Senior Scientist - Land-Atmosphere Composition Interactions

ECMWF; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

ECMWF is seeking a Senior Scientist to shape land–surface representations that influence atmospheric composition, greenhouse gases and the carbon cycle. You will steer scientific direction across physics-based and AI-based forecasting systems, with emphasis on vegetation–fire interactions and land-surface fluxes, in ECMWF physics-based and AI-based models.

You will lead model development, experimentation and evaluation, coordinate international partners and help translate research advances into

Qualifications

• Advanced degree or equivalent professional experience in a relevant field.
• Strong track record in Earth-system modelling and land-surface processes.

Responsibilities

• Help steer scientific direction for land–atmosphere interactions within ECMWF's physics-based and AI-based systems.
• Lead development, experimentation and evaluation of land-surface representations and their links to atmospheric composition.
• Coordinate international collaborations and contribute to project objectives and EC collaborations.

Skills

Land–surface modelling

Atmospheric composition

Greenhouse gases

Carbon cycle

Education

Advanced degree

Job description

Your role

Land–atmosphere interactions, including their links with atmospheric composition, play a key role in Earth-system prediction and monitoring. Vegetation, wildfire activity and the terrestrial carbon cycle affect greenhouse gases and pollutant fluxes, while weather and climate shape the evolution of the land surface. Representing these interactions consistently in ECMWF’s operational prediction systems is important for delivering world-leading weather forecasts and atmospheric composition services in the framework of EU’s Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS).

We are seeking a Senior Scientist to help shape ECMWF’s approach to representing land-surface processes that influence atmospheric composition, greenhouse-gas fluxes and the carbon cycle. You will help steer scientific direction in these areas, while directly contributing to model development, experimentation and evaluation, with the aim of advancing ECMWF’s operational Earth-system prediction and atmospheric-composition capabilities. A particular focus will be on vegetation–fire interactions, carbon-cycle processes and land-surface fluxes, in ECMWF physics-based and AI-based models.

You will play a key role in ECMWF’s contributions to the CoFLAME and EUFOR-G3W Horizon Europe EU projects, ensuring that scientific advances from these projects feed into ECMWF’s wider modelling activities and CAMS capabilities, including the CO2 Monitoring and Verification Support capacity (CO2MVS). You will also coordinate the EUFOR-G3W project and lead ECMWF’s engagement with the European Commission, project partners, WMO and the wider greenhouse-gas community. EUFOR-G3W supports WMO’s Global Greenhouse Gas Watch initiative, which brings together observing and modelling capabilities to strengthen the monitoring of greenhouse gases from national to global scales.

About the Land Modelling Team

The Land Modelling Team is part of the Earth System Modelling Section in ECMWF’s Research Department. It advances the representation of land-surface processes and land-atmosphere interactions and supports the operational configurations of ECMWF’s physics-based and AI-based forecasting systems, the IFS and AIFS, and land components, ecLand and aiLand.

The team’s work spans soil, vegetation, urban surfaces, cryosphere, hydrology, lakes, wildfires, methane and carbon-dioxide fluxes, and their coupling with the atmosphere, including links with atmospheric composition.

It works closely with colleagues specialising in atmospheric composition, data assimilation, atmospheric modelling, machine learning, evaluation and operations, as well as with Member and Co-operating States and external partners, to support the delivery of world-leading Earth-system predictions and atmospheric-composition services.

Your responsibilities

You will:

• Help steer scientific direction for land–atmosphere composition interactions across ECMWF’s physics-based and AI-based systems, ensuring that scientific advances translate into improved prediction capabilities, including CAMS greenhouse-gas and atmospheric-composition capabilities and CO2MVS
• Further advance and evaluate the representation of vegetation, wildfires, carbon-cycle processes and land-surface fluxes, using Earth observations and other relevant datasets to constrain the models and assess impacts across the coupled Earth system
• Coordinate EUFOR-G3W, working closely with the consortium to ensure effective and timely delivery of the project’s objectives and commitments to the European Commission
• Strengthen ECMWF’s engagement with WMO G3W and take a proactive role in collaborations with the wider greenhouse-gas observation, modelling, data-assimilation and inverse-modelling communities, representing ECMWF where appropriate
• Design numerical experiments, develop robust scientific software and support the transition of scientifically mature developments towards operational use

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone who combines deep scientific expertise in related areas with demonstrated experience coordinating complex scientific activities across teams and organisations. You will be able to shape work across related areas while contributing to the underlying scientific advances, bringing people together across teams and institutions to deliver common objectives.

You will bring:

• Excellent scientific judgement, with the ability to develop a coherent approach and make clear choices across complex scientific activities
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and a rigorous approach to Earth-system model development, experimentation and evaluation
• The ability to steer complex scientific activities while contributing directly to the work
• The ability to coordinate cross-cutting activities across teams and organisations and ensure delivery of shared objectives
• Clear and credible communication skills, including the ability to influence discussions and represent ECMWF effectively in European and international settings
• Strong organisational skills and resilience, with the ability to manage competing scientific, project and operational demands

Your profile

Education

• An advanced university degree or equivalent professional experience, in a relevant field

