A postdoctoral position in physical oceanography is available in the Division of Marine Science in the School of Ocean Science and Engineering (SOSE) at The University of Southern Mississippi. The successful candidate will work on the three-year Task Force Ocean (TFO) project “Modeling, characterizing, and predicting effects of internal gravity waves on acoustic propagation on basin to global scales”, which is supported by a grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR).
Applications must be submitted through the jobs.usm.edu candidate portal (https://usm.csod.com/ats/careersite/Job ... 271&site=1; job#: req1271 ). For full consideration, send by 1/31/2020: 1) letter of interest, 2) vitae, 3) names and contact information of three references. All attachments must be uploaded at the time of submission. The initial appointment will be for one year with the possibility of an extension depending on demonstrated progress and continued funding. For questions regarding this position, please contact Dr. Maarten Buijsman by email: maarten.buijsman@usm.edu
The main goal of this position is to advance our understanding of (tidal) internal gravity waves in global HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) simulations: i.e., their generation, dispersion, interactions with the background flow, and dissipation. Stationary internal tides “dissipate” due to the scattering of energy to the nonstationary tide and to higher harmonics. The scattering to higher harmonics can be due to the nonlinear steepening of energetic internal tides. One objective is to determine how well this process is simulated in hydrostatic global ocean model simulations with various horizontal and vertical resolutions.
The successful candidate is expected to diagnose internal wave energetics in HYCOM simulations, validate these simulations with existing observations, assist in performing HYCOM simulations (if needed), collaborate with project scientists and students, write first-author manuscripts for peer-review publications (~1/year) related to the ONR-TFO project and participate as co-author on other manuscripts, disseminate scientific results at national/international conferences and ONR meetings, contribute to annual report preparation, as required by the funding agency, and perform other duties as assigned.
Applicants must have a Ph.D. in physical oceanography or similar field awarded no later than May 31, 2020. Applicants must also have a publication record that illustrates ability to conduct and communicate independent research as well as experience and proficiency in coding, performing (nonhydrostatic) numerical model simulations, time series analysis, internal wave processes, and ocean mixing. The successful candidate will be required to pass a NASA background security check to work at Stennis, and a USM employment background check. The preferred candidate has experience in coding in Matlab and Fortran, analyzed HYCOM simulations, diagnosed internal wave energy equations, understanding of vertical mode decomposition, and performed multi-processor simulations on super computers.
The SOSE includes two academic divisions, Marine Science, and Coastal Sciences, and several R&D centers including: Hydrographic Science Research Center, Marine Research Center, and Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center. The Division of Marine Science is based at the NASA Stennis Space Center. John C. Stennis Space Center is a “federal city” that boasts the world’s largest concentration of oceanographers and hydrographers. Marine Science faculty benefit from close working relationships with a number of on-site federal agencies, including the Naval Research Laboratory-Stennis Space Center, the Naval Oceanographic Office, the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, the USGS and NOAA, including the National Data Buoy Center, and the National Centers for Environmental Information.
As an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer/Americans with Disabilities Act institution, The University of Southern Mississippi encourages minorities, women, veterans and persons with disabilities to apply. For more information about Southern Miss, visit our website at http://www.usm.edu.