British Antarctic Survey
Firn Glaciologist
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British Antarctic Survey
BAS 26/62
Contract type
Fixed-term contract 23 months
Location
Cambridge
Salary
£42,688 - £46,957
Closing date
26th August 2026
Interview date
16th September 2026
Background/Overview:
Purpose
This post is for a physical scientist to combine geophysical observations and satellite remote sensing from the Larsen C Ice Shelf to understand the evolution of the firn layer. This post is part of an NWO-funded scientific project (Evolution of the Larsen C firn layer: a multi-decadal record of ice shelf vulnerability to atmospheric warming) in collaboration with the Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht (IMAU), Northumbria University, and Delft University of Technology. The postholder will lead the BAS contribution to this work, which will mainly focus on the analysis of radar and satellite datasets to understand physical changes to the Larsen C firn layer over the last several decades. Outputs from the BAS work will feed into state-of-the-art climate and firn models to project the vulnerability of the ice shelf to atmospheric warming over the coming century.
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Duties:
- Analysis of phase-sensitive ground-based radar (ApRES) from a standard 300MHz system and a new UHF system for high-resolution measurements of firn structure
- Comparison between density profiles from shallow firn cores and density estimates from radar data
- Analysis of satellite altimetry and the representation of changes in firn properties in satellite data
- Collaboration with colleagues in the Atmosphere, Ice and Climate Team and at the University of Utrecht, Netherlands
- Presenting findings in the scientific literature and at international scientific conferences
Skills, Qualifications and Experience
Essential:
- Expertise managing and processing ground-based radar data
- Experience with observations of ice/firn properties
- First degree in physical sciences plus PhD in geophysics (or equivalent experience) or expect to have successfully passed their PhD viva within 5 months after employment commences
- Excellent numerical skills
- Experience of computer programming
- Experience of Linux or PC-based systems
- Proficient in written and spoken English
- Ability to present science in a clear and compelling way
- Strong project planning and organizational skills
- Able to work effectively as part of a team
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Desirable:
- Expertise working with remote sensing data, particularly satellite altimetry data (ICESat-2, CryoSat-2)
- Experience with phase-sensitive radar data (ApRES)
- Experience working in polar regions
- Modelling of firn
- Experience of programming in Matlab and/or Python
- Experience with GIS software (e.g. QGIS)
- Track record of high-quality scientific publications as sole or lead author, commensurate with career stage
- Ability to work collaboratively with researchers at other institutions, particularly internationally
The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.
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