Senior Research Associate in Data-Driven Weather and Climate Modelling (Fixed Term)

Recent advances in machine learning have opened up a variety of data-driven modelling techniques within science which are showing unprecedented abilities to replace traditional models with fast approximations. Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) is one such area in which machine learning based models are showing considerable skill at significantly reduced computational cost. Furthermore, data-driven techniques can cover entire forecasting pipelines, in some cases obviating the need for state estimation and operating directly on observations. Further work is needed to develop models for operational contexts, integrating with a variety of observations across different scales, and being used to accurately predict extremes, seasonal variability, localised forecasts, and more. There also remains a gap between weather and climate modelling in this space; further work is needed to understand whether and how the techniques that work well for machine-learned NWP can be applied to longer timescales for climate predictions. These are the broad areas of interest for this position based in the Institute of Computing for Climate Science.

The institute is a joint venture between the Departments of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics and Computer Science and Technology, and University Information Services, thanks to philanthropic and grant funding. ICCS aims to support advancements in weather and climate modelling through a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing on earth sciences, mathematics, statistics, software engineering, computer science, and machine learning.

The fellow will be based in DAMTP and affiliated with Queens College. This is a one-year appointment that includes research expenses support, allowing the SRA to apply for funding as principal investigator. As part of the University of Cambridge, ICCS has a significant education and training component, through the commitment towards sharing its scientific insights openly and broadly, and will contribute strongly to Cambridge Zero, the University's climate change initiative.

Duties include defining, developing and conducting individual and collaborative research objectives, proposals and projects and managing research budgets. You are responsible for the investigation and delivery of your own research programmes , and assessing, interpreting and evaluating the outcomes. You are expected to extend and apply knowledge, contribute to publications, present, and communicate complex ideas to those with limited knowledge. You will identify sources of funding, help secure funds and develop links with external contacts. You may be expected to contribute towards teaching programmes, supervise postgraduate research students, mentor colleagues and carry out appraisals. 

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click the 'Apply' button above.

Please indicate the contact details of three academic referees on the online application form and upload a full CV, publications list, a description of your recent research, current research and future research interests (not to exceed two pages). Please ensure that at least one of your referees is contactable at any time during the selection process by the HR Office Administrator to request a reference.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. We particularly welcome applications from women and/or candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our Department.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

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