Reference: 33_26_ES_ESS_R2
Job title: Postdoctoral researcher – Climate services for the Renewable energy sector (R2)
About BSC
The Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is the leading supercomputing center in Spain. It houses MareNostrum, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, was a founding and hosting member of the former European HPC infrastructure PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and is now hosting entity for EuroHPC JU, the Joint Undertaking that leads large-scale investments and HPC provision in Europe. The mission of BSC is to research, develop and manage information technologies in order to facilitate scientific progress. BSC combines HPC service provision and R&D into both computer and computational science (life, earth and engineering sciences) under one roof, and currently has over 1000 staff from 60 countries.
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We are particularly interested for this role in the strengths and lived experiences of women and underrepresented groups to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights in science and IT research. In instances of equal merit, the incorporation of the under-represented sex will be favoured.
We promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, fostering an environment where each and every one of us is appreciated for who we are, regardless of our differences.
If you consider that you do not meet all the requirements, we encourage you to continue applying for the job offer. We value diversity of experiences and skills, and you could bring unique perspectives to our team.
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
Degree in Physics, Environmental Sciences, Mathematics (or equivalent)
Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences, applied statistics or related field
Essential Knowledge and Professional Experience
Experience handling, analysing and validating large climate model datasets
Proficiency in scientific programming in a suitable language (Python preferred)familiarity with working in a UNIX/HPC environment.
Experience working with Git for software development.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, especially for scientific publications.
Ability to work in a professional environment within a multidisciplinary and international team.
Additional Knowledge and Professional Experience
Experience working with sub-seasonal, seasonal or decadal climate predictions.
Experience working with climate extreme indices or bioclimatic indicators
Experience in developing tailored indicators to specific sectors, such as energy, agriculture, water management or forest fires
Experience with climatic statistical analyses
Knowledge on some of the following topics: statistical downscaling, multi-model combination techniques, bias adjustments techniques or tropical/extratropical teleconnections will be positively evaluated
Experience in energy companies and consultancy companies will be positively evaluated
Working in an operational software environment
Competences
Problem-solving, pro-active, result-oriented work attitude
Capability to work in an international and fast-paced work
Good communication skills
Conditions
The position will be located at BSC within the Earth Sciences Department
We offer a full-time contract (37.5h/week), 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
Applications procedure and process
All applications must be submitted via the BSC website and contain:
A full CV in English including contact details
A cover/motivation letter with a statement of interest in English, clearly specifying for which specific area and topics the applicant wishes to be considered. Additionally, two references for further contacts must be included. Applications without this document will not be considered.