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Palaeoclimate PhD | Testing Ice-Sheet Meltwater's Role in Abrupt Climate Shifts

Project 2658 · University of Leeds · School of Earth & Environment (now School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability)

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Save this opportunity and prepare around its actual requirements. Confirm deadlines and eligibility at the original source.

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Country or region
United Kingdom
Application deadline
2027-01-12 (confirm the exact time with the source)
Funding
YES•DTN competitive 3.5-year studentship covering a UKRI-rate stipend, university tuition, and research/fieldwork/training/conference support. Saved 2026/27 stipend reference: £21,805; 2027/28 stipend and individual award amount unconfirmed. The network allocates up to 30% of full awards to international candidates and says it covers the tuition difference, but this project is not guaranteed an international place. Visa, health surcharge, relocation and travel are excluded.

The research opportunity

Project overview This PhD at the University of Leeds will use the HadCM3 climate model and reconstructions of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets to investigate abrupt climate changes during the last deglaciation, approximately 21,000–11,000 years ago. It asks how uncertainties in ice-sheet evolution and meltwater delivery affected the timing and occurrence of events such as the Bølling warming and Younger Dryas. This is research on past climate transitions, not a direct forecast of future tipping points.

Doctoral work The project will develop plausible ice-sheet and meltwater scenarios from geological reconstructions and ice-sheet model output, varying ice-sheet geometry and retreat, freshwater volume and timing, and drainage/rerouting. These scenarios will be tested with HadCM3 to assess event timing and frequency, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) strength and regional warming/cooling. Results will be compared with palaeoclimate records of temperature, ocean circulation, geochemistry and hydroclimate. The project also allows sensitivity experiments that vary model inputs beyond geological constraints to test model response. Leeds Climate-Ice group simulations have produced abrupt changes, but their timing and frequency did not match geological evidence; the PhD will investigate how forcing histories and model response affect that comparison.

The project description does not state a HadCM3 configuration, number of simulations, named proxy datasets, HPC allocation or staged work plan. These affect feasibility and should be agreed with the supervisors. The listed project is non-CASE and has no named external partner.

Applicants and application The YES•DTN network normally requires a relevant-subject UK 2:1 or equivalent; a first-class degree is usually more competitive for scholarship funding. Confirm the programme's specific English-language requirements. Submit both the University of Leeds online application (OLA) and the YES•DTN JISC form. The OLA must select “NERC YES DTN Yorkshire Environmental Sciences”; use the student ID issued after the OLA to complete the network form. One network application may list this project first and a second project in the same School. The deadline is 13:00 GMT on 12 January 2027. Saved YES•DTN pages conflict on the opening date: Join Us gives 2 November 2026, while How To Apply and the project list give 12 November 2026; confirm the applicable date with the network.

Funding YES•DTN advertises 3.5 years of funding, including a UKRI-rate stipend, university tuition, and research, fieldwork, training and conference support. The saved UKRI reference for 2026/27 is £21,805; the 2027/28 stipend and individual award amount are not stated. Up to 30% of full scholarships may go to International applicants; the network says it covers the tuition difference, but this does not guarantee a place in this project. The 2027/28 Leeds international research fee listed for this School is £33,000; the UK fee remains unconfirmed. Visa, health surcharge, relocation and travel are excluded from the award. Leeds estimates living costs at £320 per week (£16,640 over 52 weeks); compared with the current stipend reference, about £5,165 remains before tuition-related or other costs. This is a planning comparison, not a forecast for 2027/28.

Research and application brief

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Show report contents

Palaeoclimate PhD | Testing Ice-Sheet Meltwater's Role in Abrupt Climate Shifts

Research cut-off: 6 November 2026

Quick decision

Strong thematic match with material scope and funding-selection uncertainties. YES-27-A-09 at the University of Leeds asks how ice-sheet evolution and meltwater delivery shaped abrupt climate shifts during the last deglaciation. Its combination of ice-sheet reconstructions, HadCM3 simulations and palaeoclimate evidence fits primary supervisor Professor Lauren Gregoire and academic supervisor Dr Ruza Ivanovic. YES•DTN advertises a 3.5-year studentship with a UKRI-rate stipend, university fees and research/training support. The project deadline is 12 January 2027 at 13:00 GMT.

The main challenge is scope: build plausible ice-sheet/meltwater scenarios, run climate simulations, diagnose AMOC and regional responses, and compare several classes of palaeorecords. The project entry does not specify the HadCM3 configuration, simulation count, proxy datasets, compute allocation or work-package priorities. Related studies show simulated abrupt events depend on forcing, ice-sheet geometry and initial ocean state, and some experiments do not reproduce observed event timing. Ask how the project will be scoped in 3.5 years, which model/data resources are confirmed and what would count as a useful result if the model misses the historical chronology.

