Research Associate in Regional Climate Modelling
Department/Division/Faculty Space and Atmospheric Group, Department of Physics
Salary £32,100 - £40,720 per annum (maximum salary on appointment will be £33,820 per annum)
South Kensington Campus
Fixed term appointment for 3 years
Start Date: October 2013
Applications are invited for a Research Associate position within the Space and Atmospheric Physics Group. The successful applicant will work with Professor Ralf Toumi and will also contribute to the development of a regional climate model. The post holder will be expected to support the Department’s teaching activities.
You will join an active and growing research group within the Space and Atmospheric Physics Group. We are developing a new regional climate modesl based on the coupling of the Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) and the regional ocean model system (ROMS). We are interested in a number of understudied regions around the world (e.g. the Caspian, West Africa and others) with a unique and exciting set of environmental science challenges.
This project is funded by the National Monsoon Mission of India. You will be collaborating with the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMWRF) in New Delhi, India. The aim of the project is to improve the numerical weather prediction model's skill to forecast wind with a focus on the wind energy sector. In particular the aim is to identify parametrizations and processes including ocean-atmosphere coupling that are most important in the wind energy forecasts and you will be using WRF for this. Ultimately you well help implement a stochastic parametrization in the UK Met Office Unifed Model run by NCMWRF.
The successful candidate will have (or have submitted) a PhD in the field of atmosphere, ocean or coastal science, or be able to demonstrate an equivalent level of professional qualifications and experience. Substantial proven experience with the UK Met Office Unifed Model (UM) or the Weather Research Forecasting model (WRF) and /or the regional ocean model system (ROMS) or other advanced ocean models is essential. Experience of processing very large data sets in a variety of formats (e.g., GRIB, netCDF3/4 and HDF4/5) is also required. Demonstrated skill/proficiency in the following areas is desirable: running complex model codes on high-performance computers, advanced knowledge of numerical modelling, skill in analyzing numerical model output and verification statistics, skill in scientific programming (e.g., Fortran and/or C) and scripting languages such as Perl and/or Python, as well as some skills in graphical display programs such as NCL, Matlab and/or IDL.
You must have an enthusiastic approach to research with strong written communication skills and the ability to write scientifically, clearly and succinctly for publication. You will also be expected to demonstrate strong verbal communication skills to deal with a wide range of people and to interact successfully with others to learn and teach new skills.
Committed to equality and valuing diversity. We are also an Athena Bronze SWAN Award winner, a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Two Ticks Employer.
Closing Date
31 July 2013 (midnight GMT)
Send CV to Prof Ralf Toumi; r.toumi@imperial.ac.uk