12775 - Researcher in Paleoclimate Reconstructions in Europe

**CMCC Position cod. 12775**
**Researcher in Paleoclimate Reconstructions in Europe**
Deadline: November 15th, 2025

**WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR**

We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled researcher to join the ERC Synergy Grant project EUROpest (A Novel Understanding of Pandemic Disease in Preindustrial Europe (1300-1800): Combining History, Machine Learning and Natural Sciences). EUROpest is an ambitious six-year interdisciplinary project that integrates social and natural science data and methods to study historical plague outbreaks and explores how social-ecological systems shaped epidemic disease dynamics in preindustrial Europe. Informed by resilience theory and actor-network approaches, the project advances a novel eco-bio-social framework to capture the complex, multi-causal dynamics of disease emergence, transmission, and societal impact Partners of EUROpest includes institutions from Poland, the Max Planck Society and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Latvia, Spain, and France.

**ABOUT US**

CMCC Foundation is a cross-cutting scientific research center on climate change and its interactions with the environment, society, the world of business, and policymakers. Our work aims to stimulate sustainable growth, protect the environment, and develop strategies for the adaptation and mitigation of climate change. CMCC's core objective is to conduct cutting-edge science, to train the next generation of scientists at both national and international levels, and to be a beacon for climate modelling.

CMCC pursues fundamental and applied science with utmost scientific integrity, prioritizing data-driven science and providing data, information, and research results that can support informed public debate and decision-making processes. To achieve climate research objectives at the highest international standards, we invest in training all our talents, and strive to create a workplace where everyone can excel.

At CMCC you will find a strong, professional environment. Join an inclusive community that values diversity, where every voice is heard and respected. Help foster a culture of innovation and societal change, where individuals from all backgrounds can thrive and succeed.

Over the last decade, CMCC has experienced extraordinary growth. We are now embarking on a new chapter of our journey that will further boost CMCC’s global position in climate change research Together

**ROLE**

**RESPONSIBILITIES**

**Climate Reconstructions**
- Collect and curate new documentary and natural proxy records.
- Generate high-resolution seasonal to monthly reconstructions of temperature and precipitation across Europe for the period 1300-1800 CE/last millennium.
- Validate reconstructions against instrumental datasets, historical documents, and existing paleoclimatic benchmarks.
- Quantify reconstruction uncertainty and contribute to updating established multi-proxy climate reconstructions.
- Compare reconstructed climate fields with high-resolution paleoclimate simulations (e.g., RCM or ESM output) to assess consistency, biases, and regional signal robustness.

**Data Integration**
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary partners to integrate reconstructed climate data with epidemiological, ecological, and socio-historical datasets.
- Contribute to the development of causal models investigating the role of monthly and seasonal climate variability in shaping historical disease dynamics and human-environment interactions.

**Dissemination**
- Publish findings in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and contribute to EUROpest deliverables.
- Present research at international conferences and thematic workshops.

**Collaboration**
- Work closely with EUROpest Principal Investigators and institutional partners across Europe and the US.
- Contribute to an inclusive, collaborative research environment working with the other CMCC research divisions.

**REQUIREMENTS**
- PhD in climate science, environmental science, Earth science, physics, historical climatology, applied statistics in the context of climatology or a related discipline
- Demonstrated expertise in climate reconstruction techniques, including proxy data analysis and statistical modelling
- Familiarity with paleoclimatology, and paleoclimate archives, is an asset
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
- Proven ability to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary, international research team
- Willingness to take responsibility and make a significant contribution to the joint project, take initiatives and contribute to the research and development of the group.

**DURATION, COMPENSATION & BENEFITS**
- Please note that this opportunity will be issued both internally and externally.
- The researchers will be based in Bologna CMCC premises.
- The appointment period will be initially 24 months starting from December 2025/January 2026 with the possibility to extend.
- Gross salary will be based on qualification and working expe