Research question and work

Why it matters

During the last deglaciation, roughly 21,000–11,000 years ago, Earth moved from glacial conditions toward the present interglacial. North Atlantic climate shifted abruptly, including the Bølling warming and Younger Dryas. The project focuses on freshwater released as Northern Hemisphere ice sheets changed: how much entered the ocean, when, and along which routes. These forcings may have altered Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and regional climate. This is a study of past transitions, not a direct forecast of future tipping points. Official project description

Advertised work packages

  1. Develop plausible ice-sheet/meltwater scenarios from geological reconstructions and ice-sheet model output, varying ice geometry/retreat, freshwater magnitude and timing, and drainage/rerouting.
  2. Test scenarios in HadCM3, evaluating event timing/frequency, AMOC strength and regional warming/cooling.
  3. Compare simulations with temperature, ocean-circulation, geochemical and hydroclimate records. The brief also leaves room for sensitivity tests beyond geological constraints.

The project page does not give an experiment count, named proxy archives, model version, spin-up state, code/data repository, HPC allocation or staged plan. Establish which deliverables are essential and which are exploratory.

Research frontier

A 2024 PMIP4 comparison of 17 transient simulations across nine models found freshwater amount/distribution, initial AMOC state and experiment design can substantially change simulated early deglaciation. 2024 multi-model study

A 2022 HadCM3 study used fixed meltwater snapshots derived from GLAC-1D to produce millennial-scale AMOC/climate oscillations. This occurred only within a restricted forcing regime; holding a snapshot constant for millennia is idealized rather than a faithful transient history. 2022 HadCM3 study

A 2025 paper developed a convection–advection mechanism for oscillations in related HadCM3 simulations and called for more sensitivity experiments. A 2024 Leeds-led conference abstract reported different outcomes under GLAC-1D and ICE-6G_C, but simulated abrupt transitions did not reproduce observed event timing. A separate 2024 coupled ice-sheet/climate ensemble illustrates the challenge of linking ice geometry and climate response. These studies support the project rationale but do not establish one unique historical explanation. 2025 mechanism study · GLAC-1D/ICE-6G_C comparison · 2024 coupled ice-sheet ensemble

The PMIP4 deglaciation protocol documents comparative experiment design and boundary conditions. A 2024 Leeds-team abstract describes sensitivity tests of CO₂, orbital forcing and ice-sheet geometry; these are context, not commitments about this PhD’s exact methods. PMIP4 experiment design · Boundary-condition sensitivity abstract

School, degree and training

The degree-awarding institution is the University of Leeds. The project is listed in the School of Earth and Environment, now presented by Leeds as the School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability. The school reports 2026 QS subject positions including 12th globally for Earth and Marine and top 40 for Environmental Sciences; Leeds is 77th in QS World University Rankings 2027. Its REF 2021 unit-level statement describes atmospheric science, physical climate, ice sheets, ocean circulation and climate modelling. These are broad institutional/subject indicators, not ratings of this PhD or guarantees of student resources. School reputation · REF 2021 UOA7 statement

The project sits within YES•DTN, a Leeds–York environmental-science network supported through NERC and BBSRC Doctoral Landscape Awards. The network describes cohort-based transferable-skills training, student-led technical development and research-cost support. Leeds says full-time PhDs normally take three to four years; this project lists 3.5 funded years. Confirm registration duration and write-up arrangements in the offer. The project is marked non-CASE and lists no partner; general network references to industry partners or placements do not establish an external collaboration for this project. YES•DTN funding · YES•DTN training · Leeds PhD expectations

Supervisors and research setting

Professor Lauren Gregoire is Professor of Climate and Cryosphere and a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow. Her work includes ice-sheet/climate modelling, abrupt climate change, deglaciation and uncertainty quantification; her group uses HadCM3 and other climate models, ice-sheet models and HPC. Dr Ruza Ivanovic is an Associate Professor in Climatology focused on deglacial climate–ice-sheet–ocean interactions and abrupt events, using HadCM3/FAMOUS and ice-sheet models. Both co-lead Leeds’ Climate-Ice group and participate in international deglaciation modelling collaborations. Their profiles show direct topic and method fit. Gregoire profile · Ivanovic profile

Public pages describe the wider research environment but do not confirm this student’s HPC allocation, model onboarding, dataset access, supervision cadence or responsibility for a particular HadCM3 branch. Ask before judging whether the scope is feasible in 3.5 funded years. School research and innovation

