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Scientist in AI-based emulator for High-Resolution Sea Ice Modeling (f/m/d)

Background

The Climate Dynamics section of the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany, is seeking applications for a position focused on development of AI-based emulator for high-resolution sea ice modeling in climate research.

The position includes the following responsibilities:

• Developing an AI-based sea ice model emulator based on high-resolution FESOM2 simulations ( and potentially incorporating observational data
• Adapting the AI-based sea ice emulator for various downstream tasks
• Extending the emulator to include advanced sea ice thermodynamics
• Publishing the results of these developments in scientific literature

You will collaborate with leading European climate modelers, computational scientists, and software engineers to develop Digital Twins of the climate system, supporting climate change adaptation efforts. The project has a strong AI component, and there will be close cooperation with other national and international projects developing AI solutions for geoscience. Your Tasks
You will be part of a large, collaborative team working on the development of the IFS-FESOM system, a next-generation kilometer-scale climate model that is a key component of the Destination Earth Climate Digital Twin initiative and several other national and international projects. Your primary responsibilities will include the development of an AI-based sea ice emulator using data generated by the kilometer-scale setup of the unstructured ocean-sea ice model FESOM2. Observational data may also be considered as an additional source. The emulator will then be fine-tuned for a range of downstream tasks, including: short-term forecasting, temporal interpolation between time steps, regional downscaling to higher resolutions, observation-constrained model correction. The emulator will also be tested under climate simulation scenarios. Furthermore, additional variables provided by ICEPACK thermodynamics will be integrated into the emulator to assess their impact on the emulator’s accuracy and solution quality. These tasks will be carried out in close collaboration and continuous dialogue with model developers and another project member responsible for development of the sea ice model. You will be expected to publish the results of these developments in the scientific literature. Your Profile

• A master in one or more of the following fields is required: computer science, software engineering, artificial intelligence, data science, applied mathematics, computational science, oceanography, climate sciences, meteorology, environmental sciences, Earth system sciences, physics, or related fields
• A PhD in any of these fields would be an advantage
• Demonstrated experience of working with *nix systems
• Very good English knowledge (C1)
• We follow good software development practices in our work, and expect candidates to have hands on experience with version control (git), writing tests, and creating documentation
• We expect good knowledge and practical experince in data science and/or AI/ML

Moreover, having one or several of the following skills would be a distinct advantage:

• Experience developing AI-based emulators for geophysical models
• Experience running geophysical models, especially those for sea ice, ocean, atmosphere, or climate
• Knowledge of sea ice physics
• Familiarity with unstructured grid models for ocean, sea ice, or atmosphere
• Experience with HPC systems
• Knowledge of Python and Python-based libraries for machine learning and numerical computing (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Keras, JAX)
• Experience working with geophysical data formats (netCDF, GRIB, HDF)

Further Information
For any questions you may have, you are very welcome to get in touch with Prof. Dr. Thomas Jung (Thomas.Jung@awi.de; +49 15146722091) or Dr. Nikolay Koldunov (Nikolay.Koldunov@awi.de).

This is a full-time position, limited to December 31st, 2028. It is also suitable for part-time employment. The salary will be paid in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federation (Tarifvertrag des öffentlichen Dienstes, TVöD Bund), up to salary level 13. The place of employment will be Bremerhaven.

The AWI is characterized by

• our scientific success - excellent research
• collaboration and cooperation - intra-institute, national and international, interdisciplinary
• opportunities to develop – on the job and towards other positions
• an international environment – everyday contact with people from all over the world
• flexible working hours and the possibility of mobile working up to 50% of regular working hours
• health promotion and company fitness with Hansefit and Wellhub
• support services and a culture of reconciling work and family
• occupational pension provision (VBL)

AWI values diversity and actively promotes gender parity, as well as an open, inclusive environment that provides equal opportunities. We are convinced that diverse teams and a variety of perspectives enrich our work and our daily collaboration. In a continuous process of learning and reflection, we aim to ensure that all our employees can be themselves and feel a sense of belonging. We welcome applications from qualified people regardless of binary and non-binary genders, race and nationality, ethnic and social background, religion, age, physical abilities, neurodivergence, sexual orientation, and other identities.

Applicants with disabilities will be given preference when equal qualifications are present.

AWI fosters work-family compatibility in various ways and has received several awards as a result of this commitment. And as a new international member of our team, you can be sure that we will help you settle in. Our and will be glad to support you, even before you start at AWI.

We look forward to your application!
Please submit your application by February 27^th, 2025 exclusively online.
Reference number: 25/17/D/Kli-b