Research Scientist (m/f/d)

Research Scientist (m/f/d)

Company: Climate Resource
Location: Berlin, (or possibly Hanover) Germany 
Job Type: Indefinite, full-time or at least 80 % part-time position commencing between 1 January and 1 March 2025. 

Company Overview:

Climate Resource is a small but growing climate science research company dedicated to understanding and addressing the impacts of climate change, and providing world-class climate science to a range of audiences. We’re scientists, economists, and software engineers working together to answer interdisciplinary questions in climate science. We strive to put the best climate science in the hands of as many users as possible. We are active contributors to policy development in Australia and in the international forums in which stakeholders make use of the data and tools we produce.

We have an office in Melbourne, Australia. In Germany, we have staff located in Berlin and a colleague in Hanover, and another colleague in Vienna, Austria. We aim to work with, develop and support excellent people. We offer a flexible working environment that supports hybrid in-office and work-from-home arrangements. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, supporting different life stages and situations, and building diversity within our workplace as we grow.

Position Overview:

We are seeking a dedicated Research Scientist with an appetite for model and software development to join our team, who will bring insights and skills to a collaborative environment and a willingness to learn. You will initially work mostly with Zebedee (climate scientist, programmer, and data aficionado) and Mika (physicist turned research software engineer, managing director, and uncertainty enthusiast)  to deliver a research project focussed on providing the world’s best climate models with information from satellite observations of greenhouse gas concentrations. This project will contribute to the world’s flagship international climate modelling project, the World Climate Research Programme’s (WCRP’s) Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP). As part of delivering this project, you will lead at least one peer-reviewed scientific publication. In addition, you will also develop skills in research software engineering. No matter what your software engineering experience is right now, these skills will enable you to become a core part of our research software engineering team and support the development and delivery of Climate Resource’s other projects.

What you will do :

1. Deliver a two-year research project on satellite observations of greenhouse gas concentrations together with the rest of the team, to:

   1. Compare satellite observations of greenhouse gas concentrations with the inputs that are currently used by climate models.
   2. Incorporate satellite observations of greenhouse gas concentrations into the inputs used by climate models, including propagation of uncertainty from raw observations to the final data product.
   3. Include the learning from the previous steps in projections of future greenhouse gas concentrations and their uncertainty.
   4. Lead the preparation, submission and revision of at least one peer-reviewed scientific publication based on the work.
   5. Contribute to the project’s overall project management and ongoing reporting requirements, including meeting with the European Space Agency, the project’s funder.

2. Develop research software engineering skills:

   1. Use the research project to develop your research software engineering skills, with a view to being able to contribute to Climate Resource’s other products and tools before the end of the research project.

3.  Contribute to Climate Resource’s other products and tools:

   1. Initially, you will be expected to learn about Climate Resource’s other software products and tools.
   2. Before the end of the research project, you will be expected to have developed the skills needed to contribute to Climate Resource’s other software products and tools.

Here’s what success looks like in this role:

By the end of the project,

1. you will have helped ensure the research project on satellite observations of greenhouse gas concentrations is delivered to a high standard, on time and on budget
2. you feel comfortable as part of our research software engineering team. As part of this, you are an expert at translating our best climate science into software tools that can be used by a broad audience and understand the challenges that come with building robust, maintainable, usable software out of climate science ideas
3. you are ready, or are close to being ready to, lead your own projects, including hiring and training the next set of research software engineers
4. you are excited to continue in our research software engineering team and work with the rest of our team to solve problems related to the areas of climate change in which we work.

Qualifications:

• A desire to develop experience with the Python programming language
• A desire to develop experience in research software engineering, including package development and testing, package management and distribution and the development of reproducible workflows
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a multicultural environment
• A proactive, communicative approach to problem-solving and willingness to take on new challenges
• Lead author of at least one peer-reviewed publication, or substantive roles as a contributing author to peer-reviewed publications 
• Ability to communicate in English, both written and verbal, to support working in a remote and largely asynchronous work environment.

It’s a plus if you have:

• Existing experience with the Python programming language
• Existing experience in another programming language
• Existing experience in research software engineering, including package development and testing, package management and distribution and the development of reproducible workflows
• Existing experience working with climate and emissions data
• German language skills.

For us, the most important thing is your willingness to learn. Most members of our research software engineering team don’t have a degree in computer science. Many of us started as researchers who successfully moved into research software engineering. If you also have research experience, an interest in software and a commitment to learning, we believe that we can help you develop the skills you need. If this sounds like you, please do apply.

If you have any doubts, please reach out to us at jobs@climate-resource.com.

Benefits:

• Collaboration as part of a small, expert, international team.
• Contribution to meaningful work addressing the challenge of climate change.
• Opportunity to straddle the border between research science and research software engineering, an area that is increasingly in demand.
• Training in research software engineering within a world-leading research software engineering team.
• Exposure to the challenges and solutions within a full-stack software engineering environment.
• Time and support to publish in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.
• Access to Impact Hub Berlin for co-working, or equivalent co-working arrangements in Hanover.
• Flexible working hours and the possibility of hybrid in-office and work-from-home arrangements.
• Competitive salary based on experience.

Salary:

The gross annual salary will be commensurate with experience. The expected employee gross annual salary range is EUR 62,000-70,000 full time equivalent per year, pro rata for the time fraction agreed. 

Application Process:

Submit your CV and a cover letter outlining your suitability for the role to jobs@climate-resource.com.  Please attach or include a link to at least one peer-reviewed publication of which you were the lead or a major contributing author). Also include links to any software projects you have delivered (noting these are only a nice-to-have and we strongly encourage people without an existing software background to apply).

Applications should be submitted by 4 December 2024. We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.