CPAESS Scientist III

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)•Princeton, NJ

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

UCAR is excited to announce the job opening for the Scientist III role with the Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) working with NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL). This position is focused on modeling past and future global fire dynamics and associated emissions of carbon and aerosols in the GFDL Earth System Modeling framework. The project aims to improve understanding of physical, biological, and anthropogenic processes that lead to land surface states that increase or decrease wildfire potential and evaluate whether Earth system models can simulate fire-weather conditions, fire events, and associated emissions. The hindcasts and prediction of future fire precursors and characteristics are performed with the novel orography-aware version of the GFDL land model LM4 and require the ability to design experiments, derive and prepare input files to characterize both land surface characteristics and ignition drivers, analyze model output, and communicate scientific findings at conferences and in peer reviewed publication. CPAESS serves the Earth System Science community in three distinct areas of service. We partner with federal agencies and businesses to hire critical scientific staff enabling a more robust workforce. Through our scientific programs we seek to edify new research with our postdoctoral programs, our visiting scientist and internship programs, along with our interagency support programs. We also help build the Earth system science community by convening and managing summer schools and institutes, conferences, and advisory committees.

Requirements

Typically requires a minimum of a Bachelor of Science degree and 8 years related experience, or a Master’s degree and 4 years related experience, or a PhD in a scientific discipline; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Has solid knowledge in a relevant scientific field, with an ability to apply theories, methods, or frameworks to complex or interdisciplinary problems.
Is familiar with project planning and proposal development, including scoping technical work, aligning with program goals, and supporting deliverable management.
Is skilled in developing or refining scientific tools, workflows, or models, including quality assurance and integration with broader project efforts.
Is skilled in using data analysis tools used for data preparation, visualization, or workflow automation.
Is committed to mentoring with the ability to guide less experienced colleagues on methods, tools, and collaborative practices.
Is capable of contributing to peer-reviewed publications, sponsor reports, or presentations, with clear and accurate scientific communication tailored to varied audiences.
Collaborates effectively within multidisciplinary teams, integrating diverse inputs and fostering productive working relationships.
Demonstrates the ability to design and carry out analyses or investigative tasks independently using established methods, adapting approaches as needed.
Application of machine-learning based methods for data manipulation, including clustering methods for from diverse regional and global data sources
Application of Python, Fortran 90, and Matlab
Configuration, simulation, and analysis of global Earth system models on High Performance Computing Systems
Research leading to peer-reviewed publication of comparison of observations and physical and biogeochemical models of fire and fire emissions

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of land-surface, fire, and vegetation modeling
Demonstrated ability with analyzing and synthesizing high-resolution remotely sensed data
Demonstrated skill in modifying, running, and analyzing terrestrial components of GFDL Earth system models
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Demonstrated ability of working in interdisciplinary teams

Responsibilities

Designs and executes scientific investigations or analyses using established and/or emerging methods to address defined research, operational, or applied science questions.
Developing or adapting tools, models, or methods to support data collection, processing, analysis, system evaluation, or experimental workflows.
Performing detailed analysis and interpretation of observational, experimental, or model-generated data, contributing to new insights or improvements in scientific understanding.
Leading or contributing to components of a larger project or small project teams through coordination of activities, deliverables, and technical direction across collaborators.
Authoring or co-authoring peer-reviewed publications, technical documentation, data sets, findings, project reports, and/or proposals, and presenting findings in internal, sponsor, or scientific community settings.
Collaborating across disciplines and institutions, contributing technical expertise to team-based projects and enhancing interdisciplinary research or operational outcomes.
Supporting proposal development and project planning activities by contributing to scoping, technical writing, and alignment with programmatic objectives.
Providing technical guidance to less experienced staff/students, mentoring on methods, tools, and best practices while engaging in and modeling inclusive team participation.
Developing products, tools, instruments and/or technologies for projects and programs.

Benefits

medical
dental
vision
retirement
life insurance
Tuition Assistance
time off allowance to attend classes
other professional development opportunities
10% of your eligible pay into your retirement account; 100% fully vested on day one
Starting minimum accrual of 20 days of personal time off each year
10 paid holidays
12 weeks of paid parental leave
Short-term medical leave paid at 100% of your regular salary
EcoPass for local Colorado residents to use the Denver and Boulder-area transit system at no cost