The Centre for the Analysis of Time Series (CATS) at LSE is please to advertise the following PhD studentship.
(Please note: to be eligible for full fees and living allowance students must meet the NERC UK residency requirements. EU citizens will typically not be eligible for living allowance unless they have been resident in the UK for the previous three years. Non-EU/overseas applicants will not be eligible.)
A NERC funded PhD studentship is currently available at the Centre for the Analysis of Time Series and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. The student will study the relationship between models and reality in the context of climate change. An understanding of such relationships is a crucial element in deriving robust and relevant information from scientific understanding for use in policy.
The research will work towards the design of ensemble experiments which can evaluate the spatial and temporal scales on which complex climate models can potentially provide quantitative information about the future real world climate. In constructing such a design the student will use simple and intermediate complexity models. On weather forecasting timescales techniques have been developed to quantify how long a model simulation can remain close to observations, this is known as “shadowing”. Here the aim is to look at the application of such techniques to climate and climate change, to illustrate and refine the methods with simple models, and to work towards an experimental design which may be applicable to complex climate models, possibly within the context of a distributed computing methodology. Such an approach has the potential to clarify where and how model based forecasts can add value to real world decisions and to guide and evaluate the improvement of climate models. The studentship is part of a wider project attempting to quantify the likelihood of a shut down in the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) in the North Atlantic. Models of the MOC may form part of the research.
The project will be supervised by David Stainforth and Leonard Smith. Familiarity with computational analysis, preferably within a linux environment, would be beneficial.
The studentship is available from June 2010 although a start date of October 2010 is anticipated. To be eligible for full fees and living allowance students must meet the NERC UK residency requirements. EU citizens will typically not be eligible for living allowance unless they have been resident in the UK for the previous three years.
To apply please send your CV and covering letter explaining your interest and expertise relevant to this subject to Lyn Grove, [log in to unmask]
Closing date for applications: 16th May 2010
Short-listed candidates will be invited to attend an informal interview and if successful advised about making a formal application to LSE.
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