[EWRS] PhD Position POLIMI-JRC on AI and climate tipping point risks

[Andrea Francesco Castelletti]

Dear Colleagues,

Apologies for any double-posting.  

Politecnico di Milano, in collaboration with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, is offering a fully funded scholarship for a joint PhD in Science, Technology and Policy for Sustainable Change, based at Politecnico di Milano.

We’d really appreciate it if you could share this with students or early-career researchers who might be interested.

Thanks

All the best,

Andrea Castelletti and Andrea Toreti

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PhD Position – Climate tipping point risks: AI-based analysis of global and local systemic transitions 

Politecnico di Milano (Italy) – European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra (Italy)

PhD in Science, Policy, and Technology for Sustainable Change

Application deadline: 06/20/25

We invite applications for a fully funded PhD position under the STEP-CHANGE doctoral programme, jointly supervised by the Politecnico di Milano and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission in Ispra.

Project description The PhD project focuses on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to study climate risks under tipping points crossing scenarios, i.e., going beyond critical thresholds in the Earth system that may lead to abrupt and potentially irreversible changes. The candidate will explore how risks associated with extremes, such as drought and heatwaves, evolve under different tipping scenarios and a range of future climate and socio-economic conditions. The research will address both global tipping elements (e.g., ice sheets, monsoon systems, thermohaline circulation) and regional tipping dynamics, with a specific focus on the role of glacier retreat in shaping future risks across Europe’s main Alpine river basins. The candidate will develop data-driven and hybrid models to analyze the potential cascading effects of cryospheric tipping on water resources, natural hazards, and associated vulnerabilities across multiple sectors (e.g., agriculture, ecosystems, hydropower, navigation, etc.).

Candidate profile We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with:

• A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Environmental Engineering, Climate Science, Physics, Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or related fields 
• Strong skills in data analysis, machine learning, and/or environmental modelling
• Interest in interdisciplinary research on climate systems and AI
• Proficiency in English and strong communication skills
• Experience with scientific programming (Python, R, MATLAB) 

Supervision and mobility The successful candidate will be enrolled at Politecnico di Milano and will carry out research activities 50% at the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering and 50% at the JRC (Unit E.1 Disaster Risk Management). The position includes a mandatory 6-month international secondment, during which the stipend will be increased by 50%. The PhD will be jointly supervised by Prof. Andrea Castelletti, Politecnico di Milano and Dr. Andrea Toreti, Joint Research Centre. 

How to apply Applications must include a CV, list of publications, a motivation letter, the names of two referees, and can be uploaded HERE

For informal inquiries, contact:

 📧 andrea.ca...@polimi.it

 📧 andrea...@ec.europa.eu

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Andrea Castelletti, PhD, PE
Professor

Chair, PhD Programme in Science, Technology, and Policy for Sustainable Change
Environmental Intelligence Lab
Dept. of Electronics, Information, and Bioengineering
Politecnico di Milano
Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32
I-20133 Milano, Italy
Phone:  +39 (0)2 2399 3584
http://www.ei.deib.polimi.it/

Director, EIEE-TCT Technologies for Climate Transition
Euro Mediterranean Center for Climate Change (CMCC) 
Via A. Bergognone, 34
I-20144 Milano, Italy

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