CIRES / NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory: Earth System AI Scientist

Job Summary

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

(CIRES) at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU Boulder)

within the NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory is seeking a research

scientist with experience in Earth systems and Artificial

Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). This scientist will

have the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of research

in the space of AI/ML forecasting including future operational AI

models at NOAA, using AI in conjunction with atmospheric and/or

coupled models and data assimilation, and the enhancement of

reanalysis with AI tools. This role will include work on

developing, optimizing, and implementing AI models and training

pipelines and evaluating results of models.

This work will contribute in part to the larger NOAA Project EAGLE

( https://www.epic.noaa.gov/ai/eagle-overview/

). The incumbent will work with an established team of scientists

to develop and exercise AI forecasting models on a diverse

combination of High-Performance Computing (HPC) and cloud

platforms, conduct data management, and provide scientific

evaluation of the results across Earth system components.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all

applicable federal, state, and local laws governing

nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a

workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and

dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to

apply, including protected veterans and individuals with

disabilities.

Who We Are

CIRES is an internationally recognized

leader in innovative environmental science and research and is

located at the University of Colorado Boulder. At CIRES, more than

900 environmental science professionals work to understand the

dynamic Earth system, including people’s relationship with the

planet. CIRES has partnered with NOAA since 1967, and our areas of

expertise include weather and climate, changes at Earth’s poles,

air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, solid Earth

sciences, and more. Our vision is to be instrumental in ensuring a

sustainable future environment by advancing scientific and societal

understanding of the Earth system.

This position will be embedded in the NOAA Physical Sciences

Laboratory ( https://psl.noaa.gov ), whose overarching

research goal is to advance the prediction of water availability

and extremes. Our team is located under the Modeling and Data

Assimilation division ( https://psl.noaa.gov/research/divisions/mda/

) and is focused on improving modeling, data assimilation, and

reanalysis using AI and ML tools including the work being done with

Project EAGLE ( https://www.epic.noaa.gov/ai/eagle-overview/

).

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

• Develops and implements AI model development and training

pipelines (50%)

• Optimizes, advances, and evaluates AI data and training

pipelines (25%)

• Evaluates results for Earth system components (20%)
• Works with team members to advance AI/ML knowledge within the

lab (5%)

What You Should Know

• This position will be rostered in CIRES at the University of

Colorado Boulder but will be physically situated in the David

Skaggs Research Center, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305.

• If you are the finalist, you will be required to pass a

background check. Non-US citizens without green cards will have

limited building access and require a federal escort in the

building.

• Some domestic or international travel is expected to attend

conferences, as relevant.

• Given project deliverables, candidates must be able to start

work by August 1st, 2026.

What We Can Offer

• CIRES offers a generous compensation package.
• The annual hiring salary range for this position is $74,933 -

$135,896. Salary is commensurate with education and experience and

determined based on our CIRES internal career-track

classification.

• This position can accommodate a hybrid work modality.
• Some relocation funds are available to help offset expenses,

following CIRES and the University of Colorado’s relocation

processes and procedures.

• The University of Colorado Boulder offers a robust training

curriculum, opportunities for professional development and a

Mentorship Program.

• Boulder is a vibrant community with

access to mountain parks, dog parks, miles of trails, rivers,

lakes, cafes, restaurants, boutiques, theaters, museums, and sports

venues.

• As an employee at CU Boulder, you will have free access to the

regional public transit system, an

outstanding network of buses and light rail systems that service

Boulder and connect to Denver, the Denver airport, and surrounding

communities.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder , we are

committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our

employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical,

dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition

assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local

transit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulder

offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class

outdoor recreation. Explore additional perks and programs through

the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be innovative. Be successful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• PhD in Earth Sciences, Meteorology, Math, or Computer Science

or related field. Candidates must have successfully defended and

submitted their doctoral dissertation before starting work with

CIRES.

• Experience with developing and/or running AI / ML pipelines

and/or models.

• Experience with writing software using scripting language such

as Python, MATLAB, R, NCL, or Shell.

• Knowledge of Earth System Science.

What You Will Need

For all applicants

• Ability to work and communicate effectively within a team

environment and to facilitate communications across multiple teams

and multiple organizational units.

• Ability to question experimental results to ensure they are

consistent with intended design of the experiment.

• Ability to develop and implement solutions to problems within

existing codebases.

• Basic knowledge of Earth system models or weather forecasting

systems.

For advanced level scientists

• Ability to guide team members in developing and implementing

AI/ML pipelines.

• Ability to lead scientific experiments and implement resulting

solutions.

What We Would Like You to Have

Please note that while the position details both required and

preferred skills and experience, we invite applicants to apply even

if they do not have the preferred skills and experience outlined in

this section. If you meet the requirements and have passion for the

work, you are encouraged to apply. We encourage on the job training

for any additional skills or knowledge that become relevant to the

position.

For all applicants

• Experience with producing or analyzing Earth system data of at

least one Earth system component (atmosphere, ocean, land, or sea

ice).

• Experience using large-scale HPC supercomputers or cloud

platforms, including Linux, batch schedulers, and workflow

managers.

• Experience with scientific visualization and analysis tools,

including development of tools in a Python environment.

• Experience with numerical weather prediction and data

assimilation.

• Familiarity with Analysis-Ready, Cloud-Optimized (ARCO) data

formats such as Zarr.

• Familiarity with Xarray, NetCDF and/or Grib file formats, and

parallelization frameworks such as Dask and MPI.

• Understanding of software engineering standard processes.
• Track record of peer-reviewed publications either as a first or

contributing author.

For advanced level scientists

• Ability to develop scientific proposals and take responsibility

for project performance.

• Experience with proposal writing.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials

• Resume or CV.
• Cover letter addressed to the Search Committee briefly

describing your qualifications, professional goals, and how this

position aligns with your research interests.

• Although not needed at the time of application, please be ready

to submit contact information for 5 professional references,

including at least 2 managers or professors. If you are identified

as a finalist for this position, you will be asked to invite your

references to complete a Crosschq questionnaire on your behalf.

Crosschq is an online reference check solution. All information is

kept confidential and shared only with the members of the search

committee.

If you are selected as the finalist, your degree will be verified

by the CU Boulder Campus Human Resources department using an

approved online vendor. If your degree was obtained outside of the

United States, please submit a translated version as an optional

attachment.

This position will close March 24, 2025 .

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For

consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs .

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in

any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying

information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school

attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting

or removing this information.

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Jessica Knezha

Posting Contact Email: [email protected]