Two Post-Doctoral Positions: Coastal Ocean Modeling for our Blue Carbon Future

We are looking for two postdoctoral researchers to join our group, as part of a larger collaborative effort on the Blue Carbon Potential of Canada’s Coastal Oceans. See the description below. Note that the expertise required for each position is different: the first position is in coastal ocean modelling (using ROMS), and the second position is in dynamical downscaling of Earth System Model output. Please apply by December 1, 2021 for full consideration for these positions.

Two Postdoctoral Positions in Coastal Ocean Modelling & Dynamical Downscaling at the University of Victoria (Victoria, BC, Canada)

We are seeking two engaged, enthusiastic individuals for postdoctoral research positions investigating the fate of Canada’s coastal oceans over the next century. The postdocs will work collaboratively to (1) produce regional ocean models of Canada’s coastlines (using ROMS and CICE), and (2) assess how these coastal oceans will respond to a warming climate by subjecting this regional ocean model to downscaled global climate model projections (using WRF). Regional ocean models will be developed first for the British Columbia coast, followed by the Canadian Arctic and Atlantic Canada. This work is part of a larger project on the blue carbon potential of Canada’s coastal marine ecosystems, and how environmental change will impact blue carbon storage in the future.

We expect the postdoctoral fellow in “Regional Ocean Modelling” to have the following background and expertise:

• Extensive experience with regional ocean modelling using ROMS;
• Experience with software development for ocean and/or climate modeling applications;
• Experience with version control of community-developed codes (e.g. git or subversion);
• Experience working as a collegial team member in an interdisciplinary group of scientists;
• (optional) Experience with code development in Fortran and parallelization with OpenMP; and
• (optional) Experience with CICE and polar ocean modelling.

We expect the postdoctoral fellow in “Dynamical Downscaling of Climate Projections” to have the following background and expertise:

• Extensive experience with using WRF to downscale Earth system model projections for regional ocean modelling applications;
• Experience with assessing the appropriateness of Earth system models for various downscaling applications;
• Experience with bias correction approaches in regional downscaling; and
• Experience working as a collegial team member in an interdisciplinary group of scientists.

These postdoctoral fellows will publish manuscripts in high-quality peer-reviewed journals, and present their findings at national and international scientific conferences. These positions are fully-funded, and supported through the University of Victoria and the National Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC). The positions will be supervised primarily by Prof. Hansi Singh, head of the Climate Dynamics Laboratory in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria, and advised by Prof. Parker MacCready, head of the UW Coastal Modeling Group at the University of Washington School of Oceanography. The postdoctoral fellows will also work closely with Prof. Julia Baum (Dept. of Biology at the University of Victoria) and Prof. Mary O’Connor (Dept. of Zoology at the University of British Columbia), who will be applying coastal projections from this research to kelp and seagrass species distribution models and projections.

These postdoctoral fellows will sit at the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria on beautiful Vancouver Island in British Columbia, and will have the opportunity to collaborate locally with scientists at several nearby research centres, including the Canadian Centre for Climate Modeling and Analysis (CCCMA), the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC), and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS). Funding for each position is available for two years (with year two funding subject to a performance review at the end of year one), with a possibility of extension to a third year.

Both positions will include a competitive salary and a full benefits package (including an allowance for relocation). We especially encourage applications from members of groups experiencing barriers to equity in the physical sciences (women, under-represented minorities, LGBTQIA individuals, persons with disabilities).

Minimum qualifications for both postdoctoral positions include the following:

• A PhD in Atmospheric Sciences, Physical Oceanography, Applied Mathematics, or a related field.
• Experience with scientific computing and high performance computing on parallel architectures.
• Familiarity with coupled atmosphere-ocean dynamics in the extratropics.

Please contact Prof. Hansi Singh (hansingh@uvic.ca) with questions.

Interested applicants should submit (1) a cover letter indicating which position you are applying for and why are an ideal candidate for the position; (2) an up-to-date CV; (3) two recent publications demonstrating the required background and expertise for the position for which you’re applying; and (4) contact information for three professional references. Please send this material to hansingh@uvic.ca by December 1, 2021 for full consideration.

Proposed Start Date: As early as January 1, 2022; no later than April 1, 2022.