Funding, application and costs

YES•DTN describes a 3.5-year studentship covering a UKRI-rate stipend, university fees, and support for research costs, fieldwork, training and conference travel. Up to 30% of full scholarships may go to international candidates, and the network says it covers the home/international tuition difference. This is a network-wide cap, not a promise this project will allocate an international place. Visa, health surcharge, relocation and travel are excluded. The general minimum is a relevant-subject 2:1 or equivalent; a first-class degree is usually needed to be competitive for scholarship funding. Listed relevant fields include atmospheric science, Earth/environmental science, geography, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography and physics. YES•DTN eligibility and funding FAQ · 2027 project list

UKRI’s 2026/27 minimum stipend is £21,805 and its fee benchmark is £5,238. These are current reference rates, not the 2027/28 individual award amount. Leeds lists the 2027/28 international research fee for Earth, Environment and Sustainability at £33,000; the UK fee is still to be confirmed. Confirm any project-specific bench or additional study costs in the written award. UKRI rates · Leeds research fees

Application and opening-date conflict

The project deadline is 12 January 2027 at 13:00 GMT. YES•DTN requires both a Leeds online application (OLA) and the network JISC form. The OLA must select “NERC YES DTN Yorkshire Environmental Sciences”; the applicant needs the student ID issued after submitting the OLA before completing the YES•DTN form. Submit one network application, with this project first and optionally a second project in the same school. Allow time for the student ID; late applications are not accepted. How to apply

Official pages conflict on the opening date: Join Us says 2 November 2026, while How To Apply and the 2027 project list say 12 November 2026. The reviewed pages agree on the 12 January, 13:00 GMT deadline. Confirm the opening date with the network. Join Us · How To Apply · 2027 project list

Leeds’ 2026 guide estimates average living costs at £320 per week, or £16,640 for 52 weeks, before tuition and personal immigration, travel or setup costs. Against the 2026/27 stipend benchmark of £21,805, this leaves roughly £5,165 a year before extra costs and individual differences. This is a planning comparison, not a guaranteed 2027/28 budget. Leeds living costs

For international applicants, the current student-visa funds threshold outside London is £1,171 per month for up to nine months; GOV.UK currently lists a £558 visa fee and £776 per year for the student health surcharge. These may change before 2027. The visa funds test is not a full-year budget; YES•DTN excludes visa, surcharge, relocation and travel from its award. Visa funds · Visa fees and overview

Applicant fit and career relevance

This project suits applicants interested in quantitative Earth-system science who can combine physical reasoning, modelling and evidence comparison. An application could show relevant coursework/research, scientific-computing experience, analysis of uncertain time series, and awareness of model assumptions and validation. These are preparation recommendations, not extra formal criteria. Confirm course-specific English-language requirements with admissions. YES•DTN eligibility FAQ · Leeds PGR application

Possible pathways include university/institute palaeoclimate and climate-modelling research; government and national meteorological services; climate monitoring and impacts; scientific software, model evaluation and environmental data analysis; and climate-related policy support. The UK National Careers Service describes climate-scientist work involving modelling, data analysis and past climate; the Met Office lists climate, cryosphere, ocean, Earth-system, global-modelling and model-evaluation teams. These sources identify work functions, not vacancy numbers, placement access or employment guarantees. Climate scientist profile · Met Office research roles

Main risks and questions

  • Which scenario-building, model runs and proxy comparisons are essential, and what can be adjusted if computation or data assembly takes longer than expected?
  • Which HadCM3 configuration and initial state are planned? What datasets, HPC allocation, workflow support and model onboarding are confirmed?
  • How will the project distinguish a useful sensitivity result from an experiment that merely reproduces one event? What result is useful if simulated timing differs from evidence?
  • What are the 2027/28 stipend, funding dates, registration duration and write-up arrangements? Are any bench or extra costs due?
  • Will this specific place be open to international-fee applicants, and how is the network’s 30% maximum allocated?
  • Which opening date controls: 2 or 12 November 2026? Are both forms due by 13:00 GMT on 12 January?
  • What supervision cadence and individual training are planned? Is any project-specific placement or external partner confirmed? The project is marked non-CASE and lists no partner.

Evidence and Sources

Project and Application

Supervisors, School and Training

Scientific Sources

Fees, Costs and Career

Sources

The listing may come from a university or recruitment platform. Check the notice and official sources in the report for current application requirements. View the recruitment source

Explore opportunities with related research or the same country, prioritising similar funding where relevant. Recheck each notice before applying.

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