Postdoctoral Researcher Position:

“High-Resolution Weather Modelling for Wildfire Spread
Prediction”

Host institution University of Cyprus

Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus Location Nicosia, Cyprus Employment type Full-time (140 hours per month) Duration fixed-term, 16 Months Salary up to €3518.20 per month gross (depending on qualifications and experience) Expected Start December 2026 (to be confirmed) Application deadline 01 November 2026

Wildfires is one of the most dominant natural hazards across the Mediterranean basin. While total burned area has fluctuated over recent decades, the extreme end of the distribution has shifted markedly, with events such as Pedrógão Grande (2017), Mati (2018) and Alexandroupolis (2023) exceeding suppression capacity and causing mass casualties. Cyprus is subject to the same drivers: prolonged summer drought, accumulating fuel loads and an extensive wildland–urban interface. The 2021 Arakapas fire was the deadliest recorded in the island’s modern history.
The FireMap project will deliver the first wildfire prediction and simulation system for the Republic of Cyprus.
The present position is responsible for the high-resolution atmospheric modelling component of that system.

The Position

The Computational Sciences Laboratory at University of Cyprus announces one (1) full-time Post-Doctoral Researcher position in high-resolution atmospheric modelling for wildfire prediction. The position is funded through the FireMap project under the SEED Programme of the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation, in collaboration with Pitys.ai Ltd.

The appointment is for 16 months, with the possibility of extension subject to satisfactory performance and the availability of funding. The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr Dimokratis G.E. Grigoriadis (University of Cyprus, Department of Mechanical Engineering), with co-supervision from Pitys.ai Ltd. and regular collaboration with its research and development team. The filling of the position is subject to the availability of funding.

Research Context

Operational fire danger assessment across Europe is presently conducted at kilometer-scale resolution. This is sufficient to identify regions at elevated risk on a given day, but it does not resolve the processes that govern propagation during an individual event. Slope and valley wind systems over the Troodos massif, flow channeling through drainage features, and the circulation induced by the fire itself all fall below the grid scale of such products, while exerting first-order control on the rate and direction of spread.

The project addresses this gap through high-resolution simulation. Pitys.ai Ltd. will provide an established high-performance OpenFOAM configuration together with terrain meshing for the Cypriot landscape. The successful candidate will be responsible for (i) extending and validating this configuration, (ii) establishing coupled fire–atmosphere simulation capability, and (ii) executing large simulation ensembles.

Duties and Responsibilities

The successful candidate is expected to:
Microclimate wind modelling over complex terrain
• Extend and adapt the provided OpenFOAM case configuration, including steep-terrain meshing and boundary condition treatment, to achieve robust simulations
• Design and execute large simulation ensembles on high-performance computing facilities, spanning the wind, stability and terrain conditions relevant to Cypriot fire weather
• Manage the resulting datasets at scale
• Contribute to ensemble design in collaboration with the Pitys.ai Ltd. research and development team

Coupled fire–atmosphere simulation
• Establish and configure a coupled atmosphere–fire modelling system for the Cypriot domain, including domain design, nesting, fuel and terrain inputs, and coupling configuration
• Validate model performance against historic Cypriot fire events such as the 2021 Arakapas fire, using observational records from the national weather station network

Validation
• Define quantitative performance metrics appropriate to operational wildfire prediction, with emphasis on errors affecting predicted rate and direction of spread
• Develop reusable benchmark cases derived from historic fire events and weather station records
• Quantify and document model uncertainty in a form suitable for integration into the wider prediction platform

Climate downscaling
Undertaken in the later phase of the project, in collaboration with Pitys.ai Ltd.:

• Benchmark statistical against dynamical downscaling approaches for the variables governing fire behaviour
• Develop a downscaling framework for Cyprus with a modular architecture supporting subsequent application to other Mediterranean regions

General
• Prepare and submit research outputs for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentation at international conferences
• Contribute to project reporting and deliverables, and participate in project meetings with partners

