Aurora

Employment & Opportunities

Post-doctoral Position in Physical Oceanography of Polar Regions – LOPS/Ifremer, Plouzané, France

Location : Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), Plouzané, France.
Start and duration : Early 2026 for 2 years.

Description of the position

In the Southern Ocean, measurements from Argo floats north of the sea ice edge have revealed a subsurface ocean warming which is thought to be the main cause of the abrupt drop in sea ice observed since 2016. Yet, it remains unclear how the heat content has evolved within the seasonally sea ice covered regions over that period and what mechanisms contribute to building the subsurface heat reservoir and driving the heat up towards sea ice. One may ask about the ability of the current Argo float array to capture the under-ice heat content and its spatio-temporal variability. Then, how could Argo float sampling be optimised and/or augmented to provide a better assessment and monitoring of the heat reservoir? Finally, can Argo float measurements give insights into the drivers of the build-up and ventilation of this reservoir?

The goal of the project is to examine how the current Argo float array may capture the build-up and ventilation of the under-ice subsurface heat reservoir in Antarctica and to assess the value of deploying additional floats, including process floats, to refine our understanding of the drivers of this heat build-up.

To do so, the postholder will perform Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs), a methodological approach that consists in producing synthetic observations from a numerical model. OSSEs are being increasingly used in the climate community to improve decisions related to the design and deployment of observational arrays and to optimize the costs of these efforts which remain extremely demanding in terms of human and material resources, in particular in polar regions. Virtual Argo floats will be deployed within the seasonally-sea ice covered region and will be advected by the velocity output of a global 1/36° ocean-sea ice model run by Mercator Ocean International. The postholder will examine how well the subsurface ocean heat reservoir can be reconstructed from the current fleet of Argo and assess the value of modifying the sampling strategy or augmenting the fleet of autonomous profilers to answer the question of the project. The addition of other observational arrays or platforms (e.g. altimetry) will be considered. In addressing the drivers of the build-up and ventilation of the heat reservoir, a particular focus will be put on ocean mesoscale processes.

This project aims to inform the deployment of autonomous instruments during the Antarctica InSync, an international observational initiative scheduled to start in 2027. A start as soon as possible is thus desired to ensure that results can be communicated to the Antarctica InSync and Polar Argo communities in a timely manner. This project is inscribed into HEAT-UP, a 4-year project (PI: C. Dufour) funded by the French National Agency for Research (ANR) through the Early Career Research (JCJC) programme that will start in January 2026 and will focus on the “Impact of ocean mesoscale on HEAT transport UP to sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic”.

The postholder is expected to conduct original research on the build-up of under-ice subsurface heat reservoir in the Antarctic, and to write academic manuscripts. Dedicated high performance computing resources will be available with the local cluster. The candidate will be employed by Ifremer and will work within the Spatial and Physical Oceanography Laboratory (Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale— LOPS) located on the Technopole Brest-Iroise in Plouzané, France. At LOPS, the postholder will interact with Drs. Carolina Dufour and Nicolas Kolodziejczyk and will be encouraged to develop national and international collaborations with colleagues working on similar topics. The postholder will be offered opportunities for professional development including outreach and mentoring, and supervision of undergraduate or graduate students.

Qualification requirements

Required
✔PhD degree in physical oceanography, climate modeling, environmental sciences, or related fields.
✔Excellent programming skills.
✔High proficiency in numerical simulation analysis.
✔Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
✔Ability to and interest in working in team.

Desirable
✔Proficiency in Python.
✔Experience in analysis of high-resolution model output (≥1/10°).
✔Experience with working with observations, in particular with Argo floats.

Eligibility
The candidate must have obtained their doctoral degree within 3 years prior to their start date.

Why joining us
✔LOPS gathers a vibrant community of researchers with a wide range of expertise on physical oceanography organized around four themes: ocean and climate, ocean-scale interactions, coastal ocean, and spatial oceanography and the air-sea interface. The LOPS is situated on the campus of the European Institute for Marine Studies (IUEM), a multidisciplenary institution in the field of marine and coastal sciences, thus providing a stimulating working environment.
✔Ifremer is a government funded research institute that is dedicated solely to knowledge about the ocean. Ifremer’s scientific and technological research, innovation and expertise contribute to protecting and restoring the ocean, sustainably managing marine resources and environments and sharing marine data and information. Notably, Ifremer plays a leading role in coordinating the international Argo program.
✔Brest is located at the northwestern tip of France by the Atlantic Ocean. It is a middle-size city with many cultural and sea-oriented outdoor activities such as surfing, sailing and diving. The cost of living is relatively low in Brest, with the housing being about 30% cheaper than the national average.
✔Benefits include health insurance and retirement plan. The sport and cultural association of Ifremer proposes many activities throughout the year. Ifremer also provides its employees discounts for extra-professional activities (culture, sport), including for employees’ family.

How to apply
The application must include:
✔A cover letter (statement of motivation summarizing scientific work and research interest).
✔A detailed CV including research experience and any other relevant experience (e.g., teaching, supervision, outreach), a complete list of publications, and technical skills.
✔Names and contact details of two references (name, affiliation, relation to candidate, e-mail).

Please send your application to carolina.dufour@ifremer.fr by October 15th, 2025.