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PostDoctoral Researcher for Climate Services - Climate Projections (R2)

On-site in Barcelona·Full-time·Added today (last checked 13 Nov)

Barcelona Supercomputing Center

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Our summary

Contract: Full-time
English: Required
Benefits: Private health insurance, meal vouchers

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The role

Reference: 471_26_ES_CS_R2

Job title: PostDoctoral Researcher for Climate Services - Climate Projections (R2)

About BSC

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is the leading supercomputing center in Spain. It houses MareNostrum, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, was a founding and hosting member of the former European HPC infrastructure PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and is now hosting entity for EuroHPC JU, the Joint Undertaking that leads large-scale investments and HPC provision in Europe. The mission of BSC is to research, develop and manage information technologies in order to facilitate scientific progress. BSC combines HPC service provision and R&D into both computer and computational science (life, earth and engineering sciences) under one roof, and currently has over 1000 staff from 60 countries.

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We are particularly interested for this role in the strengths and lived experiences of women and underrepresented groups to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights in science and IT research. In instances of equal merit, the incorporation of the under-represented sex will be favoured.

We promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, fostering an environment where each and every one of us is appreciated for who we are, regardless of our differences.

If you consider that you do not meet all the requirements, we encourage you to continue applying for the job offer. We value diversity of experiences and skills, and you could bring unique perspectives to our team.

Context And Mission

The aim of the Earth System Services Group (ESS) within the Earth Sciences Department is to research the impact of weather, atmospheric chemistry and climate upon socio-economic sectors such as energy, agriculture, water resources, urban development and climate risk management and demonstrate the ongoing value of earth system services to society and the economy.

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our team and contribute to the development of next-generation climate services, with a primary focus on state-of-the-art climate change information and generation of tailored indicators to different sectors.

The successful candidate will play a key role in the analysis and inter-comparison of climate projections datasets (global and regional simulations with different spatio-temporal resolutions) and the development of downscaling techniques for high-resolution products (including brand-new artificial intelligence methods). They will contribute to European and national research projects, including the public administration, spanning climate projections timescales and the study of climate extremes in a changing climate. Initially, the candidate will work in a flagship regional project, working with the regional met office and local administration to develop an integrated climate information system. The research will involve working with large datasets of simulations to develop sector-specific climate information products at both global and regional scales, supporting evidence-based decision-making across multiple socio-economic sectors.

This position offers an outstanding opportunity to join one of Europe's leading and most dynamic research groups in climate services, working at the interface between frontier climate science and societal applications. The successful candidate will benefit from expert mentoring, advanced training, an international and multidisciplinary research environment, and the wide range of professional development opportunities and staff benefits offered by BSC-CNS.

We welcome applications from highly motivated researchers with a strong background in climate science, experience in climate projections, and a keen interest in translating scientific advances into tailored climate information for specific sectors.

Key Duties

Analysis of different types climate simulations (e.g. CMIP6, CMIP7, CORDEX, global km-scale simulations)
Contribute to analysis and development of statistical downscaling techniques, including artificial intelligence
Develop sector-specific climate indicators
Study climate extreme events through a process-based approach
Disseminate the results in peer-reviewed scientific papers and international conferences
Teamwork and collaboration. Interaction with scientists in the group and the department to favour synergies
Participate in projects proposal preparation
Actively participate in the management of work packages (participate in teleconferences workshops, meetings and writing deliverables)
Active involvement in the engagement with users within the climate services

Requirements

Education
- PhD in atmospheric sciences, applied statistics or related field
Essential Knowledge and Professional Experience
- Experience handling, analysing and validating large climate model datasetsExperience with climatic statistical analyses
- Experience working with climate projections
- Scientific programming in a suitable language (e.g. R, Python) and familiarity with working in a UNIX environment
- Written and verbal communication skills in English, especially for scientific publications
- Ability to work in a professional environment within a multidisciplinary and international team
Additional Knowledge and Professional Experience
- Experience working with statistical downscaling methods, including artificial intelligence
- Experience with HPC environments will be valued
- Knowledge on the following topics: multi-model combination techniques, bias adjustment techniques, climate attribution methods will be positively evaluated
- Experience in collaborating with local administrations and/or government administrations is appreciated
- Candidates with research expertise in all aspects of climate science (climate dynamics, climate diagnostics, climate modelling) are welcome to apply
Competences
- Problem-solving, pro-active, result-oriented work attitude
- Capability to work in an international team
- Organizational capacity for dealing with parallel tasks
- Good communication skills