Required Qualifications

• A doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering, Atmospheric Science, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Applied Mathematics or a closely related discipline, awarded before the start date
• Substantial practical experience with OpenFOAM, covering case setup, meshing, solver configuration and the diagnosis of convergence problems. As an established configuration is provided, emphasis is placed on competence in the application and adaptation of CFD at scale
• Demonstrated experience conducting simulations on high-performance computing clusters, including scheduling systems, parallel scaling and the management of large numbers of concurrent jobs
• Proficiency in Python, including the automation of simulation workflows
• A record of research output commensurate with career stage
• Capacity to work independently and to deliver against defined project milestones
• Excellent command of written and spoken English. Knowledge of Greek is not required

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience with WRF, WRF-SFIRE or another mesoscale atmospheric model, which would be considered a strong advantage
• Experience in atmospheric boundary layer or environmental flow modelling, particularly over complex terrain
• Familiarity with machine learning applied to physical systems, including surrogate modelling, training data design or reduced-order methods
• Programming experience in C++ (including OpenFOAM solver customisation), Fortran, or GPU computing (CUDA, OpenCL, MPI)
• Experience in climate downscaling, numerical weather prediction or regional climate modelling
• Background in wildfire modelling, geospatial data processing or remote sensing
• Experience of working across academic and industrial research siftings

The Position Offers

• Participation in a national-scale system entering operational service with a government agency
• Access to university high-performance computing facilities, with anticipated access to Tier-1 and Tier-0 national and EuroHPC resources
• Co-supervision spanning a university research group and an active technology company
• Support for conference attendance and relevant training
• Opportunity to lead publications in an area not previously addressed for Cyprus

Terms and Conditions

• The appointment is subject to the standard terms of employment of University of Cyprus.
• The University of Cyprus is committed to promoting inclusivity, diversity and equality, and to the elimination of all forms of discrimination. Applications are welcomed from all suitably qualified candidates.
• Assistance with relocation and visa procedures is available to candidates who are non-EU nationals. Non-EU applicants should, however, ensure before applying that, in the event of selection, they will be residing in Cyprus on a full-time basis. Submission of an application implies acceptance of this condition.
• The gross monthly salary is up to €3518.20 /month for full-time employment and will depend on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.

How to Apply

Applications should be submitted to [email protected] no later than 01 November 2026, quoting the project FireMap in the subject line, and should comprise:

1. A curriculum vitae, including a full list of publications
2. A cover letter of no more than two pages describing the applicant’s relevant research experience and motivation for the position, with particular reference to prior work involving large-scale simulation
3. The names and contact details of two academic or professional referees

Copies of degree certificates will be requested from shortlisted candidates and need not accompany the initial application.

Informal enquiries regarding the position are welcome and may be directed to Dr Dimokratis G.E.
Grigoriadis ([email protected]).

Early application is encouraged.

The best 3 candidates that satisfy the required qualifications, will be interviewed by a 3-member Committee.
Candidates shall be informed of the result of their application by the relevant entity.

The University of Cyprus shall collect and process your personal data according to the provisions of the General Regulation on Personal Data 2016/679 (EU).

The University of Cyprus (UCY) is committed to promoting inclusivity, diversity, and equality, as well as the elimination of all forms of discrimination in order to provide a fair, safe, and pleasant environment for the entire university community, where students and staff members will feel supported both in their professional and personal development, within and beyond their multiple identities. To this end, UCY seeks to create the necessary conditions that will encourage and respect diversity and ensure dignity both in the workplace and society at large.
Moreover, UCY has adopted specific policies to promote equal opportunities, as well as respect and understanding of diversity, while it is committed to promoting and maintaining a working, teaching, and learning environment, free from any form of discrimination, whether direct or indirect.

This position is funded under the FireMap project, SEED Programme, co-financed by the Republic of Cyprus and the European Union through the Research and Innovation Foundation.