Research Analyst - Radar Climatology and Analysis of Tornadoes (Scientist IV)

FedWriters, Inc.•Norman, OK

33d•$83,000 - $87,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The critical work of tornado science happens after the storm has passed — in the painstaking work of compiling, quality-controlling, and interpreting radar data collected at close range. As FWI's Research Analyst supporting NSSL, you will synthesize NSSL and external, open-source research radar datasets of tornadoes observed within 15 kilometers, building and maintaining a database that links radar observations to ground-based damage surveys. Your analysis will directly inform the scientific community's understanding of how tornadoes evolve and interact with the environment around them — and your name will be on the papers that come out of it.

Requirements

MS Degree (PhD Preferred) in meteorology, atmospheric science, or a related field
8+ years of professional and/or academic experience
Experience with weather radar observations, including interpretation of base and polarimetric data and quality control thereof
Experience with manual or objective Doppler velocity dealiasing techniques
Experience deploying mobile instruments, including familiarity with existing fixed and mobile weather radars (preferred), to observe severe and hazardous weather
Familiarity with radar-based quality control software such as the Python ARM Radar Toolkit, RadX, and Solo3
Experience with Python and/or other coding languages for data workflows and analysis
Familiarity with field project design and management
Established record of leading scientific research and publishing results

Responsibilities

Assist NSSL Scientist(s) to compile, document, quality control, and analyze research radar data of tornadoes observed at close (<15 km) range
Seek NSSL and open-source external, mobile radar (or fixed-site research radar) datasets, convert them to a common format, perform manual or objective quality control of Doppler velocity information, and cross-reference the datasets with ground-based damage surveys of tornadoes
Create and maintain a database of radar-observed tornadoes, including developing a framework for community contribution, that includes details such as the observing radar system and relevant system attributes, peak radar-observed Doppler and rotational velocity, tornado and parent storm characteristics, minimum range from the radar, and links to available radar data
Collaborate with NSSL scientists to use research radar observations to understand tornadoes, including their spatiotemporal evolution and impacts on the natural and built environment; publish relevant studies in reports and refereed journals; present at international conferences
Contribute, as possible, to data collection with the NSSL RAPTORs, including designing observational strategies to collect close-range radar observations of tornadoes