PhD in Climate Modelling (M/F): Modelling the injection of stratospheric aerosols and its impact on the climate of France

Role: PhD in Climate Modelling (M/F): Modelling the injection of stratospheric aerosols and its impact on the climate of France
Organisation: CNRS - National Center for Scientific Research
Department: Centre national de recherches météorologiques (CNRM)
Location: Toulouse, France
Contract Type: Temporary, Full-time (35 hours/week)
Start Date: 1 Oct 2026
Application Deadline: 26 Jun 2026 - 23:59 (UTC)

Role Overview:
This PhD research project is funded by the GEOSIC ANR project, included in the TRACCS programme. The project aims to provide a comprehensive overview of potential future climates resulting from climate change and climate intervention, considering the global social and geopolitical context and impacts on mitigation and adaptation scenarios. The PhD student will be based in the GMGEC (Large-Scale Modelling and Climate Group) at the CNRM.

Given current greenhouse gas emission rates, the 2.0°C warming threshold is expected to be exceeded in coming decades, sparking interest in climate intervention methods, particularly solar radiation management (SRM). However, SRM impacts remain poorly quantified, with uncertainties regarding unintended effects such as changes in precipitation, effects on stratospheric ozone, and consequences of halting application. Specifically, the regional consequences for France of global SRM deployment are currently unknown. Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) is a frequently considered SRM technique warranting specific study. The aim of this thesis is to estimate and understand the effects of applying SAI-based climate intervention methods on France's climate.

Responsibilities:
The successful candidate will use a multi-scale climate modelling approach, ranging from global to regional. Key tasks include:
1. Implementing a stratospheric aerosol module (such as that of Chabrillat et al. 2025) into the CNRM global and regional climate models. This involves improving current aerosol and chemistry schemes contained in the ACLIB library to enable the reproduction of injections envisaged in climate intervention methods.
2. Producing global simulations with and without the injection of stratospheric aerosols worldwide.
3. Applying a downscaling process to the scale of France using a regional climate model driven by these global simulations.
4. Carrying out and analysing climate simulations with and without SAI to study impacts on France's climate, including average climate and extreme events (heatwaves, heavy rainfall, etc.).

Requirements and Qualifications:
- Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent in Environmental science, Earth science, or Global change.
- Research Experience: None required.
- Languages: French (Basic level).
- Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1).

What They Offer:
- A position within the Centre national de recherches météorologiques (CNRM) in Toulouse, France.
- Opportunity to work on cutting-edge climate modelling using CNRM global (Séférian et al. 2019) and regional (Nabat et al. 2020, Caillaud et al. 2021) climate models.
- Full-time temporary contract funded through the GEOSIC ANR project.