We offer three Ph.D. positions within the ITHACA project. Funded by the Czech Science Foundation, this 5-year Junior STAR grant will provide an answer on how the acceleration of the hydrological cycle will influence water availability over land. We will achieve this by using a combination of statistical and process-based approaches, aiming to high-impact results and new discoveries that will help us understand how the water cycle responds to global temperature. The project team led by Y. Markonis consists of experts in hydroclimatology (M. Hanel, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague), hydrology (O. Rakovec, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research), and stochastic hydrology (S. M. Papalexiou, University of Calgary). In addition, it is also supported by external collaborations with Rutgers University, Imperial College London, and Beijing Normal University. The topics are:
The extreme 21st century droughts and their relationship to the terrestrial water cycle changes
How the extreme droughts experienced in the 21st century are related to changes occurring in the terrestrial water cycle? This Ph.D. position explores this question, starting with an analysis of the extreme droughts that occurred throughout the last decades, then investigating the current trends in drought around the globe to conclude with how they compare to the large-scale aridification patterns. Understanding this relationship is crucial as it has profound impacts over water resources, agriculture, ecosystems, and socio-economic systems, necessitating effective mitigation and adaptation strategies. With the completion of the Ph.D. thesis, the successful candidate will have obtained deep knowledge of the hydroclimatic processes related to the terrestrial water cycle, strong proficiency with data analysis methods, and expertise in handling and visualizing big data. Candidates with a background in hydrology and/or climatology are encouraged to apply.
Application of Machine Learning for data fusion with hydroclimatic time series
In a world full of data products that overlap each other it becomes increasingly harder to determine the hydroclimatic signal and determine the significance of the changes observed in the terrestrial water cycle. The aim of this Ph.D. thesis is to use the state-of-the-art techniques to disentangle dataset agreement and provide more robust estimates of the components of the terrestrial water cycle. The Ph.D. candidate will investigate new data fusion techniques and apply explanatory modelling analysis to set the foundations of the next generation of datasets in hydroclimatic time series. With the completion of the Ph.D. thesis, the successful candidate will have obtained strong understanding of both traditional statistical and machine learning methods, working proficiency with all the types of the state-of-the-art hydroclimatic data, and a wide expertise in handling and visualizing big data. Candidates with a background in statistics and/or programming are encouraged to apply.
Cross-scale hydroclimatic change at mesoscale catchments in the last two millennia
Use a hydrological model to study the long-term changes of terrestrial water cycle and embark in a journey of 2000 years across water catchments world. In this modelling attempt, the most robust paleoclimatic reconstructions will be used over the regions with the lowest uncertainty to create a stochastic ensemble of hydrological reconstructions. Then, the ongoing and future changes will be assessed to understand the impact of global warming to ongoing and projected scenarios. Determining the role of natural variability is pivotal to constrain the predicted magnitude of future change over the water resources and understand the risk to human societies. With the completion of the Ph.D. thesis, the successful candidate will have obtained a varied combination of skills that involve hydrological modeling, statistical tools for exploratory data analysis, and a thorough understanding of paleoclimatic techniques. Candidates with a background in hydrological modelling and/or statistics are encouraged to apply.
All positions come with competitive salaries. The Ph.D. studies start in October 2024. The post-doctoral positions will be open until filled, while the deadline for the Ph.D. positions is the 10th of March. Interested candidates should send a CV and a motivation letter explicitly describing how their research background and future aspirations align to the position to markonis@fzp.czu.cz.
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU) is the leading Czech university in water research. Currently, the university has more than 18 000 students (10% are international students), six Faculties and one Institute. CZU offers over 170 accredited study programs at B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. levels with a quarter of them offered in English. Since 2007 the Czech University of Life Sciences has been a member of the Euroleague for Life Sciences and was recently ranked as the most sustainable university in the Czech Republic. The Faculty of Environmental Sciences (FES) is one of the top Faculties nationwide with extensive experience in teaching and broad research interests. It follows an integrative, multi-disciplinary approach in the doctoral and master’s degree programs, and the faculty is committed to providing graduate students with skills to be successful in a range of careers. The project will be carried out in the Department of Water Resources and Environmental Modeling, a fast-growing and dynamic department with high research activity and increasing international exposure. Our scientific studies cover a broad range of subjects ranging from hydroclimatic variability to planetary hydrology. CZU is located in Prague, one of the top-ranked European cities to live in, with a rich history in arts and science.
Water & Climate 