Background
The Climate Dynamics section of the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany, is seeking applications for a position focused on high-resolution sea ice modeling to prepare and conduct innovative kilometer-scale climate simulations.
The position includes the following responsibilities:
Preparing the FESOM (https://github.com/FESOM/fesom2) sea ice model for integration into the next version of the IFS-FESOM coupled model
Extending the model's functionality by implementing advanced sea ice thermodynamics for coupled simulations
Conducting high-resolution simulations with the updated sea ice model
Contributing to the development of an AI-based emulator for the high-resolution sea ice model
You will collaborate with leading European climate modelers, computational scientists, and software engineers to develop Digital Twins of the climate system, supporting climate change adaptation efforts.
Your Tasks
You will be part of a large, collaborative team working on the development of the IFS-FESOM system, a next-generation kilometer-scale climate model that is a key component of the Destination Earth Climate Digital Twin initiative and several other national and international projects.
Your primary responsibilities will include preparing the sea ice component of the climate modeling system for the next, more advanced version. This involves optimizing ocean-sea ice coupling, adapting advanced thermodynamics (based on ICEPACK) for coupled simulations, and conducting ocean-sea ice and atmosphere-ocean-sea ice simulations.
Depending on your expertise, your focus may include the scientific evaluation of simulations or the optimization of the system's computational performance. These tasks will be carried out in close collaboration and continuous dialogue with model developers. You will be expected to publish the results of these developments in the scientific literature. Additionally, you will support the development of an AI-based emulator for the sea ice model, a task undertaken by other project team members.
Your Profile
A master in one or more of the following fields is required: oceanography, climate sciences, meteorology, mathematics, physics, software engeneering, computer science or related field
A PhD in any of these fields would be an advantage
Demonstrated experience of working with *nix systems
Very good Englisch knowledge (C1)
We follow good software development practices in our work, and expect you to have hands on experience with version control (git), writing tests, and creating documentation.
Moreover, having one or several of the following skills would be a distinct advantage:
Experience with running geophysical models, especially those for sea ice, ocean, atmosphere, or climate
Knowledge of sea ice physics
Experience developing sea ice models
Familiarity with unstructured grid models for ocean, sea ice, or atmosphere
Experience with HPC systems
Knowledge of FORTRAN and at least one other programming or scripting language (e.g., Python, Bash, or Julia)
Further Information
For any questions you may have, you are very welcome to get in touch with Prof. Dr. Thomas Jung (Thomas.Jung@awi.de; +49 15146722091) or Dr. Nikolay Koldunov (Nikolay.Koldunov@awi.de).
This is a full-time position, limited to December 31st, 2028. It is also suitable for part-time employment. The salary will be paid in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federation (Tarifvertrag des öffentlichen Dienstes, TVöD Bund), up to salary level 13. The place of employment will be Bremerhaven.
The AWI is characterized by
our scientific success - excellent research
collaboration and cooperation - intra-institute, national and international, interdisciplinary
opportunities to develop - on the job and towards other positions
an international environment - everyday contact with people from all over the world
flexible working hours and the possibility of mobile working up to 50% of regular working hours
health promotion and company fitness with Hansefit and Wellhub
support services and a culture of reconciling work and family
occupational pension provision (VBL)
AWI values diversity and actively promotes gender parity, as well as an open, inclusive environment that provides equal opportunities. We are convinced that diverse teams and a variety of perspectives enrich our work and our daily collaboration. In a continuous process of learning and reflection, we aim to ensure that all our employees can be themselves and feel a sense of belonging. We welcome applications from qualified people regardless of binary and non-binary genders, race and nationality, ethnic and social background, religion, age, physical abilities, neurodivergence, sexual orientation, and other identities.
Applicants with disabilities will be given preference when equal qualifications are present.
AWI fosters work-family compatibility in various ways and has received several awards as a result of this commitment. And as a new international member of our team, you can be sure that we will help you settle in. Our Family Office and International Office will be glad to support you, even before you start at AWI.
We look forward to your application!
Please submit your application by March 2nd, 2025 exclusively online.
Reference number: 25/16/D/Kli-b