23:59 GMT .+1 h. 

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/ .

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in week 47.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/ .

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position. 

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.