Atoms to Clouds: A multiscale approach to ice formation in the atmosphere

Ice formation in clouds is a critical process that influences precipitation, cloud lifetime, and Earth’s radiation balance. Yet, the molecular mechanisms by which atmospheric aerosol particles trigger ice formation—heterogeneous ice nucleation—remain poorly understood. Current weather and climate models rely on empirical parameterisations of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) that lack physical grounding and fail to capture the diversity and temperature dependence of real-world INPs. This uncertainty propagates into weather and climate projections, making ice nucleation a significant unresolved problem in atmospheric and climate science.

This PhD project offers a unique opportunity to address this challenge through an integrated “atoms-to-clouds” approach. You will generate new data and models that directly inform how ice formation is represented in atmospheric models. The project is designed to be flexible, allowing you to tailor the balance of experimental and computational work to your interests, while ensuring your contribution advances a major scientific goal: reducing uncertainty in climate projections by improving the physics of ice formation.

Working with both the wider Leeds ice nucleation group and external collaborators, you will operate at the interface of laboratory and theoretical science and atmospheric modelling. In the lab, you will have the opportunity to quantify the ice nucleation activity of polymeric ice nucleators using state-of-the-art droplet freezing techniques. Building on these data, you will develop and test physically informed models of heterogeneous ice nucleation. This could involve creating statistical “toy” models that capture active-site distributions and explore how surface chemistry and structure influence nucleation effectiveness. Finally, you will have the opportunity to implement and evaluate these models in cloud microphysics schemes within the Met Office Unified Model, assessing their impact on cloud properties, radiative effects, and precipitation.

Figure 1: Schematic of the vision for this opportunity, spanning from molecular theory to models of the atmosphere, via simplified models and laboratory experiments,

The exact emphasis—whether laboratory-focused, theory-driven, or fieldwork and modelling-heavy—will be shaped by your background and interests. Whatever path you choose, your work will contribute to addressing important scientific challenges and delivering a coherent framework that links molecular-scale processes to cloud-scale impacts. You will join a thriving research group with a supportive and experienced supervisory team with world-leading expertise in ice nucleation experiments, cloud microphysics, and molecular simulation, ensuring strong support and training throughout the project.

You will benefit from a dedicated training programme, giving you the broader skills and peer support network to enjoy your PhD journey. This PhD is well suited to candidates with a diverse range of STEM backgrounds, including chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, environmental science, and computer science.

For further reading ont he topic: