PhD student in climate science — Vegetation, paleoclimates and modelling (ORCHIDEE/IPSL). (M/F)
- FTC PhD student / Offer for thesis
- 36 month
- BAC+5
This offer is available in English version
This offer is open to people with a document recognizing their status as a disabled worker.
Offer at a glance
The Unit
Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace
Contract Type
FTC PhD student / Offer for thesis
Working hHours
Full Time
Workplace
91190 GIF SUR YVETTE
Contract Duration
36 month
Date of Hire
01/09/2026
Remuneration
2300 € gross monthly
Apply Application Deadline : 07 July 2026 23:59
Job Description
Thesis Subject
Recent developments of vegetation dynamics models (DVGMs) now enable the dynamic simulation in plant functional types (PFTs) in response to climate change. Yet, the representation of the natural evolution of vegetation has remained virtually unchanged. This type of model is however very useful in paleoclimatology because it helps understand the evolution of vegetation documented by natural archives, particularly pollen records, and study the role of interactions between natural climate changes and vegetation. While current DVGM accounts for competition between functional types, the consideration of climatic constraints on the survival and the regeneration of vegetation types (fitness) is based on a highly simplified, parameterized niche approach calibrated to the current climate. This makes extrapolation to different climatic conditions highly uncertain and compromises the proper consideration of vegetation feedback on climate within the framework of an Earth system model. Similarly, vegetation dynamics are based on current functional types. However, vegetation has evolved significantly, as evidenced by the fossil record, particularly when considering very ancient periods. The traits incorporated into the models are no longer valid in the distant past.
The objective of this thesis will be to test new hypotheses that allow for a better representation of the dynamics of the area covered by natural vegetation in the ORCHIDEE model, and ultimately, in the IPSL-CM7 Earth system model. In particular, we propose to explore a hybrid approach based on the concepts of the PHENOFIT model, which explicitly models phenology and adaptation at the species level by integrating survival, reproductive success, phenological traits, and plasticity in response to climate change. In parallel, we will seek to redefine the types of PFTs. Drawing on both current physiological trait databases (e.g., TRY) and the fossil record, we will explore new parameterizations for different climatic periods (pre-industrial, and ancient warm periods such as the Eocene and Miocene) to assess their impact in different contexts and their consequences for the representation of vegetation-climate feedbacks.
Your Work Environment
This work, funded by the ARCHIVES ANR project under the PEPR TRACCS program, will be carried out at the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences (LSCE), at the intersection of the MOSAIC team (which develops the ORCHIDEE model) and the CLIM climate modeling team.
Constraints and risks
Access to the TGCC supercomputer
Compensation and benefits
Compensation
2300 € gross monthly
Annual leave and RTT
44 jours
Remote Working practice and compensation
Pratique et indemnisation du TT
Transport
Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€
About the offer
| Offer reference | UAR636-MARCAS-011 |
|---|---|
| CN Section(s) / Research Area | Earth System: superficial envelopes |
About the CNRS
The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.
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