Doctoral Student in Physical Oceanography

General Information

Reference number: PAR 2026/691.

The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 58,000 students and 6,800 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

The Department of Marine Sciences (marine.gu.se) is Sweden’s most complete marine research and education environment and is one of the few such organisations in Europe. The Department, established in 2015, brings together expertise in physical oceanography, marine chemistry, marine biology, marine geology, and marine cultural conservation. The department thus has excellent conditions for meeting future challenges in marine research and education. The Department of Marine Sciences has permanent staff in three locations: in Gothenburg and at the research stations Kristineberg and Tjärnö in Bohuslän.

Subject Area Description

Investigating fine-scale ocean and atmosphere dynamics in the Agulhas Current System. The PhD focus is on quantifying and understanding vertical transport/ventilation of properties (heat, nutrients, carbon, particles, etc) in the ocean.

Physics-climate interactions in the oceans is one of the primary sources of uncertainty in global climate understanding and its future prediction. These uncertainties are particularly prevalent in the subtropical gateways that link the global overturning circulation. One such region is the Cape Basin and Agulhas Current System, where the scarcity of observations means we know remarkably little about the interaction of the ocean circulation and mixing processes occurring between the millimeter to 100s of kilometer scale and their links to the larger climate system.

The Department is seeking a PhD candidate in Physical Oceanography to address knowledge gaps related to fine-scale ocean features/variability as a means to understand vertical mixing & transport, ventilation pathways and water mass transformation in the eddy-rich ocean south of Africa. These processes may also be related to heat and carbon fluxes across the air-sea interface, and between the upper ocean and its deep interior. The PhD will use a combination of existing field data (primarily from autonomous platforms and research ships), new glider missions, and existing high-resolution model simulations. Auxiliary reanalysis data and satellite-based products, including SWOT and PACE satellite data, are also likely to be used.

The PhD will contribute to the ERC Synergy project ‘WHIRLS’ (The impact of ocean fine scale whirls on climate and ecosystems). This project has a focus area spanning the Agulhas Current System and Cape Basin south of Africa. See www.whirls.eu.

There is the opportunity to participate in field experiments, which includes research voyages and field experiment execution. There will also be an expectation to learn how ocean autonomous platforms function and are piloted (e.g., underwater gliders and uncrewed surface vehicles).

Doctoral studies comprise four years of full-time study and lead to a doctoral degree. The education should include courses of 45 higher education credits, distributed over the study period and planned together with the supervisor and the examiner.

Duties

As a PhD candidate at the Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, the candidate will be expected to fulfill responsibilities that include:

• Produce a doctoral thesis, including peer-reviewed publications on the research topic.
• Present findings at appropriate scientific conferences or forums.
• Participate in research cruises that may be of weeks to months duration to collect observations and/or deploy equipment.
• Participate and contribute to the activities of the oceanography subject and colleagues at the Department of Marine Sciences.
• Assist with remote piloting of autonomous platforms in the field.
• Assist in teaching activities at times in Oceanography or Marine Sciences.
• Expected skills sharing between candidate and research group, and vice versa.

As part of employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20% of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period, resulting in a corresponding extension of the studies. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include research and administration.

Eligibility

Doctoral education requires general eligibility and, where appropriate, specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.

The general eligibility requirements for doctoral education are: having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or the fulfilment of course requirements totalling at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits must be at second-cycle level, or the acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.

To meet the specific entry requirements for third-cycle studies, applicants must: have a master’s degree in a relevant subject area in natural sciences; have completed studies for at least 60 higher education credits at a second-cycle level in relevant subject areas in the natural sciences; or have completed a corresponding programme of relevance to the planned third-cycle programme, in Sweden or in another country, or have equivalent qualifications. The relevant subject for the planned third-cycle education is oceanography, meteorology, physics, maths, or a closely related field.

Assessment Criteria

The Department is looking for a highly motivated and independent person. The candidate will work with a strongly supportive team based at the university, namely the Polar Gliders Research Group, which includes other students, postdocs and researchers in the field. There will also be mobility (research secondments) and collaboration with other WHIRLS PIs in GEOMAR (Germany), ENS Paris (France) and the University of Cape Town (South Africa).

The applicant is expected to have a willingness to work in a team, to communicate with peers, good abilities to handle data and an ambition to learn new skills. The following are considered important:

• Experience with scientific programming skills in Python or similar.
• Willingness to work in a team, to communicate with peers, and an ambition to learn new skills.
• Demonstrated verbal and written communications skills in English and ability to articulate your work.
• Show independence, initiative and critical thinking.

The following is considered advantageous: demonstrated strong analytical skills; willingness to go to sea to participate in research cruises; and background/education in one or a combination of oceanography, meteorology, physics and/or maths.

Admission and Employment

Once admitted to doctoral studies, the candidate will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg. The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100.

Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year, and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time. A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at doctoral level for four years.

The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.

Doctoral studies at the Department of Marine Sciences require physical presence to conduct the studies. If the admitted applicant needs a residence permit for higher education to pursue studies in Sweden, the Department of Marine Sciences has the right to revoke the admission decision if the applicant cannot present a valid residence permit no later than at the start of the studies.

Contact Information

Prof Sebastiaan Swart, sebastiaan.swart@gu.se.

Application

Candidates can apply to be admitted to doctoral education via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per this notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.

Applications must be received by: 22 October 2026.

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations. Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If a candidate requests that their documents are returned, they will be returned once the two years have passed; otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection with this recruitment, recruitment channels have already been decided; the University therefore declines further contact from vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.

More information and application: https://web103.reachmee.com/ext/I005/1035/job?site=7&lang=UK&validator=9b89bead79bb7258ad55c8d75228e5b7&job_id=41529