PhD in Energy, Environment and Atmospheric Sciences (Project: Atmospheric Sciences)
The Institute and the Research Center
The Cyprus Institute (CyI) is a non-profit research and educational institution with a strong scientific and technological orientation, emphasizing international collaborations, cross-disciplinary research, innovation, and postgraduate education. CyI, through its established research centres, addresses challenging issues that are important at both the regional and international levels.
The selected candidate will be working at the Climate and Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C) of the Cyprus Institute (next to the Athalassa Forestry park, Nicosia), within a highly international environment (100 research staff from 15 different countries).
The Climate and Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C) was established in January 2020 through funding secured from the European Union’s “Horizon 2020” research and innovation programme (under grant agreement No. 856612) and the Cyprus Government, and resources from the Cyprus Institute to research and prepare to solution for the effects of climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region.
The Center carries out a combination of research, innovation and education activities, working in collaboration with international networks of leading academic institutions and thought leaders, and taking advantage of cutting-edge local environmental monitoring facilities.
CARE-C is acting as a knowledge hub for environmental and climate change research, fostering the creation of innovative and sustainable solutions that can help address the challenges facing the EMME region.
The Graduate School
The Graduate School was established in 2010 and is the educational arm of The Cyprus Institute. It is a fully accredited, degree-granting institution of higher education offering postgraduate programs exclusively. It maintains a small number of students that are fully integrated into the research activities of the Institute. This provides the students with the opportunity to acquire hands-on training in the use of the latest methods and techniques, have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and conduct research with internationally recognized research teams.
The successful applicant will be working at the Climate and Atmosphere Research Centre (CARE-C) and its Environmental Observations Department. The selected person will be enrolled in the CyI accredited PhD program: Energy, Environment and Atmospheric Sciences. Possibility for dual degree with University Paris-Saclay or the University of Helsinki.
The Cyprus Institute is seeking for a highly motivated young scientist to join our research team.
| Do you have a degree (master) in environmental sciences, or in a similar field? (Chemical engineers are also encouraged to apply). | |
| Do you want to work in an exciting EU funded project in collaboration with top research institutions across Europe? | |
| Do you have good coding skills (or are you willing to acquire them fast) to uncover new scientific discoveries? | |
| Do you like to fieldwork and enjoy travelling? | |
| Are you interesting in joining a highly international Research Organizations where English is the only and exclusive language within the institute? | |
| Would you like to have an working experience abroad and achieve post-graduate studies under a nice and sunny island of the Mediterranean? |
Then you should consider applying to this PhD position. It offers excellent possibilities for professional development of highly motivated individuals in the framework of the EU-Horizon Europe “Edu4ClimAte” project, and the EU-H2020 “EMME-CARE” project ( http://emme-care.cyi.ac.cy/;), within which the Cyprus Institute established a “Centre of Excellence” in Climate and Atmosphere research for the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region in cooperation with EU Advanced Partners (Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany; University of Helsinki in Finland; and CEA in France).
Description of the PhD project
The successful candidate will advance the CARE-C’s research and innovation agenda in its scientific focus of Environmental Observations area through experimental aerosol research mainly in the field of aerosol source apportionment (SA) using innovative tools. The area of focus will lie on automating existing SA procedures, developing a near real time source-apportioning scheme for online instruments or work with datasets where applying SA techniques. These new tools are of great value for decision-makers whose mission is to inform the public about current degradation of Air Quality
Among other experimental activities, the candidate is expected to support the Cyprus Atmospheric Observatory (CAO, https://cao.cyi.ac.cy/) long-term measurements, and take an active role in the operation of state-of-the-art scientific instruments related to SA, such as ACSM, AE33, and xACT. Engagement in international field campaigns (with a focus on the Middle East), international training workshops related to both instrument (e.g. intercomparison workshops) and software operation as well as laboratory experiments should also be expected. We also appreciate active regional and international networking and support participating in educational programs of the Institute and training of our new research and technical staff.
Other expected achievements include
| Presenting the scientific work in international conferences | |
| Authoring at least two (2) publications for peer reviewed high impact factor journals |
Required Qualifications
| Master’s degree in Atmospheric or Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering or related field. | |
| Excellent knowledge of the English language, both verbal and writing | |
| Good programming skills (e.g. Matlab, R, Python) will help you catch up fast; the candidate must show resilience to learn coding otherwise. | |
| Independent, critical, and proactive thinking. | |
| Strong analytical and organizational skills. | |
| High interpersonal skills and ability to work within a highly international team. | |
| Desire to travel within and outside of the country. |
Preferred skills
| Research experience on aerosol science and source apportionment in specific. | |
| Publication record. | |
| Driving licence. |
Application Process
Applicants should refer to additional information about admission requirements which can be found on our website under the relevant PhD program admissions section.
Applications should be sent through the online application system of The Cyprus Institute Graduate School. When applying through the online application, in Step 2 of the application under the section: “Specific PhD Project” and they should enter the project reference code: GS-EAS-AS-23-1 in order to be considered for the position.
Financial Support
The successful candidate will be employed as a Graduate Research Fellow, benefit from the national health system/medical insurance, and offered competitive financial support similar to PhD salaries across EU.
Application Deadline
The application period will remain open until positions are filled. The selected candidate will be admitted to the PhD programme in Fall 2023.
Contact Information
Please contact Dr Michael PIKRIDAS (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Prof. Jean SCIARE (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for more information. For more information about postgraduate studies at The Cyprus Institute and admission requirements, please contact the Office of Graduate Studies of The Cyprus Institute at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at tel: +357 22208614.
