Research Associate in Regional Climate Modelling
Department/Division/Faculty Space and Atmospheric Group, Department of Physics
Imperial College, South Kensington Campus
Salary: £32,100 - £40,720 per annum (maximum salary on appointment will be £33,820 per annum)
Start Date: January 2014
Fixed term appointment until 31 December 2015
Applications are invited for a Research Associate position within the Space and Atmospheric Physics Group, to start as soon as possible. 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 model based on the coupling of the atmospheric model (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 many others) with a unique and exciting set of environmental science challenges.
In this project we are collaborating with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to develop the first coupled aerosol-atmosphere-ocean model of the region. The principle aim is to quantitatively explore the impact of desert dust on the Red Sea. There are only a handful of studies that suggest an influence of dust aerosol on the sea and hence the atmosphere. This project will develop a unique powerful tool to quantitatively explore these mechanisms in the Red Sea and elsewhere.
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 regional ocean model system (ROMS) or other advanced ocean models is essential. Experience of processing very large datasets 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.
Send CV to Prof Ralf Toumi; r.toumi@imperial.ac.uk
Professor Ralf Toumi
Department of Physics
Imperial College
London SW7 2AZ
UK