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The Climate System Analysis Group (CSAG) in the Department of Environmental & Geographical Science at the University of Cape Town, South Africa is seeking to appoint two Research Officers. These are permanent soft funded positions and will be predominantly research-based with responsibilities linked to ongoing projects.

Official UCT advertisement

Requirements

  • A PhD in a relevant discipline.

  • >3 years relevant postdoctoral experience.

  • Excellent interpersonal skills and team collaboration experience to engage in the CSAG theme research teams.

  • Experience in capacity building with emerging scientists, especially in developing nations, and working with stakeholders of research output.

  • Experience in post graduate student supervision.

  • Strong writing skills with a track record of publications in science journals.

  • Demonstrable experience in project management.

  • Conversant with hydrological terminology and concepts to enable close collaboration with CSAG hydrologists and hydrological modeling activities.

  • Familiarity with the regional and international climate change community and the related research for Africa.

  • Installing and running model code on large cluster HPC computing systems.

  • Strong data management skills for working with very large volume data sets.

  • Excellent analysis skills that include coding, scripting and familiarity with common data analysis software (e.g. GrADS, NCL, CDO, Python, FORTRAN, R, etc.), with very strong Linux skills.

  • Experience in model validation and associated observational data analysis.

  • For the post in regional climate modelling: a skill set in the core research area of modelling and analysis for regional climate modeling including installing, configuring, and implementing models; experience with the WRF model; relevant analytical skills for model analysis; literate with procedures, formats and configurations requirements of the ESGF distributed global data archive; understanding of the regional climate dynamics of Africa in relation to past and future projected changes, as well as on timescales of weather events through to seasonal variability.

  • For the post in climate-agriculture research: a skill set in the core research area of climate-agricultural systems, including agricultural and crop modelling; working on large cluster HPC computing systems; using impact models; coupling climate model and downscaling products to agriculture and crop modeling systems, including bias correction techniques; analysis of agriculture and crop model output that includes the assessment of uncertainties, likelihood, and probabilities, and integrated assessment methods and tools for coupled agricultural-climate systems.

Responsibilities

  • Supervision of Hons, Masters and PhD students in physical climate system topics (including existing supervision commitments).

  • Participation and leadership in fulfilling existing research commitments. For the post in regional climate modelling this includes:two WRC projects(extreme rainfall, hydrology in seasonal forecasts);WASA wind atlas project; LUC4C project on land use modelling; CORDEX-Africa analysis. For the post in climate-agriculture research this includes leading CSAGs participation in two AgMIP projects; leading a WRC project on seasonal forecasting and community preparedness. Both posts have strong commitments to the large FRACTALconsortium project for which CSAG is the principal lead.

  • Active proposal writing to generate research funds.

For further information, contact Professor Bruce Hewitson Email Bruce.hewitson@uct.ac.za.

The annual cost of employment for 2015 including benefits: R528 275

To apply, please e-mail the below documents, clearly indicating which position you are applying for, in a single pdf file to

Ms Edith Graham at recruitment04@uct.ac.za:

Please ensure the title and reference number are indicated in the subject line. An application which does not comply with the above requirements will be regarded as incomplete.

Telephone: 021 650 5405 Website:www.csag.uct.ac.za

Reference number: E15125 Closing date: 3rd August 2015

UCT is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity and redress. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at

http://www.uct.ac.za/downloads/uct.ac.za/about/policies/eepolicy.pdf

UCT reserves the right not to make an appointment.

 

 

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