CIRES / NOAA Global Systems Laboratory, Land Surface Modeler

University of Colorado Boulder•Boulder, CO

37d•$74,933 - $135,896•Hybrid

About The Position

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) in Boulder, Colorado and the NOAA Global Systems Laboratory (GSL) have an immediate opening for a Research Scientist. This position will be responsible for advancing NOAA's goals in Earth system prediction, specifically in the aspect of land-atmosphere modeling. The successful candidate will serve as a land-surface model (LSM) developer or lead in the Physics branch of the Earth Prediction Advancement Division and contribute to or lead the planning and development of land-surface modeling activities. Experience with the Unified Forecast System (UFS) is preferable. As part of this team, the hired individual will have the opportunity to influence the science and advancement of future operational modeling systems developed in part at GSL. CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. CIRES is an internationally recognized leader in innovative environmental science and research and is located at the University of Colorado Boulder. At CIRES, more than 900 environmental science professionals work to understand the dynamic Earth system, including people's relationship with the planet. CIRES has partnered with NOAA since 1967, and our areas of expertise include weather and climate, changes at Earth's poles, air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, solid Earth sciences, and more. Our vision is to be instrumental in ensuring a sustainable future environment by advancing scientific and societal understanding of the Earth system. The Global Systems Laboratory (GSL) is one of ten NOAA Research laboratories and is located in Boulder, Colorado. GSL researchers develop state-of-the-art weather and air quality models, state-of-the-science decision support tools and visualization systems and use high-performance computing technology to support a Weather-Ready Nation. GSL strives to advance its workforce scientifically, technically, and professionally. We are also committed to increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility as well as a strong foundation for career growth.

Requirements

A Ph.D. in Atmospheric, Oceanic, Earth Science, or a related field.
Experience in Earth system modeling.
Experience with high-performance computing
At least one year of experience developing and evaluating LSM components within numerical weather prediction models.
Proficiency in at least one programming language used in Earth science for data analysis and plotting (e.g., Python, MATLAB).
Excellent oral/written communication skills.
Ability to manage time and prioritize tasks in an environment that requires flexibility.
Capability to work both individually and as part of a professional team. Ability to think critically and solve problems.
Knowledge of research methods or approaches to verify land-surface forecasts.
Knowledge of innovative numerical weather prediction models.
Knowledge of LSM designs, methods, data, and/or tools.
At least three years of experience developing and evaluating LSMs and their components within numerical weather prediction models.
Knowledge of research methods or approaches to improve LSM-related predictions.
At least seven years of experience developing and evaluating LSMs and their components within numerical weather prediction models.
Knowledge of research methods or approaches to improve LSM coupling to other numerical weather prediction model components (e.g., boundary-layer, shallow and deep convection, microphysics, and radiation) and verify land-surface forecasts.

Nice To Haves

Ability to contribute to retrospective and/or real-time experiments for testing and evaluating LSM innovations in numerical weather prediction models.
Ability to work and communicate effectively with a team of scientists, researchers, developers, engineers, and other staff in a research environment.
Ability to contribute to proposals, project plans, and their execution with a high-quality of output.
Ability to write reports, evaluations, assessments, and peer-reviewed journal articles, and to present findings at conferences, workshops, and meetings.
Ability to plan, coordinate, and manage retrospective and real-time experiments for testing and evaluating LSM innovations in numerical weather prediction models.
Ability to oversee the execution of proposals and project plans with a high-quality of output.
Ability to engage with partners and stakeholders and help strengthen existing relationships with weather-related agencies.
Ability to lead a team or group of scientists, researchers, developers, engineers, and staff in a research environment.
Ability to initiate and develop proposals and project plans.
Ability to foster new partnerships with weather-related agencies.

Responsibilities

Serves as a land-surface model (LSM) developer in the Physics branch of NOAA's Global Systems Laboratory Earth Prediction Advancement Division. Contributes to the planning and development of land-surface modeling activities (30%).
Serves as a subject matter expert on a team of scientific, technical, administrative, and engineering professionals, helping to inform LSM development efforts in NOAA (5%).
Designs, conducts, and evaluates hypothesis-driven surface-related experiments to improve the representation of one or more specific land- and/or ice-surface physics processes in numerical weather prediction (NWP) models (30%).
Provides feedback to the developers of other components of the physics suite to help better understand LSM errors (10%).
Contributes innovations to public-facing code repositories associated with the LSM (5%).
Participates within the broader LSM community, such as by collaborating with LSM end users and/or developers within and beyond NOAA, attending relevant conferences and workshops, and regularly publishing research findings (10%).
Prepares briefing materials and presentations for branch management, conferences, and workshops, and regularly publishes scientific content (10%).
Serve as the land-surface model development lead, driving the planning and development of the land-surface modeling activities (30%).
Serves as a subject matter expert on a team of scientific, technical, administrative, and engineering professionals, helping to inform LSM development efforts in NOAA (5%).
Designs, conducts, and evaluates hypothesis-driven experiments to improve the overall representation of land- and ice-surface physics (30%).
Coordinates with the ongoing research and development in other components of the physics suite to help isolate numerical weather prediction model errors (10%).
Contributes innovations to public-facing code repositories associated with the LSM (5%).
Strengthens partnerships with the LSM community (10%).
Contributes to formulating, executing, and tracking program/project priorities for LSM development, in addition to preparing briefing materials and presentations and regularly publishing scientific content (10%).
Serve as the land-surface model development lead, driving the planning and development of the land-surface modeling activities (30%).
Provides direction for LSM development, planning, and implementation in NOAA (5%).
Designs, conducts, and evaluates hypothesis-driven experiments to improve the overall representation of land- and ice-surface physics and their interactions with other physics parameterizations (30%).
Coordinates with the ongoing research and development in other components of the physics suite to help isolate numerical weather prediction model errors (10%)
Contributes innovations to public-facing code repositories associated with the LSM (5%).
Develops and strengthens partnerships with the LSM community (10%).
Formulates, executes, and tracks program/project priorities for LSM development, in addition to preparing briefing materials and presentations and regularly publishing scientific content (10%).

Benefits

CIRES offers a generous compensation package.
The annual hiring salary range for this position is $74,933-$135,896. Salary is commensurate with education and experience and determined based on our CIRES internal career-track classification.
This position can accommodate a hybrid work modality.
Some relocation funds are available for this position following CIRES and the University of Colorado's relocation processes and procedures.
CIRES and the University of Colorado Boulder offer a robust training curriculum, opportunities for professional development, and a Mentorship Program.
Boulder is a vibrant community with access to mountain parks, dog parks, miles of trails, rivers, lakes, cafes, restaurants, boutiques, theaters, museums, and sports venues.
As an employee at CU Boulder, you will have free access to the regional public transit system, an outstanding network of buses, and light rail systems that service Boulder and connect to Denver, the Denver airport, and surrounding communities.
At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit.
As one of Boulder County's largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation.
Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.