The East Asian monsoon (EAM) is one important branch of the larger-scale Asian monsoon and a dynamic component of the modern climate. Associated seasonal changes in prevailing wind patterns and precipitation affect not only landmasses but also oceans, where they result in strong seasonality in currents’ intensity and direction, sea surface temperature and salinity. With expected increases in population in the densely-populated and growing economies supported by the EAM rains, understanding how this system will change under global warming is both a priority and a major challenge in climate science: EAM future projections remain plagued by a large uncertainty.In this project, proxy data will be used to reconstruct teleconnections between the EAM, and primary productivity and carbonate production/export/preservation in the South China Sea (SCS). In particular, the project will exploit a high-resolution multiproxy dataset from Pleistocene sediments cored during the expedition IODP 367/368 in the SCS. Data relating to the abundance of coccolithophores, foraminifera, clay minerals will be processed from a statistical and spectral point of view to obtain environmental parameters useful for the reconstruction of Pleistocene critical intervals. The paleo data will be augmented with climate model experiments and the insight gained will help guide analyses of the EAM future changes in the CMIP6 archive, leading to uncertainty reduction on the basis of physically plausible scenarios.

Successful candidates are expected to have a background in meteorology, climate and/or atmospheric physics, oceanography and ocean/atmosphere interactions. Previous research experience with (paleo)climate modelling will be considered a plus. We are looking for a candidate who knows how to work both in a team and independently, and who is willing to challenge themselves in transdisciplinary research.

The successful candidate will be employed for three years at the University of Pavia and University of Trento (Italy) under the supervision of Claudia Lupi (University of Pavia) and Simona Bordoni (University of Trento) and will carry on exciting research at the intersection between paleo reconstructions and climate physics. The PhD candidate will have access to facilities for the study of deep marine sediments, while at the same time being engaged in the use and analyses of numerical models of the Earth’s climate. Moreover, he/she is expected to perform part of the research work in national and international leading institutions for paleoceanographic reconstructions.