Postdoctoral Research Position – Los Alamos National Laboratory

Postdoctoral Research Position at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Improving the MPAS-Seaice sea-ice model and sea-ice/ocean coupling in the ACME Global Climate Model

Overview: Los Alamos National Laboratory is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in science and engineering on behalf of national security. The postdoc position is within the Climate, Ocean and Sea-Ice Modeling (COSIM) project which develops advanced ocean and ice models for the study of climate and climate change, and the T3 (Fluid Dynamics and Solid Mechanics) group, a part of the Theoretical Division.

Detailed Description: The COSIM group seeks a postdoc to improve the MPAS-Seaice sea-ice model and the sea-ice/ocean coupling of the Accelerated Climate Model for Energy (ACME) global climate model. Possible projects include: improving the physical fidelity of sea ice to ocean coupling fluxes related to brine drainage and study its affect on ocean properties (with focus on deep water formation in the Southern Ocean); investigating the effect of embedding sea-ice draft in a variable sea-surface height ocean model and improving the sea-ice/ocean stress calculation to include depth effects. Projects will likely include both model development in MPAS-Seaice and performing and analyzing simulations with a fully coupled global climate model.

Keywords: climate, climate modeling, sea-ice modeling, ocean modeling, global climate models.

Minimum Job Requirements: Experience and knowledge of computational climate modeling, preferably both the construction of models and their application in a fully coupled context. Software skills including expertise in high-performance computing languages (e.g. Fortran, C, C++) and knowledge of a scripting framework (e.g. Python). Requirements also include demonstrated ability to work in a team setting.

Desired Skills: The successful candidate will have demonstrated the following: scientific excellence as evidenced by submission and publication of authored publications in refereed journals, the ability to create or improve numerical models, and the ability to analyze and interpret climate simulation data.

Education: A Ph.D. in sea-ice physics, physical oceanography, atmospheric sciences, climate modeling, physics, applied mathematics, or closely related field.

Note to Applicant: Send a curriculum vitae, digitized copies of transcripts, names of three references, and a cover letter detailing qualifications and research interests to Adrian Turner at akt@lanl.gov. Please include “ACME Sea-ice Postdoc” in the email subject line. Applications will be reviewed as received with the intent of filling the position before August, 2016. Start date can be no later than the end of 2016.

Pre-Employment Drug Test:The Laboratory requires successful applicants to complete a pre-employment drug test and maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing.

Candidates may be considered for a Director’s Fellowship and outstanding candidates may be considered for the prestigious Marie Curie, Richard P. Feynman, or J. Robert Oppenheimer.

For general information related to the Postdoc Program go to http://www.lanl.gov/careers/career-options/postdoctoral-research/index.php.

Equal Opportunity: Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer and supports a diverse and inclusive workforce.  We welcome and encourage applications from the broadest possible range of qualified candidates. The Laboratory is also committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process.  To request such an accommodation, please send an email to applyhelp@lanl.gov or call 1-505-665-5627.