Open Rank Assistant Associate And Full Professor — Polar And Cryospheric Science

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Position

Open Rank (Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor) — Polar & Cryospheric Science

Employer

Khalifa University of Science and Technology

The internationally top-ranked Khalifa University of Science and Technology is the one university in the UAE with the research and academic programs that address the entire range of strategic, scientific and industrial challenges facing the UAE’s knowledge economy transformation and our rapidly evolving world.

Its world-class faculty and state-of-the-art research facilities provide an unparalleled learning experience to students from the UAE and around the world. The university brings together the best in science, engineering and medicine in the UAE, to offer specialized degrees that can take promising high school graduates all the way to top-rated doctorate degree holders.

Homepage: http://www.ku.ac.ae

Location

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Sector

Academic

Relevant division

Cryospheric Sciences (CR)

Type

Full time

Level

Experienced

Salary

Open

Required education

PhD

Application deadline

Open until the position is filled

Posted

6 January 2026

Job Description

Khalifa University invites applications for an open-rank position (Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor) to lead research and academic strategy in polar and cryospheric science across the Department of Earth Sciences and the Polar Research Center. The appointee will drive a high-profile, externally funded program spanning ice–ocean–atmosphere interactions, ice‑sheet/ice‑shelf dynamics, permafrost and hydrology, biogeochemistry & ecosystems, remote sensing, and numerical/ML modeling, with strong integration of field campaigns and international collaboration.

Position Responsibilities

• Lead a world-class research program with sustained high-impact publications and significant external funding.
• Design and deliver ambitious Arctic/Antarctic field campaigns (e.g., grounding‑line/ice‑shelf surveys, subglacial mapping, accumulation/firn studies) with robust data‑management and open‑science practices.
• Advance theory and prediction of cryosphere change and global impacts (e.g., sea‑level, biogeochemical cycles, ecosystem responses) using field observations, remote sensing, and modeling/ML.
• Build teams and international collaboration; contribute to intercomparison efforts, community datasets, and international assessments (e.g., IPCC).
• Teach and mentor across undergraduate and postgraduate levels (glaciology, cryosphere dynamics, remote sensing, geophysical methods, sea‑level/climate, numerical modeling); supervise PhD students; and mentor postdocs.
• Provide service and leadership within the Department and Center; champion research integrity, and research-led education aligned with establishing a UAE Polar program.
  
  

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Glaciology, Geophysics, Earth/Environmental Sciences, or related field.
• Expertise in one or more of: ice‑sheet/ice‑shelf dynamics; ice–ocean & sea‑ice processes; polar climatology/meteorology; permafrost & terrestrial hydrology; satellite/airborne remote sensing; biogeochemistry & ecology; coupled Earth‑system modeling/data assimilation.
  
  

What We Offer

A globally competitive, internationally benchmarked package and research‑enabling environment; resources to recruit and mentor PhD students and postdocs; access to state-of-the-art facilities and computation; and the opportunity to shape a flagship Polar Research Center. (Compensation and package details are shared during recruitment.)

How to apply

Please submit as a single PDF to earthscience@ku.ac.ae containing CV (with full publications list), cover letter, research statement (past achievements + 3–5‑year plan incl. funding & data/open‑science approach), teaching & mentoring statement, leadership/service statement, up to three representative publications, and 3–5 referees’ names and contacts (letters not requested at initial stage). Review begins immediately and continue until filled.

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