Senior Scientist / Postdoc - Foundation model for weather

JSC - Jülich Supercomputing Centre

Scientific / postdoctoral posts

Your Job:

In this position, you will be an active part of our ESDE research group and the WeatherGenerator consortium. You will make substantial contributions to the development of the WeatherGenerator foundation model for weather forecasting and many related applications. Your responsibilities will include the design, implementation, training, testing and evaluation of this model within a strong team of AI researchers and meteorologists. The WeatherGenerator model will extend the proven AtmoRep concept, which is at the forefront of international AI research. We are looking for an enthusiastic researcher who is quick to grasp new concepts and ideas and can solve complex deep learning problems with high-quality software solutions. Experience with large-scale transformer models is beneficial but not required. You will:

• Familiarize yourself with the AtmoRep model and its training and implementation strategy.
• Contribute your expertise to the design and implementation of the new WeatherGenerator foundation model.
• Play a strong role in the design, implementation, training, testing, and evaluation of the WeatherGenerator foundation model.
• Contribute to the documentation of the WeatherGenerator foundation model and to training activities.
• Assist in the coordination and management of the work packages of the WeatherGenerator project for which JSC is responsible.
• Perform general research into the application of advanced deep learning for weather applications.
• Engage in national and international ML/DL communities.
• Present research results at scientific meetings, conferences, and as scientific papers.

Your Profile:

• Excellent Master’s degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering or a comparable subject and a subsequent PhD degree or professional experience.
• Very good knowledge and proven skills with larger deep learning networks and unsupervised training (your experience should be documented in research papers and Open Source code projects).
• Proficiency in software development including the use of version control systems.
• Practical experience with High Performance Computing Systems or large-scale cluster computers and parallel programming.
• Interest in scientific topics, especially related to weather and climate.
• Self-motivated personality, curiosity of working in a multi-disciplinary team environment on scientifically challenging problems.
• Very good command of written and spoken English.

In your cover letter, please explicitly elaborate your experiences in the bullet points listed above. This is an important aspect for us.

Our Offer:

We work on the very latest issues that impact our society and are offering you the chance to actively help in shaping the change! We support you in your work with:

• Work on frontiers of scientific and technological challenges with access to cutting-edge and unique supercomputing systems including JUPITER, the upcoming first Exascale computer in Europe.
• Collaboration in a vibrant, interdisciplinary and diverse environment of highly skilled researchers.
• Active membership in diversity networks such as Women in HPC, Women in Machine Learning, Pride in STEM.
• Comprehensive training courses and individual opportunities for personal and professional further development.
• Ideal conditions for balancing work and private life, as well as a family-friendly corporate policy.
• Flexible work (location) arrangements, e.g. partly remote work.
• Flexible working hours in a full-time position with the option of slightly reduced working hours.
• 30 days of annual leave and provision for days off between public holidays and weekends (e.g. between Christmas and New Year).
• A large research campus with green spaces, offering the best possible means for networking with colleagues and pursuing sports alongside work.

In addition to exciting tasks and a collaborative working atmosphere in Jülich, we have a lot more to offer.

For this project, you will be employed for a fixed term of 4 years. Salary and social security benefits will conform to the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Public Service (TVöD-Bund), pay group 13 - 14, depending on your current qualifications and the precise nature of the tasks assigned to you. All information about the Collective Agreement for the Public Service (TVöD-Bund) can be found on the BMI website. The monthly salaries in euros can be found on page 66 of the PDF download.

We particularly welcome applications from people from a diverse range of backgrounds (e.g. regardless of age, gender, disabilities, sexual orientation/identity, as well as social, ethnic, and religious background). We strive to offer a diverse and inclusive working environment in which people enjoy equal opportunities and are able to fulfill their potential.

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.