Physical Scientist - HAFS Developer

Lynker Corporation; College Park (MD); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive healthcare

401(k) retirement plan

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

Job summary

Lynker Corporation in College Park, MD is seeking a Physical Scientist - HAFS Developer to enhance hurricane forecast systems through innovative methodologies and collaborations. You will work alongside NOAA scientists to develop and evaluate the Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System (HAFS), ensuring reliable tropical cyclone predictions.

The ideal candidate will have a Master's Degree in related fields, strong programming skills in FORTRAN90 and Python, and experience in hurricane modeling. Competitive benefits and a commitment to employee growth await you.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in hurricane and tropical cyclone modeling.
• Advanced knowledge of tropical meteorology and NWP systems.
• Excellent programming skills in modern and object-oriented languages.

Responsibilities

• Develop and evaluate hurricane forecast systems with NOAA.
• Implement hurricane-specific physics schemes in UFS.
• Conduct pre-implementation tests for hurricane model upgrades.

Skills

Programming in FORTRAN90

Python

Tropical meteorology

Hurricane modeling

High Performing Computing

Education

Master’s Degree or higher in atmospheric sciences or related field

Tools

UFS applications

ESMF

FMS

CCPP

JEDI

Job description

Overview

Lynker is seeking a Physical Scientist - HAFS Developer to support a long term NOAA contract, carrying out research and development work related to future operational hurricane forecast systems. The successful Physical Scientist - HAFS Developer will involve the development, testing, and evaluation of the Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System (HAFS), which is the Unified Forecast System’s (UFS) hurricane application, providing reliable, robust, and skillful model forecasts for tropical cyclones (TCs). This role is a future opportunity, and contingent on contract award.

Responsibilities

Duties of the Physical Scientist - HAFS Developer will include the following:

The Physical Scientist - HAFS Developer will perform the job duties in a high-quality, independent, and collaborative way, assisting in managing projects and developing and applying innovative methods for the primary work areas. The candidate will work with NOAA scientists and external collaborators to develop and evaluate the current and future operational hurricane forecast systems, as well as to design, develop and evaluate HAFS ensemble analysis and forecast for downstream applications. The candidate will work with advanced UFS infrastructure and multi-scale modeling framework, improving hurricane specific physics, data assimilation, dynamics, and high-resolution telescoping and moving nest techniques. Detailed responsibilities will include at least two aspects or more of the following areas.

• Implement and advance hurricane-specific physics schemes within the UFS framework.
• Develop and advance inner-core storm initialization and data assimilation techniques for hurricane forecasting.
• Develop and improve UFS-based dynamics and moving-nesting for high-resolution hurricane modeling.
• Develop and advance UFS-based earth system (atmosphere, land, ocean, wave, storm surge, etc.) coupled modeling system for hurricane forecasting.
• Develop advanced scripts for flexible end-to-end system integration and automation, and allow for additional functionalities.
• Design, setup, and conduct pre‑implementation tests for experimental and operational hurricane model upgrades.
• Explore, develop, test and evaluate the HAFS based ensemble forecast system.

Qualifications

The Physical Scientist - HAFS Developer selected should have the following:

• A Master’s Degree or higher in atmospheric sciences or meteorology, oceanic, mathematics, or related physical science.
• 2+ years of experience in the area of hurricane and tropical cyclone (TC) modeling.
• Advanced knowledge of tropical meteorology and experience in developing hurricane numerical weather prediction (NWP) systems for operational implementation.
• Excellent knowledge and skills of modern programming languages and object-oriented languages, such as FORTRAN90 and Python.
• Skills and knowledge of the High Performing Computing environment.
• Proficient with modern software development practices and version control software.
• Demonstrated skill in communicating effectively with scientists of diverse backgrounds on technical details of the work plan and present results accurately and clearly in both oral and written form.
• Ability to work independently on complex problems in a team and fast-paced environment and demonstrated skill in performing tasks requiring organization and attention to detail.
• Ability to support team initiatives, demonstrate respect for team members, and seek team consensus.

The Ideal Physical Scientist - HAFS Developer will have the following:

• Experience with Artificial Intelligence (AI) weather modeling, specifically for hurricane prediction, is a BIG PLUS.
• Familiarity with operational NWP and/or an operational forecasting environment.
• Experience with UFS applications and knowledge of earth system modeling.
• Experience in high-resolution model development in various infrastructures (ESMF, FMS, CCPP, JEDI, etc.).
• Familiarity with advanced TC data assimilation systems/algorithms.
• Experience/knowledge of hurricane model evaluation and verification.
• Familiarity with agile software development practices.

Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare for the employee at no monthly cost.
• Healthcare benefit covers medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision.
• Personal Time Off (PTO) Policy plus paid holidays.
• Highly competitive compensation plan regularly calibrated against industry and location benchmarks.
• 401(k) retirement plan with company-matching.
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) – we're all company owners!
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Employee assistance program (EAP).
• Short- and long-term disability insurance.
• Life and accident insurance.
• Tuition assistance/Training/Workforce improvement reimbursement per year.
• Spot bonuses for exceptional performance.
• Annual Employee Recognition Awards with bonuses.
• Employee Referral Program.
• Free centralized, self-directed Learning Management System to learn at your own pace.
• Personalized career growth plans for every employee.

Lynker is an E-Verify employer.

Lynker is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local laws.