Overview

We are looking to hire a Research Engineer to work on a newly-funded NASA project on ice sheet/sea ice modeling & data assimilation. The primary goal of the project is to help constrain requirements for a future NASA surface topography mission using novel sea ice and ice sheet Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs). Your role in the project will be to help configure and run climate models (CICE and ISSM), assist with the development of new satellite emulators (using NCAR’s DART), and oversee data assimilation simulations together with project partners at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), University of Maryland and University of Washington. An open science approach will be strongly encouraged throughout the project.

About you

We are looking to hire a motivated and considerate team player who can help us collectively achieve our primary science goals. We are also keen to help you grow in this role and will provide training and mentorship opportunities where needed. This role will particularly suit someone looking to develop a more team-based approach to engaging with science, where first-author publications are not a strict requirement. Our project team recognizes the benefits of contributions from a broad range of perspectives. We thus particularly welcome applications from historically underrepresented groups within our field. International applications are welcome also as visa sponsorship is possible.

Great prior experiences to have, but that are not essential: (i) configuring and running climate model components, (ii) writing and adapting FORTRAN and/or Python code (and possibly Julia), (iii) contributing to open-source code using version control, (iv) supercomputing/cloud computing experience, (v) sea-ice or ice-sheet altimetry processing, (vi) data assimilation techniques (e.g., ensemble Kalman filters).

Position details

You will be hired through the University of Maryland’s Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) with the opportunity to work at the nearby NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) as desired. Working remotely is also permissible and appropriate for this role.

We are flexible in the type of position we can hire, but it will likely be at the rank of Postdoctoral Associate, Assistant Research Scientist or Faculty Specialist. Salary and benefits will largely depend on your experiences and qualifications as set by the ESSIC hiring committee. Salary will be in the range of $70-100k. ESSIC provides additional benefits including retirement contributions, health/dental care, maternity/paternity leave, sick leave and good vacation allowance.

Funding is available to travel and collaborate with our project partners across the US and to present at national/international meetings, although this is not a requirement if your personal situation prevents it.

The position has funding for three years (pending successful annual reviews), while opportunities to extend your stay and/or work on additional projects will be encouraged as desired. Anticipated start-date is summer/fall 2022.

To apply

Applications are due by June 30, 2022. To apply please send a CV and 1-page cover letter to alek.a.petty@nasa.gov. References will be solicited from shortlisted candidates. For further information about the project or application process please email with any questions prior to the application deadline.