Research Associate

Africlimate; Remote; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Full time

Job summary

A climate research organization in South Africa is seeking a Research Associate to support AI-driven climate modelling. The successful candidate will focus on data preparation, model development, and collaboration with international partners. Candidates should have a Master's in Climate Science or related field, proficiency in Python, and experience with geospatial datasets. This position offers remote work across Africa and competitive compensation that reflects expertise.

Benefits

Mentorship opportunities

Access to leading conferences

Flexible working environment

Travel opportunities across Africa

Qualifications

• Master's degree in related field required.
• Proficiency in Python is essential.
• Experience with geospatial datasets preferred.
• Knowledge of machine learning methods needed.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.

Responsibilities

• Assist in AI-based climate methodology design and implementation.
• Preprocess and manage large geospatial datasets.
• Support model evaluation frameworks development.
• Contribute to MLOps pipelines for AI models.
• Collaborate on documentation and reproducibility.

Skills

Proficiency in Python

Geospatial data management

Communication of technical work

Machine learning knowledge

Collaborative teamwork

Education

Master's degree in Climate Science, Meteorology, Machine Learning or related field

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

The Research Associate will support AfriClimate AI's applied research portfolio by contributing to the development, fine-tuning, and validation of AI-driven climate and weather modelling tools.

Working closely with the research team, the successful candidate will play a hands-on role in data preparation, model development and evaluation, ensuring that research outputs are robust, open and relevant for African contexts.

Research & Development

• Assist in designing, implementing, and testing AI-based climate and weather forecasting methodologies.
• Preprocess and manage large geospatial datasets (e.g., observational data, satellite products, reanalysis datasets).
• Support the development of benchmarking frameworks for model evaluation, including skill scores, bias correction and uncertainty quantification.
• Contribute to the setup and maintenance of MLOps pipelines for training, deployment and monitoring of AI models.
• Collaborate with team members on documentation, and reproducibility of workflows.

Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing

• Work with meteorological agencies, universities and international partners on joint research tasks.
• Contribute to open-source datasets, code repositories and technical documentation.
• Support the preparation of research outputs, including peer-reviewed articles, technical reports, and policy briefs.
• Present results in internal and external meetings (workshops and conferences).

Essential Qualifications & Experience

• Master's degree in Climate Science, Meteorology, Machine Learning or a related field.
• Proficiency in Python.
• Experience working with geospatial and gridded datasets (e.g., ERA5, CHIRPS, CMIP, satellite-based products).
• Knowledge of machine learning methods applied to climate or weather problems.
• Familiarity with standard model evaluation metrics and statistical analysis.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in distributed teams.
• Ability to communicate technical work clearly.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Previous research experience on African climate datasets and / or data-sparse contexts.
• Hands-on experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
• Exposure to MLOps tools (e.g., MLflow, Docker, Kubernetes, Airflow).
• Familiarity with cloud computing (AWS, GCP, Azure) or HPC workflows.
• Knowledge of numerical weather prediction (NWP) systems, downscaling, or data assimilation.
• Experience contributing to open-source projects or collaborative codebases.

AfriClimate AI is a grassroots research organisation advancing climate resilience in Africa through open, community-driven AI research.

We focus on developing region-specific datasets, tools, and methodologies to bridge the gap between global models and local needs, supporting equitable and actionable climate solutions across the continent.

Mission-driven impact

Contribute to climate resilience and equity across Africa through open, locally grounded research.

Flexible, remote-first work

Collaborate with an international network while working from anywhere in Africa.

Open science ethos

Work in a fully open-source, community-driven environment that values transparency, reproducibility, and shared ownership.

Professional growth

Access mentorship, attend leading conferences, and shape the future of climate AI research in the Global South.

Collaborative culture

Join a multidisciplinary, values-aligned team working at the intersection of science, technology, and social impact.

Travel opportunities

Participate in key events, workshops, and field collaborations across Africa and beyond.

Competitive compensation

Receive a salary package that reflects your expertise, with flexibility for different levels of experience and location.