Missions

The ERC project DISPERSAL aims at studying and modeling past mammalian dispersals, using as a type-example the dispersal of rodents and primates from Asia to South America 40 to 35 million years ago. We hire a climate modeler to reconstruct climate parameters along their itinerary to better understand the mechanisms of their dispersal. With new paleogeographic maps, we aim at running a large set of climate simulations, using the state-of-the-art earth system model from the Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace dedicated to paleoclimate studies, IPSL-CM5A2.

Activités

The position will include the following three missions :

Mission 1
-you will test the relevance of floating islands made of vegetation debris as a potential mechanism for overwater dispersal. We will investigate in climate simulation outputs the areas where floating islands could have been generated, reconstruct their hypothetical trajectory and the duration of their trip across the oceans using a module that can track ocean particles in a Lagrangian framework.
Mission 2
-you will draw the general patterns of oceanic circulation and monsoonal patterns during the late middle Eocene. The influence of paleogeographic uncertainties will be tested with the various paleogeographic maps. This first step will allow us to identify potential environmental barriers to the dispersal (deserts, arid areas). Obtained climatic outputs expressed by surface temperature, rainfall intensity and vegetation will be compared with the field data acquired during the project, in order to link our data interpretations to climatic phenomena and use them as a test to determine the accuracy of our boundary conditions;
Mission 3
-You will also run orbital and pCO2 extreme simulations to test if extreme climatic configurations could have favored the dispersal.

Compétences

Expertise :
• The candidates must hold a PhD in the geosciences, including Paleoclimate, Biogeochemistry, Oceanography or a related science.
• Experience in performing and analyzing experiments with a comprehensive earth system model or other numerical tools (sediment, weathering etc.);
• Familiarity with coding and running computer models, very good programming skills in Fortran, Python or equivalent and scripting;
• Demonstrable skills with relevance to Earth system modelling are an asset.
• Proficiency in English (level B2–C1), both spoken and written.
Soft skills :
• Creativity, initiative, and organizational skills
• Ability to work independently and coordinate efforts in an international environment
• Precision and attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal skills and ease in professional interactions with researchers and other staff members
• Thoroughness and strong organizational abilities
• Enjoyment of teamwork and collaboration with partners and networks
• Responsiveness

Contexte de travail

The successful candidate will be part of the ERC DISPERSAL research group led by Alexis Licht and the Climate team at CEREGE. The modeling group of the Climate Team, led by Yannick Donnadieu, performs and analyzes Earth System model simulations covering various time slices across the Meso-Cenozoic with an interactively coupled atmosphere-ocean-vegetation-biogeochemistry model.