- You like studying complex environmental processes and dynamics?
- You have experience in working with numerical models of the Earth system or its components?
- You enjoy problem solving, numerical modelling, programming, working with large data sets, applying statistical methods, among other research strategies and tools?
Our Annual Call for applications is open from 1 July - 15 September (the Call for 2026 is closed).
This is what you bring:
- A first class Master’s degree with written thesis (!) in physics, geophysical sciences (incl. meteorology and oceanography), ecology, mathematics, computer science, engineering, economics, or political science
- Students currently working on their MSc thesis are also encouraged to apply
- The study and work load for both your degrees (MSc and BSc) amount to (at least) 300 ECTS (or an equivalent to this)
This is what we offer:
- A large, diverse and international, high quality and inspiring research environment
- Being part of a group of doctoral candidates with similar research interests
- Ample opportunity to advance your academic training and skills, and to present your own science and research results
- Supervision through a personal scientific Advisory Panel
- Dedicated support through the office team
- A 3-year doctoral contract with social benefits; monthly net payment approximately EUR 2,000. This amount is sufficient to cover your basic living expenses
Application
Dates (of a general annual call)
| 1 July – 15 September | online registration |
| until 20 September | acceptance of reference letters |
| early November | interview invitations are sent out |
| 20 + 21 November | interviews |
| December | topic discussion for successful applicants & response to the applicant pool |
| 1 March | start of position (or later, upon individual agreement) |
Documents
- All required documents must be submitted electronically
- Submit documents that follow the prescribed format only (see 2nd step below)
- For reference letters use the prescribed reference form (link to be found at Step 4)
WE DO NOT ACCEPT
- any hardcopies / paper copies sent by ordinary post or fax
Step-by-step
A complete application consists of the following documents:
- Letter of Motivation (see advice ‘General notes’ at the end of these guidelines)
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Documents related to your Master’s degree (see FAQ if not available yet)
- title page of your thesis and an abstract
- copy of MSc certificate
- copy of MSc transcript (a list of all courses/lectures you took including marks and explanation of grading system)
- Documents related to your Bachelor’s degree
- copy of BSc certificate
- copy of BSc transcript (a list of all courses/lectures you took including marks and explanation of grading system)
- Proof of English skills, if possible
- 2 Reference Letters (consider 2 senior scientists) – further details are found in step 4
Optionally you may submit any additional documents, which you consider important for your application (e.g. publications, job references, certificates of workshops or awards etc.).
Note that both pdf files must be uploaded during the subsequent online registration process.
1. The first file ‘application documents.pdf’ should contain (in the following order and using these file names)
- Letter of Motivation
- CV
- MSc transcript
- BSc transcript
2. The second file ‘complementing information.pdf’ should contain (in the following order)
- The title page and abstract of your MSc thesis
(preliminary information in case the preparation of your thesis is on-going) - Your MSc certificate (in case not yet available, please include instead an informal note which announces the expected date of completion of your MSc)
- Your BSc certificate
- If applicable: any additional documents related to your application such as e.g. publications, job references, certificates of workshop, etc
During the online registration (find the link at the bottom of this page while Call is open) you will need to complete our registration form and upload the required application files (thus, the two pdf files you prepared before - see step 2).
We recommend to allow some time for the completion of the registration form as detailed information is requested. Be aware that once you exit the questionnaire, all entries are lost!
Therefore, we suggest that you look at the questionnaire and study all solicited entries before starting to fill it in. Most answers are straightforward and short. However, some points need further elaboration. Perhaps you wish to first prepare more detailed answers off-line and then copy/paste text blocks directly into the online form.
After successful registration you will receive an automatic confirmation e-mail.
Step 4: Arrange for two reference letters (submission until 20 September)
You require two reference letters to complete your application.
Your two referees will be contacted automatically when you submit your application form and asked to upload their letters of recommendation directly into our application portal. The automated email will contain a link to the reference letter template.
IMPORTANT!
- We only consider references who use our standardized reference letter template
- Your application can only be processed AFTER we have received the two reference letters
Advice for your ‘Letter of Motivation’ (to be written in English):
We recommend that you prepare this document very carefully as this is a crucial component in the selection process! Apart from a brief, general introduction of yourself and your academic interests you should elaborate on:
- Your motivation for aiming to do PhD research
- Your reasons for choosing IMPRS-ESM in Hamburg for your advanced studies
- The research topic(s) in which you are interested
Language of your academic documents:
Application documents that are neither in German nor English must be accompanied by a translation into one of these two languages (please note that the 'Letter of Motivation' must be written in English). In this very first stage of application to the IMPRS-ESM, unofficial translations serve well. However, upon admission to our doctoral program and for registration as PhD candidate at the University of Hamburg officially certified translations are required.
Please allow yourself enough time to submit your application and do not wait until the last moment as technical difficulties or other problems might occur. The application period is also a busy time for us - therefore we are not always able to answer immediately.
Overview of potential supervisors per research area
Our research aims to understand how climate is influenced by the water content in the atmosphere. We study how clouds affect the reflection of sunlight, how moisture changes the structure of the lower atmosphere and how water-based weather systems interact with the Earth's surface and upper atmosphere. In recent years, we have developed new methods both in modeling and in our observational techniques.
Our objective is to elucidate the mechanisms governing large-scale climate patterns and climate change induced by greenhouse gases and aerosols. This investigation encompasses a detailed examination of the complex interactions among different components of the Earth's system, including atmospheric and ocean circulation, cloud radiation, and land processes. To achieve this, we conduct a series of hierarchical model experiments, ranging from the use of an aquaplanet slab ocean model to a storm-resolving coupled model.
| Beer, Christian (UHH) | Brovkin, Victor (MPI-M) | Gutierrez-Brizuela, Noel (MPI-M) |
| Hohenegger, Cathy (MPI-M) | Kang, Sarah (MPI-M) | Schmidt, Hauke (MPI-M) |
We investigate climate and Earth-system variability on all timescales from seasonal to millennial. A particular focus lies on the role of the ocean in climate variability and change. The main research tools are coupled ocean-atmosphere and Earth-system models, but observations, statistical analysis, and data assimilation are also employed.
Expected research topics include the assessment of weather and climate extremes and their socio-economic impacts, as well as their interactions with sustainable development goals. Integrated studies on agriculture and forestry will also be conducted, focusing on reducing negative environmental impacts, developing sustainable adaptation strategies and analyzing conflicts and synergies between multiple land use objectives. Other research includes the development of methods to produce reliable climate policy recommendations using economic models that take uncertainties into account, with the aim of providing informed advice to policy makers.
| Gerber, Anke (UHH) | Held, Hermann (UHH) | Lange, Andreas (UHH) |
| Perino, Grischa UHH) | Schneider, Uwe (UHH) | Sillmann, Jana (UHH) |
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