93107: PhD candidate meteorology, physics, geography or similar (f/m/x) - Climate impacts in a hydrogen economy

Area of research:

Sonstiges,Promotion

Part-Time Suitability:

The position is suitable for part-time employment.

Job description:

The use of hydrogen can reduce climate impacts in many areas. For example, "green" hydrogen, i.e. hydrogen produced from renewable energy, can be used in heavy goods transportation or steel production to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, even green hydrogen is not a climate-neutral energy carrier, as its distribution, storage and use have an indirect impact on climate through chemical processes in the atmosphere - both when molecular hydrogen is released and when hydrogen derivatives are burned.

The quantification of possible effects on the climate, considering various options for the development of a hydrogen economy, is at the core of the planned PhD project. To address such topics, the Department of Earth System Modelling at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics employs the global climate-chemistry model EMAC, which you will further develop with regard to the hydrogen cycle. You will be part of a European project and discuss your results in this international consortium, which includes working groups from the fields of modeling and measurements. The overall project goals are to reduce remaining uncertainties in the atmospheric hydrogen budget and to advise policy makers on the implications of a hydrogen economy. You will use the advanced model to shed light on the climate impact of different hydrogen deployment options, helping to identify the most suitable future pathways.

Your tasks include:

• further development of the hydrogen cycle representation in the global climate-chemistry model system EMAC
• conducting and evaluating EMAC simulations to evaluate the model system through comparisons with measurement data
• conducting and evaluating EMAC simulations for selected measures on the way to a hydrogen economy
• communication and knowledge exchange in the project
• presentation/publication of results at conferences and in scientific journals

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.