Essential experience and knowledge

• A substantial scientific track record in Earth-system modelling, with deep expertise in land-surface processes and their links with atmospheric composition, greenhouse-gas fluxes or the carbon cycle
• Significant experience developing and evaluating Earth-system prediction systems, including through numerical experimentation and the use of Earth observations or other relevant datasets
• Demonstrated experience leading or coordinating complex scientific activities involving international partners or expert groups
• Good knowledge of Copernicus and CAMS atmospheric-composition and greenhouse-gas activities, and their links with wider European observing and modelling capabilities
• Experience engaging with WMO or related international greenhouse-gas communities, together with knowledge of WMO G3W and its objectives

Desirable experience and knowledge

• Experience with AI or machine-learning methods for Earth-system prediction, particularly for land-surface or carbon-cycle applications
• Experience developing scientific robust software and conducting large numerical experiments in high-performance computing environments
• Experience with land-surface data assimilation, atmospheric inversion methods or the use of satellite observations for model development and evaluation

Languages

Candidates must be able to work effectively in English. A good knowledge of one of the Centre’s other working languages (French or German) is an advantage.

If you feel that you have the motivation and many of the skills for this role but don\'t meet precisely all of the criteria listed above, we still encourage you to apply.

About the CoFLAME project

The Copernicus Fire and Land–Atmosphere Modelling of Emissions (CoFLAME) project will advance the representation of interactions between wildfires and vegetation and improve the conversion of observed fire radiative power into emissions of atmospheric pollutants in the CAMS Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS).

About the EUFOR-G3W project

EUFOR-G3W will provide scientific and technical advances and targeted support for implementing WMO’s Global Greenhouse Gas Watch. It will strengthen the coordinated European contribution to global greenhouse-gas monitoring by improving the interoperability, operational readiness and accessibility of European observation and modelling systems.

The project will connect observations, prior flux estimates, atmospheric modelling, data assimilation and inversion systems to support consistent greenhouse-gas monitoring from regional to global scales. It will advance interoperable and AI-ready data pipelines, land and ocean flux products, atmospheric footprint modelling, benchmarking and uncertainty assessment. It will also strengthen international cooperation, promote the uptake of European capabilities within WMO G3W and develop recommendations for the longer-term contribution of European greenhouse-gas monitoring systems to scientific and policy needs.

About Copernicus and CAMS

Copernicus is the flagship Earth observation component of the European Union (EU) space programme. Based on the exploitation of space-based and Earth observations and scientific models, Copernicus provides validated information services for land, marine, atmosphere and climate monitoring, as well as emergency management and security. These services, and their free, open and quality-assured data and tools, support a range of environmental and security applications across sectors and policy domains. ECMWF has been entrusted to operate two of these Services - the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) - on behalf of the European Commission, as well as being a contributor to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service.

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) service provides consistent and quality-controlled information related to atmospheric composition, including air pollutants and greenhouse gases, solar energy, and climate forcing, everywhere in the world. For more information, see: https://www.copernicus.eu/en/copernicus-services/atmosphere

About ECMWF

ECMWF is a world leader in Numerical Weather Predictions providing high-quality data for weather forecasts and environmental monitoring. As an intergovernmental organisation, we collaborate internationally to serve our members and the wider community with global weather predictions, data and training activities that are critical to contribute to safe and thriving societies.

The success of our activities depends on the funding and partnerships of the 35 Member and Co-operating States who provide the support and direction of our work. Our talented staff together with the international scientific community, and our powerful supercomputing capabilities, are the core of a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions. We also hold one of the largest meteorological data archives in the world.

Our vision: The strength of a common goal
Our mission: Deliver global numerical weather predictions focusing on the medium-range and monitoring of the Earth system to and with our Member States

ECMWF is a multi-site organisation, with its headquarters in Reading, UK, a data centre in Bologna, Italy, and a large presence in Bonn, Germany, as a central location for our EU-related activities. ECMWF is internationally recognised as the voice of expertise in numerical weather predictions for forecasts and climate science.
www.ecmwf.int

Other information

Grade remuneration: The successful candidates will be recruited according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations. In addition to basic salary, ECMWF also offers an attractive benefits package. Information about working with us and full details of salary scales and allowances are available on the ECMWF website at:www.ecmwf.int/en/about/jobs/working-ecmwf.

Starting date: asap

Location: Reading, UK or Bonn, Germany (Candidates are expected to relocate to the duty station)

Remote work: As a multi-site organisation, ECMWF has adopted a hybrid organisation model which allows flexibility to staff to mix office working and teleworking. We allow for remote work 10 days/month away from the office, including up to 80 days/year away from the duty station country (within the area of our member states and co-operating states).

Interviews by videoconference (MS Teams) will be conducted in English and are expected to take place approximately a month after the closing date.

Successful applicants and members of their family forming part of their households will be exempt from immigration restrictions.

If you require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment process, please let us know. To contact the ECMWF Recruitment Team, please email [e-mail].

Who can apply

Applicants are invited to complete the online application form by clicking on theapplybutton below.

At ECMWF, we consider an inclusive environment as key for our success. We are dedicated to ensuring a workplace that embraces diversity and provides equal opportunities for all, without distinction as to race, gender, age, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality, ethnicity and culture. We value the benefits derived from a diverse workforce and are committed to having staff that reflect the diversity of the countries that are part of our community, in an environment that nurtures equality and inclusion.

Applications are invited from nationals from ECMWF Member States and Co-operating States.

ECMWF Member and Co-operating States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.

In these exceptional times, we also welcome applications from Ukrainian nationals for this vacancy (note: ECMWF will not be able to assist with leaving the country). Applications from nationals from other countries may be considered in exceptional cases.