Conditions

The position will be located at BSC within the Earth Sciences Department
We offer a full-time contract (35h/week), a good working environment, a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, flexible working hours, extensive training plan, restaurant tickets, private health insurance, support to the relocation procedures
Duration: Open-ended contract due to technical and scientific activities linked to the project and budget duration
Holidays: 22 days of holidays + 6 personal days + 24th and 31st of December per our collective agreement
Salary: we offer a competitive salary commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate and according to the cost of living in Barcelona
Starting date: 01/01/2027

Applications procedure and process

All applications must be submitted via the BSC website and contain:

A full CV in English including contact details
A cover/motivation letter with a statement of interest in English, clearly specifying for which specific area and topics the applicant wishes to be considered. Additionally, two references for further contacts must be included. Applications without this document will not be considered.

Development of the recruitment process

The selection will be carried out through a competitive examination system ("Concurso-Oposición"). The recruitment process consists of two phases:

Curriculum Analysis: Evaluation of previous experience and/or scientific history, degree, training, and other professional information relevant to the position. - 40 points
Interview phase: The highest-rated candidates at the curriculum level will be invited to the interview phase, conducted by the corresponding department and Human Resources. In this phase, technical competencies, knowledge, skills, and professional experience related to the position, as well as the required personal competencies, will be evaluated. - 60 points. A minimum of 30 points out of 60 must be obtained to be eligible for the position.

The recruitment panel will be composed of at least three people, ensuring at least 25% representation of women.

In accordance with OTM-R principles, a gender-balanced recruitment panel is formed for each vacancy at the beginning of the process. After reviewing the content of the applications, the panel will begin the interviews, with at least one technical and one administrative interview. At a minimum, a personality questionnaire as well as a technical exercise will be conducted during the process.

The panel will make a final decision, and all individuals who participated in the interview phase will receive feedback with details on the acceptance or rejection of their profile.

At BSC, we seek continuous improvement in our recruitment processes. For any suggestions or comments/complaints about our recruitment processes, please contact recruitment [at] bsc [dot] es.
For more information, please follow this link.

Deadline

The vacancy will remain open until a suitable candidate has been hired. Applications will be regularly reviewed and potential candidates will be contacted.

OTM-R principles for selection processes

BSC-CNS is committed to the principles of the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers of the European Commission and the Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment principles (OTM-R). This is applied for any potential candidate in all our processes, for example by creating gender-balanced recruitment panels and recognizing career breaks etc.
BSC-CNS is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by applicable state or local law.
For more information follow this link

Hiring process

3 steps2 interviewsa task to do

Application
Screening · With a recruitment panel
Technical interview
With department representatives · Video call
Online interview with the department; may include a technical test.
HR interview
With HR · Video call
Online competency and attitude-based interview.
Profile questionnaire
Online test · 5 min
A five-minute questionnaire on motivation sent during the interview phase.
Contract proposal · With HR

Every interviewed candidate is told the outcome by phone or email.
Feedback or appeal requests are answered within two weeks.

About Barcelona Supercomputing Center

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) is a leading research center in high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence, located in Barcelona, Spain. It operates the MareNostrum supercomputer, one of the most powerful in Europe, and conducts research across earth sciences, life sciences, computer science, and computational social sciences. BSC is a key player in European HPC initiatives and collaborates with industry and academia worldwide.

BSC's Spain presence is centered in Barcelona, where it employs a diverse, international team of researchers and engineers. The center offers a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment with a strong focus on scientific excellence and innovation. For international professionals, BSC provides opportunities to work on cutting-edge projects in AI, climate modeling, and supercomputing, with English as a common working language and a supportive relocation environment.

Industry: Research and HPC
Founded: 2005
Employees: 500–1,000
Headquarters: Barcelona, Spain
In Spain: Barcelona

Good to know if you are moving

BSC is located in Barcelona, a vibrant Mediterranean city with a high quality of life and a large international community.
The working language at BSC is English, making it accessible for international researchers and engineers.
BSC offers competitive salaries and benefits, including support for relocation and visa processing for international staff.
The center provides opportunities for professional development, including training programs and participation in European research projects.
BSC is a non-profit research center, offering a stable and collaborative work environment focused on scientific impact.

All open roles at Barcelona Supercomputing Center