1 Research Associate/Postdoc position in Germany | Max Planck Institute for Meteorology

The Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M) is a multidisciplinary center for Climate & E-arth System research located in Hamburg, Germany. It provides a highly stimulating internatio-nal scientific environment. We invite applications for

1 Research Associate/Postdoc (m/f – 2014-04)

The research group “Terrestrial Hydrology” in the Land Department of MPI-M aims at understanding the feedbacks between the terrestrial components of the water and energy cycle with other components of the Earth system. For these purposes, an adequate representation of hydrological processes within an Earth System model at the atmosphere/land-surface interface shall be achieved by the modelling terrestrial water fluxes and storages, and by the implementation of associated physical land surface processes impacting these fluxes and storages. In this respect, the group targets to connect observations and modelling for validation purposes, but also to achieve improvements in the model performance.

The successful candidate will work on the analysis and the integration of new remote sensing based land cover data sets into climate models. The work is part of a joint project between modelling groups at MPI-M, UKMO and LSCE as well as data providers. A close cooperation with the Terrestrial Remote Sensing group at MPI-M is foreseen. The project is funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of their climate change initiative. The candidate will be responsible for the analysis and integration of new climate datasets into the MPI-M Earth system model and the analysis of its impact on model performance.

Requirements

• A degree in Meteorology, Physics, Geosciences or related fields; a PhD degree would be an asset
• Very good programming skills (FORTRAN, Unix shell scripts, visualization)
• A good background in climate model or land surface model data analysis
• A good experience in land surface and/or climate modeling
• Good knowledge of the English language (skills in German are welcomed)

The position is offered for two years, starting as soon as possible. Payment will be in accordance with a civil service position (TVöD E13), including extensive social security plans. Conditions of employment, including upgrades and duration, follow the rules of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Sciences, and those of the German civil service. The selection process for the position will start on 24 March 2014 and will continue until the position is filled.