Senior Climate Machine Learning Scientist

MSCI Inc; New York (NY); On-site; USD 102,000 - 133,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Flexible work arrangements

Learning platforms access

Diversity and inclusion programs

Job summary

MSCI Inc. is seeking a climate risk scientist to architect ML solutions for global climate risk assessments. You will collaborate with climate scientists and data engineers to design scalable modeling pipelines and validate models in a changing climate.

You will train PyTorch/JAX models on large scales, apply COG/GeoParquet formats, and leverage AI tools like Claude Code. The role offers flexible work arrangements and a strong learning culture at MSCI.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Meteorology, Atmospheric Sciences, Oceanography, Hydrology, Physics, Geography, Engineering, Climate, Mathematics, or similar.
• 2+ years of experience in roles developing products to meet client requirements.
• Programming experience in Python, R, C/C++, and/or Fortran.
• Experience with cloud optimized geospatial formats such as Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG), GeoParquet.
• Knowledge of CMIP outputs and its Shared Socioeconomic Pathways.
• Practical experience using AI tools for production scientific code and pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement machine learning solutions for climate risk assessments.
• Produce robust, reproducible models which will stand up to validation studies in a changing climate.
• Follow team standards for machine learning applications to create physical risk models.
• Keep up with the latest developments in machine learning, extreme weather, and climate and bring those developments to improve our models and risk assessments.
• Train machine learning models written in PyTorch or JAX, then extend them for large scale inference on global scales.
• Use dashboards such as mlflow, Weights and Biases, etc. to track and communicate model performance and results.
• Be familiar with the latest foundation models such as Aurora, and the latest prediction models such as FourCastNet 3.

Skills

Python

R

C/C++

Fortran

Machine learning

Education

Ph.D. in Meteorology/Atmospheric Sciences etc.

Tools

Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG)

GeoParquet

Aurora foundation models

FourCastNet 3

Claude Code / Codex

Job description

Your Team Responsibilities

• Build physical climate risk models using state-of-the-art methodologies including AI numerical weather prediction applied to climate applications; stochastic ensembles; earth observing foundation models; as well as traditional physics-based models.

• Collaborate with our climate scientists, hydrologists, fire scientists, data scientists, and data engineers to translate business requirements into scientific solutions.

• Partner with data, cloud, and security teams to design scalable and maintainable scientific modeling pipelines.

• Support a culture of scientific rigor and excellence in model design, including conducting validation studies to guide continuous improvement of those models.

Your Key Ressponsibilities

• Architect and implement machine learning solutions for climate risk assessments.

• Produce robust, reproducible models which will stand up to validation studies in a changing climate.

• Follow team standards for machine learning applications to create physical risk models.

• Keep up with the latest developments in machine learning, extreme weather, and climate and bring those developments to improve our models and risk assessments.

• Train machine learning models written in PyTorch or JAX, then extend them for large scale inference on global scales.

• Use dashboards such as mlflow, Weights and Biases, etc. to track and communicate model performance and results.

• Be familiar with the latest foundation models such as Aurora, and the latest prediction models such as FourCastNet 3.

Your skills and experience that will help you excel

• Ph.D. in Meteorology, Atmospheric Sciences, Oceanography, Hydrology, Physics, Geography, Engineering, Climate, Mathematics, or similar subjects.

• 2+ years of experience in roles developing products to meet client requirements.

• Programming experience in Python, R, C/C++, and/or Fortran.

• Experience with cloud optimized geospatial formats such as Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG), GeoParquet, and related standards.

• Knowledge of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) outputs and its shared socioeconomic pathways.

• Practical experience using AI tools (i.e. Claude Code, Codex) for writing production scientific code and pipelines.

About MSCI

What we offer you

• Salary range: $102,000 - $133,000 / year.Plus eligible for annual bonus.

• Transparent compensation schemes and comprehensive employee benefits, tailored to your location, ensuring your financial security, health, and overall wellbeing.

• Flexible working arrangements, advanced technology, and collaborative workspaces.

• A culture of high performance and innovation where we experiment with new ideas and take responsibility for achieving results.

• A global network of talented colleagues, who inspire, support, and share their expertise to innovate and deliver for our clients.

• Global Orientation program to kickstart your journey, followed by access to our Learning@MSCI platform, AI Learning Center , LinkedIn Learning Pro and tailored learning opportunities for ongoing skills development.

• Multi-directional career paths that offer professional growth and development through new challenges, internal mobility and expanded roles.

• We actively nurture an environment that builds a sense of inclusion belonging and connection, including eight Employee Resource Groups. All Abilities, Asian Support Network, Black Leadership Network, Climate Action Network, Hola! MSCI, Pride & Allies, Women in Tech, and Women’s Leadership Forum.

At MSCI we are passionate about what we do, and we are inspired by our vision – to power better decisions. You’ll be part of an industry-leading network of creative, curious, and entrepreneurial pioneers. This is a space where you can challenge yourself, set new standards and perform beyond expectations for yourself, our clients, and our industry.

MSCI strengthens global markets by connecting participants across the financial ecosystem with a common language. Our research-based data, analytics and indexes, supported by advanced technology, set standards for global investors and help our clients understand risks and opportunities so they can make better decisions and unlock innovation. We serve asset managers and owners, private-market sponsors and investors, hedge funds, wealth managers, banks, insurers and corporates.

MSCI Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the firm to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, disability, marital and civil partnership/union status, pregnancy (including unlawful discrimination on the basis of a legally protected parental leave), veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. MSCI is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please email [e-mail] and indicate the specifics of the assistance needed. Please note, this e-mail is intended only for individuals who are requesting a reasonable workplace accommodation; it is not intended for other inquiries.