Staff Scientist, Modeling Applications

Convergent Research; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 125,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

[C]Worthy, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, seeks a Staff Scientist to build and apply near-field and regional ocean models for CDR quantification. The role sits in our Applications team, focusing on applied regional modeling, model development, and process-level ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) research, with opportunities at the intersection of academia and industry.

This unique position involves standing up, validating and running near-field, regional, and simplified OAE models, and

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in oceanography, atmospheric science, geophysical fluid dynamics, marine biogeochemistry, or a closely related field
• Demonstrated experience configuring, running, and evaluating global/regional ocean and/or estuary models (e.g., Oceananigans, ROMS, MOM6, NEMO, FVCOM, SCHISM, MITGCM, Delft3D, or equivalent)
• Working knowledge of ocean biogeochemistry, including carbonate chemistry and air-sea gas exchange
• Proficiency in Python
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to convey technical results to non-specialist audiences; ability to collaborate in a small, fast-moving research team

Responsibilities

• Stand up, validate and run near-field, regional, and simplified OAE models to characterize controls on OAE efficiency
• Develop knowledge and data products that inform MRV and deployment design
• Collaborate across academia and industry within a small, agile team
• Contribute to collaborative open-source software packages

Skills

Python

Education

Ph.D. in oceanography or related field

Tools

Oceananigans

ROMS

MOM6

NEMO

FVCOM

SCHISM

MITGCM

Delft3D

Job description

About [C]Worthy

[C]Worthy is a non-profit research organization transforming research-grade oceanographic models into decision-support tools for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Ocean CDR technologies, leveraging the ocean’s natural capacity to absorb and store atmospheric carbon dioxide, have the potential to make significant contributions towards meeting global climate targets. However, because the ocean is a dynamic, open system, measuring how much carbon a given CDR intervention actually removes presents a major scientific challenge. This is why robust Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) is essential: transparent, science-backed MRV builds the trust needed for governments, communities, and carbon markets to research and scale safe, effective ocean-based solutions.

[C]Worthy is a tight group of scientists, developers, and leaders moving quickly to accelerate and de-risk ocean-based CDR. We are building C-Star, an open-source modeling platform that systematizes regional biogeochemical ocean modeling through automated, reproducible workflows, functioning as a one-stop-shop to create input and forcing data, model configurations, model execution, post-processing, and analysis. We use this software for a range of applications within CDR research and MRV applications, and work with external partners to establish a broad user-base of our software within both academia and industry.

By establishing shared, open-source infrastructure, validated model domains, and reusable workflows, we dramatically lower the barrier to entry for new ocean modeling projects and ensure scientific innovations benefit the broader community. Ultimately, we aim to democratize access to advanced ocean modeling tools—empowering researchers, policymakers, and local communities to actively shape ocean governance and marine resource management.

[C]Worthy is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado.

Role Overview

modeling systems for CDR quantification, we are seeking a Staff Scientist to build and apply near-field and regional model configurations to strategically identified oceanic systems. The role will sit within our Applications team, which takes on projects at the intersection of applied regional modeling, model development, and process-level ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) research. Activities will include standing up, validating and running near-field, regional, and simplified OAE models to characterize the physical and biogeochemical controls on OAE efficiency, and develop the knowledge and data products that inform MRV and deployment design.

This is a unique position, which sits at the intersection of academia and industry, offering multiple learning and career-advancing opportunities:

• Answer central scientific questions at the frontier of ocean-based CDR research
• Develop and use cutting edge open-source ocean modeling tools, paving the way for others to follow your steps
• Leverage AI & ML to expand impact and enhance tooling for CDR
• Design and deploy data visualizations of large geospatial datasets
• Interact with academic, government, and industry researchers and practitioners of ocean-based CDR
• Contribute to collaborative open-source software packages

The successful candidate will be a technically well-rounded ocean modeler who can contribute across the full modeling lifecycle—from model and scientific software development to model application, analysis, and interpretation. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working collaboratively as a member of a larger technical team, moving across a variety of projects, learning new tools and scientific domains, and helping expand our capabilities into new areas of oceanographic modeling.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in oceanography, atmospheric science, geophysical fluid dynamics, marine biogeochemistry, or a closely related field
• Demonstrated experience configuring, running, and evaluating global/regional ocean and/or estuary models (e.g., Oceananigans, ROMS, MOM6, NEMO, FVCOM, SCHISM, MITGCM, Delft3D, or equivalent)
• Working knowledge of ocean biogeochemistry, including carbonate chemistry and air-sea gas exchange
• Proficiency in Python
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to convey technical results to non-specialist audiences; ability to collaborate in a small, fast-moving research team

Preferred Qualifications

• Interest in and familiarity with AI/ML approaches applied to scientific modeling or data analysis.
• Prior work on CDR quantification, MRV methodology, or ocean carbon cycle research
• Experience developing reproducible scientific workflows
• Familiarity with cloud-native, multi-dimensional data formats (e.g., ZARR, HDF, netCDF, COG), visualization tools, and public dataset publication practices
• Experience with HPC computing environments (e.g., Slurm)
• Familiarity with uncertainty quantification, ensemble methods, or Bayesian calibration

$125,000 - $160,000 a year

Salary will be based on experience and role fit.

The position is based in Boulder, Colorado (preferred), although hybrid and remote applications may be considered.