Postdoc Research Group Pellicciotti

Institute of Science and Technology Austria; Klosterneuburg; Vor Ort; EUR 50.000 - 65.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Institute of Science and Technology Austria invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher / Data Scientist – Mountain water and cryosphere. You will work at the intersection of AI, remote sensing, and high‑resolution land surface modelling to build a large-scale mountain water resources dataset and set a new standard in the field.

The role includes developing data pipelines, harmonising multi-source environmental data, enabling data exchange across partners, designing an API/UI for data

Qualifikationen

• PhD in data science, geosciences, hydrology, climate science, computer science or related field.
• Experience handling large geospatial datasets (NetCDF, GeoTIFF, Zarr, GeoJSON).
• Experience with version control and reproducible research practices.

Aufgaben

• Design and implement efficient data pipelines for large geospatial datasets.
• Manage, harmonise, and document multi-source environmental data across work packages.
• Facilitate data exchange across institutions and work packages.
• Support reproducible workflows and best practices in scientific computing.
• Construct an API / UI to download data from the AI emulator efficiently.
• Contribute to the digital twin / web platform for project outputs.
• Support data flow and collaboration between work packages.
• Contribute to scientific analyses, publications and fieldwork.

Kenntnisse

Data science

Geospatial data handling

Earth sciences applications

Ausbildung

PhD in a relevant field

Tools

NetCDF

GeoTIFF

Zarr

GeoJSON

Git

Python

HPC

Jobbeschreibung

• Application Deadline: (30/09/2026). The position is for 4 years, with an initial contract of 2 years renewable for two more years. Position start date: December 2026/January 2027

Postdoctoral Researcher / Data Scientist – Mountain water and cryosphere

You’ll work at the intersection of AI, remote sensing, and high-resolution land surface modelling — combining advanced cryosphere and hydrosphere observations with climate adaptation strategies. Your core mission: help build a next-generation, large-scale dataset of mountain water resources that will set a new standard in the field.

Your Responsibilities

The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping the data infrastructure of the project. This includes:

• Designing and implementing efficient data pipelines for large geospatial datasets
• Managing, harmonising, and documenting multi-source environmental data across all work packages
• Facilitating efficient data exchange across institutions and work packages
• Supporting reproducible workflows and best practices in scientific computing
• Construct an API / user-interface to download the data resulting from AI emulator in an efficient and lightweight manner
• Involvement in the design and the functionality of the digital twin / web platform that aims to make project output accessible
• Contributing to the development of a project-wide dataset as a major output
• Supporting data flow and collaboration between work packages
• Opportunities to contribute to scientific analyses, scientific publications and fieldwork.

Your Profile

We are looking for candidates with strong skills in data science and/or geospatial data handling and an interest in Earth sciences applications.

Applicants must have:

• A PhD in data science, geosciences, hydrology, climate science, computer science, or a related field
• Experience handling large and complex datasets, especially geospatial data formats (e.g. NetCDF, GeoTIFF, Zarr, GeoJSON)
• Experience with version control and reproducible research practices

In addition, the following is desirable:

• Experience with environmental or climate data
• Experience with scientific computing or knowledge of high-performance computing (HPC) environments
• Experience with cloud platforms and/or large-scale data processing
• Background in machine learning or AI applications
• Experience with API / user interfaces
• Experience with web development and interactive geospatial visualization is a plus
• Ability to build science communication platforms that translate complex model outputs into intuitive, accessible interfaces for policymakers, stakeholders, and the general public — combining storytelling, maps, and interactive graphics to drive real-world impact

Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) is a constantly growing international institute forconducting world‑class research in mathematics, computer science,life sciences & physical sciences. We strive to recruit passionateprofessionals from across the world over all fields who strive tosupport our goal of excellent research. Located within a beautifulcampus on the outskirts of Vienna, we offer multiple opportunitiesfor personal growth in a stable working environment.

*This position comes with possible overpayment depending on education, qualification and work experience. For more information on how ISTA processes your personal data, please refer to www.ista.ac.at/data-protection.