Context And Mission
The aim of the Earth System Services Group (ESS) is to research the impact of weather, atmospheric chemistry and climate upon socio-economic sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, water management, forest fires and urban development and to demonstrate the ongoing value of earth system services to society and the economy.
Within this context, we are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral scientist to conduct cutting-edge research on climate services related to renewable energy.
The person appointed will be involved in different EU and national-funded projects, with a primary focus on the Destination Earth Climate Digital Twin project, whose aim is to combine cutting-edge global Earth-system models, impact-sector applications and observations into a unified framework to provide actionable impact-sector information on multi-decadal timescales. In line with this aim, the appointed candidate will be developing climate services based on state-of-the art, high-resolution global climate projections at multi-decadal time-scales for the renewable energy sector. The appointed candidate will also be responsible for developing and maintaining the software for the computation of the renewable energy indicators in an operational environment. This position, therefore, presents the opportunity to work alongside a wide range of leading international climate scientists delivering cutting-edge climate science and climate services across Europe. The position holder will enjoy joining one of the leading and most dynamic European groups in the field of climate services and supercomputing.
Successful candidates will benefit from expert training and BSC-CNS staff benefits: an international multidisciplinary scientific environment and advanced applied research training. We encourage applications from highly motivated candidates with demonstrated experience in climate science, computer science and renewable energy and interest in applied research projects within the context of climate services.
Key Duties
* Perform user-oriented research focused in renewable energy.
* Post-process and inter-compare climate simulations (raw variables and computed indicators) from a range of sources in a high performance computing (HPC) environment.
* Maintain and upgrade Python based software for calculating renewable energy indicators in an operational setting.
* Actively engage with sector relevant stakeholders to understand user needs.
* Actively participate in the management of tasks and work packages in EU projects (participate in teleconferences workshops,conferences, meetings and writing deliverables)
* Disseminate research results in peer-reviewed scientific papers and international conferences
* Team work: Interaction with scientists in the group and the department to favor synergies, as well as external collaborators.
* Apply for competitive grants and projects
Requirements
* Education
o Degree in Physics, Environmental Sciences, Mathematics (or equivalent)
in atmospheric sciences, applied statistics or related field
* Essential Knowledge and Professional Experience
o Experience handling, analysing and validating large climate model datasets
o Proficiency in scientific programming in a suitable language (Python preferred)familiarity with working in a UNIX/HPC environment.
o Experience working with Git for software development.
o Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, especially for scientific publications.
o Ability to work in a professional environment within a multidisciplinary and international team.
* Additional Knowledge and Professional Experience
o Experience working with sub-seasonal, seasonal or decadal climate predictions.
o Experience working with climate extreme indices or bioclimatic indicators
o Experience in developing tailored indicators to specific sectors, such as energy, agriculture, water management or forest fires
o Experience with climatic statistical analyses
o Knowledge on some of the following topics: statistical downscaling, multi-model combination techniques, bias adjustments techniques or tropical/extratropical teleconnections will be positively evaluated
o Experience in energy companies and consultancy companies will be positively evaluated
o Working in an operational software environment
* Competences
o Problem-solving, pro-active, result-oriented work attitude
o Capability to work in an international and fast-paced work
o Good communication skills
Conditions
* The position will be located at BSC within the Earth Sciences Department
* We offer a full-time contract a good working environment, a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, flexible working hours, extensive training plan, restaurant tickets, private health insurance, support to the relocation procedures
* Duration: Open-ended contract due to technical and scientific activities linked to the project and budget duration
* Holidays: 22 days of holidays + 6 personal days + 24th and 31st of December per our collective agreement
* Salary: we offer a competitive salary commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate and according to the cost of living in Barcelona
* Starting date: April