About the Position
Climate change continues to increase the risk of climate hazards that impact people, communities, economies, and ecosystems worldwide. While cutting emissions and adapting to climate impacts remain the primary strategies to mitigate this risk, scientists are also investigating additional approaches to reduce global warming through solar climate intervention (SCI). SCI limits the increase of global temperatures by reducing the amount of incoming solar insolation, or increasing outgoing radiation, by altering the properties of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere. However, the impacts of SCI on Earth system dynamics and hydroclimate extremes remain unclear. UTIG seeks a postdoctoral scholar who can advance ongoing work to identify and quantify the impacts and risks that stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), one method of SCI, poses on the Earth system. Specifically, the postdoctoral scholar will analyze climate model simulations to quantify the impacts and risks of SAI on climate extremes such as droughts, wildfires, extreme precipitation, tropical cyclones and compound events.
The successful candidate would work primarily with Dr. Danielle Touma (danielletouma.com) but will have opportunities to collaborate with other researchers at UTIG (ig.utexas.edu), across the Jackson School of Geosciences (jsg.utexas.edu), and across the wider UT campus. The postdoctoral researcher will have access to UTIG computing clusters as well as computational resources provided by the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC).
Candidates should be self-motivated and interested in a collaborative working environment, which may include working closely with faculty, students, and other postdoctoral researchers. Candidates should have a strong background in Earth system and climate science as well as expertise in analyzing large climate datasets and climate extremes. In addition to supporting ongoing work at UTIG, the successful candidate will be encouraged to initiate and lead their own projects with support from Dr. Touma and other researchers.
The position is open now and will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate is identified. Start date is negotiable. The appointment is for one year, with anticipated extension contingent on performance, successful completion of the first year, and availability of funding. The successful candidate will have access to up to $3,000 to be used towards research expenses and professional development, and up to $2,000 for relocation costs.
Responsibilities
- Analyze climate model simulations (e.g., GeoMIP, ARISE-SAI) to quantify the impacts of solar climate intervention scenarios on hydroclimate extremes.
- Contribute to ongoing research projects using coarse and variable-resolution global climate models to understand impacts of climate intervention on the United States and West African climate.
- Collaborate effectively with staff, postdocs, and students in the research group and collaborators of the group.
- Present results to the scientific community and broader public through conference presentations and journal publications.
Required Qualifications
- Ph.D. in climate/atmospheric science, Earth system science or a related field, completed in the last three years.
- Strong background in climate and Earth system dynamics and hydroclimate extremes.
- Strong programming skills including analysis of large hydroclimate datasets in Python or similar and creating analysis and visualization workflows on a computational cluster and/or high-performance computer with Linux OS.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills and a collaborative working mindset.
- Strong publication record in closely related research topics.
Preferred Qualifications
- Research experience related to hydroclimate extremes including droughts, wildfires, extreme precipitation, tropical cyclones and compound events.
- Research experience in solar climate intervention.
- Research experience with running climate model experiments on high performance computers.
About UTIG
UTIG (ig.utexas.edu) is one of the three research units of the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. UTIG is a world leader in expeditionary-scale geophysical research, conducting research in four broad themes: climate, energy, marine geosciences, seismology and tectonophysics, and planetary and polar geophysics.
Salary
$65,000/year
Benefits
You will be working for a university that is internationally recognized for our academic programs and research. You will be part of an international effort at the forefront of advancing the energy transition. You will be part of a vibrant university experience that interweaves students, engineering and support staff and senior scientists. You will be part of a team, launching young people on their careers and advancing fundamental and applied science. UT Austin provides an outstanding benefits package including:
- Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%)
- Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options
- Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays
- Hybrid work schedule
- Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, which includes employer matching funds
- Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation program 457(b)
- Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses
- Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional conference opportunities
- Tuition assistance
- Expansive employee discount program including athletic tickets
- Free access to UT Austin’s libraries and museums with staff ID card
- Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Austin CapMetro buses with staff ID card
For more details, please see: https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits and https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/my-total-rewards
Working Conditions
- May work around standard office conditions.
- Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.
Required Application Materials
- Curriculum Vitae (including list of publications)
- Brief (~2 page) statement of research interests
- Contact information for three references
https://utaustin.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UTstaff/job/Postdoctoral-Fellow–Touma–25-26_R_00041946
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