Postdoctoral Research Associate

The Department of Water, Landscape and Infrastructure, Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and River Research is currently seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate for project employment.

Extent of employment: 40 hours per week. Duration of employment: 1st of October 2026, limited to 30th of September 2029. Allocation in compliance with the Collective Agreement for University Staff to job group B1 lit. b. Gross monthly salary depending on previous eligible experience: at least € 5.014,30, payable 14 times per year.

Responsibilities

• Develop data-driven and physics-informed models to upscale experimentally measured micro- and nanoplastic emissions toward regional and global predictions.
• Connect laboratory observations with environmental forcing parameters.
• Integrate emission parameterizations into atmospheric transport models.
• Perform statistical analysis and predictive modelling.
• Synthesize large experimental and environmental datasets to constrain marine plastic emission fluxes under realistic ocean conditions.
• Develop and apply approaches for upscaling laboratory measurements to regional and global emission estimates.
• Work closely with experimentalists and atmospheric modelling teams across the AERIAL consortium.
• Contribute to the development and evaluation of model parameterizations.
• Disseminate research results through scientific publications and scientific meetings.

Required skills and qualifications

• Doctorate degree/PhD preferably in environmental modelling, turbulence, geophysical flows, atmospheric sciences, data science, machine learning, applied mathematics or a related field.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Strong background in one or more of the above fields.
• Experience with scientific programming and large-scale data analysis.
• Experience with statistical analysis and predictive modelling.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills.

Desirable skills and qualifications

• Experience with physics-informed modelling or machine learning.
• Experience with atmospheric transport modelling.
• Experience working with large experimental and environmental datasets.
• Knowledge of marine or atmospheric processes relevant to plastic transport and emissions.
• Ability to work independently and as part of an interdisciplinary research team.
• Willingness to travel for national and international conferences and workshops.

Application

Applications can be submitted until 22nd of September 2026. Please send your application including motivation letter, CV and list of publications to HR Management, BOKU University, Peter-Jordan-Straße 70, 1190 Vienna, or by e-mail to recruiting@boku.ac.at. Reference code: 170.

www.boku.ac.at