2 PhD and 1 Postdoc Positions in Atmospheric Science & Machine Learning at UNIL
Tom Beucler
Dear Climate Informatics community,
I am recruiting two PhD students and one Postdoctoral scholar at the University of Lausanne (in Switzerland) to investigate the genesis and intensification of tropical storms/cyclones using machine learning. The details of the position can be found at this link for the PhD positions and at this link for the postdoc position. To ensure full consideration, applications should be submitted by June 30th, 2021 at this link for the PhD positions and this link for the postdoc position. The desired start date is August/September 2021 but it is quite flexible.
Project Summary:
Motivated by recent success in applying machine learning tools to weather and climate modeling (see e.g. the special issue of Philos. Trans. R. Soc. A and our recent review on the topic), the project aims to explore the interface of tropical meteorology/dynamics and machine learning. More specifically, we see potential for improving the modeling and understanding of tropical cyclogenesis and tropical storm/cyclone intensity changes. A region of interest is the South-Western Indian Ocean as its relatively sparse observational network leaves room to assist ongoing forecasting efforts. The lab will promote close collaborations with international research partners (listed in the full job post) and potentially set up co-supervision of successful candidates depending on the chosen project and affinity.
While the primary focus is in tropical meteorology/dynamics, the lab will fully support successful candidates in formulating their own second project in the broad field of atmospheric science and machine learning with the goal of cultivating independent research skills. The flexible funding structure gives the successful candidate freedom to conduct both methods-driven (e.g. tailoring machine learning algorithms for scientific applications) and hypothesis-driven (e.g. discovering new dynamical equations and teleconnection patterns) research.
Position perks:
For PhD applicants
Annual salary of CHF47’000-50’000 for up to 5 years (until graduation)
Access to all courses at UNIL and EPFL free of charge, but no class requirements for graduation (Swiss PhDs are almost exclusively research-based)
For Postdoc applicants
Annual salary of CHF80’000 for 2 years, pending satisfactory 1-year review
For all applicants
Fully-funded personal research equipment (laptop, desktop computer, monitor, etc.)
Fully-funded research-related travel (conferences, collaborations, etc.)
5 weeks of paid holidays (in addition to 1 week of national holidays)
Access to UNIL’s high-computing facilities
International collaboration network
A friendly and cohesive culture at the Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics including 1-day Summer and Winter retreats, usually in the Alps
Access to UNIL Campus facilities (Sports center with 100+ recreational options, campus-grown food, etc.)
Additional information:
The University of Lausanne is committed to equal opportunity and stands firm against all forms of discrimination.
The Faculty of Geosciences and Environment of the University of Lausanne adheres to the DORA agreement and follows its guidelines in the evaluation of applications (in short, quality over quantity).
Questions regarding the application can be addressed to tom.b...@unil.ch.
UNIL’s campus: https://www.unil.ch/welcomecentre/en/home/menuinst/le-campus.html
Assistant Professor (Starting August 1)
Data-Driven Atmospheric & Water Dynamics Lab