International Association for Urban Climate

Climate change strongly impacts the climate of cities, especially during heatwaves where there are synergies between synoptic conditions and local climate. Lack of understanding of the dynamics of evapotranspiration by vegetation and turbulent latent heat balance before heatwaves often leads to under-prediction of such events. This project will connect plant water use and stomatal conductance models differentiated by vegetation-soil systems with land surface models to provide new insight into the impacts of the built environment on moisture fluxes that influence heatwave intensity. Then it will investigate the climate impacts of the dynamic response of greenery in extreme heat conditions.

The ideal candidate has a strong cross-disciplinary scientific background, with solid bases in physics, maths, and especially in heat transfer and climate science. She/he has confidence in numerical simulation and data analysis. Programming skills and knowledge of fundamentals of statistics and probabilistic and possibilistic methods are an asset.

The successful candidate will work with both the Faculty of Built Environment and the Climate Change Research Centre in the Faculty of Science. The student will be supervised by Dr Riccardo Paolini (Built Environment), Dr Melissa Hart (Climate Change Research Centre) and Professor Mattheos Santamouris (Built Environment).

UNSW Scientia PhD scholars are awarded a prestigious scholarship package of $50,000 per annum, comprising a tax-free living allowance of $40,000 per annum for 4 years, and a support package of up to $10,000 per annum to provide financial support for career development activities.

The candidate will also become part of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, an international research consortium of five Australian universities (The University of New South Wales, Monash University, The University of Melbourne, The University of Tasmania and The Australian National University) and a suite of outstanding national and international Partner Organizations. The Centre provides excellent opportunities for travel and graduate student development.

Further details about the Scientia PhD scholarships can be found at https://www.2025.unsw.edu.au/apply and summarised in the FAQ (https://www.2025.unsw.edu.au/apply/unsw-scientia-phd-scholarships-faqs).

Interested students should in the first instance send a CV, statement of research interests, and copies of academic transcripts to r.paolini@unsw.edu.au and melissa.hart@unsw.edu.au

The School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University is
accepting applications from exceptional students for a four-year assistantship in the pursuit of a
PhD degree in mesoscale/regional climate modeling. The assistantship comprises a generous
financial package, including a highly competitive stipend, full tuition waiver, and health
insurance.

The successful applicant(s) will work under the supervision of Professor Matei Georgescu. The
student will enjoy tremendous collaborative and engagement opportunities including with the
Urban Climate Research Center, the Spatial Analysis Research Center, the Urban Water
Innovation Network, and the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research site.
Exceptional candidates should possess a Bachelor’s or Masters Degree in Atmospheric Sciences,
Geography, or a related discipline, and have a strong interest in land-atmosphere interactions and
mesoscale numerical modeling relevant to human-environment interactions. Experience in
handling data of various formats, programming skills, and interest in quantitative aspects of
human-environment interactions is desired. Exceptional oral and written communication skills
are required.

For further information about the School of Geographical Sciences in general, or this opportunity
specifically, please contact Dr. Matei Georgescu (Matei.Georgescu@asu.edu). Additional
information about our School is available from:
< https://geoplan.asu.edu/research/research-areas/earth-systems-climate-science>.

PhD Opportunity at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)

The Department of Geography and Urban Studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is accepting applications for a four-year assistantship in urban climate for the pursuit of a doctoral degree. The assistantship provides a stipend plus tuition remission. For more information on conditions of employment please see our financial support website: http://bulletin.temple.edu/graduate/financial-information/

Successful applicants will work with Dr. Ariane Middel and will be involved in urban climate projects focused on field observations and spatial modeling of outdoor thermal comfort and microclimate.

Qualified candidates should have a Master’s degree in Geography, Atmospheric Sciences, Earth Sciences, or a related discipline. Candidates should have a strong interest in urban climate and be eager to work in a multi-disciplinary environment. Preference will be given to applicants with strong quantitative backgrounds who have previously completed research in urban climate. Experience in geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, data analysis, and programming skills are desired. Strong skills in oral and written communication are required.

The doctoral program focuses on geographic approaches to the study of urban and environmental processes and conditions in US and international settings. Our emphasis is on the themes of sustainability, social justice, and geographical methods. We train our students to conduct theoretically-informed and empirically-grounded research in urban and metropolitan settings, understand interdisciplinary and integrative analyses of complex urban processes and problems, and specialize in techniques for urban analysis with an emphasis on GIS, spatial statistics, and qualitative methods. The program serves full-time students only.

Applicants should submit application materials to the program no later than January 15, 2018.  

For more information about this assistantship, please contact Dr. Ariane Middel (ariane.middel@temple.edu) and Dr. Kevin Henry (khenry1@temple.edu). Please include a copy of your CV, unofficial academic transcripts, and a brief personal statement that highlights skills relevant to the position.

For more information about the department, please see http://www.cla.temple.edu/gus/.

To apply, please see: http://bulletin.temple.edu/graduate/scd/cla/geography-urban-studies-phd/

Temple University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and the University especially encourages applications from women and minorities.