NEW: Open postdoctoral position in Compound Flooding in Urban Coastal Systems
Julie Quinn (CEE) and I are looking for a postdoctoral scholar to work on changes in compound flooding. Ideal requirements include experience with regionally downscaled climate model output and hydrodynamic modeling. Email with questions! Formal posting below.
The Environmental Institute (EI) at the University of Virginia (UVA) is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support its interdisciplinary Compound Flooding in Urban Coastal Systems project.
The Postdoc will work with an interdisciplinary team of faculty mentors and researchers with expertise in stochastic flood modeling and atmospheric convection to develop flood frequency and intensity models.
As urban coastal communities face increasing threats of flooding due to increased intense precipitation under climate change and sea level rise, this project aims to study non-stationary flood frequency with attention to the multiple interacting flood drivers (e.g., rainfall, storm surge, and backflow from stormwater pipes).
PhDs in Civil Engineering, Environmental Science or related disciplines who meet the following eligibility criteria are invited to apply.
Eligibility and Selection Process:
General Expectations
- Applicants must have received their doctoral degree by the beginning of their appointment; we prefer candidates who have received their degree within five years prior to the start of the appointment.
- There is no citizenship requirement. UVA will help sponsor candidate visas covering the duration of the postdoc.
- The successful Postdoctoral Research Associate will be appointed for one year with the possibility of second year funding, contingent on the successful completion of a first-year performance evaluation.
- Applicants seeking to be considered for the Postdoctoral Research Associate role for this project will be evaluated on three main criteria: the strength of their research. their ability to collaborate across disciplines; and their commitment to diversifying perspectives and voices in finding equitable solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation.
Project-Specific Competencies
The ideal candidate should possess a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, Environmental Science or related discipline (by August 2025). Desirable research skills and competencies include:
- Expertise in hydrodynamic modeling
- Strong background in multivariate statistics, stochastic modeling, and uncertainty analysis
- Experience running large-scale simulations on HPC systems
- Experience analyzing large, spatiotemporal climate datasets
The EI Postdoc Model
Once selected, the Postdoctoral Research Associate will join a cohort of other Climate Fellows Program postdocs at UVA and will receive professional training, technical support, and computational infrastructure tailored to their project, for two (2) years. The postdoc will receive direct mentoring from at least two UVA faculty members in different disciplines to help them build cross-disciplinary fluency in support of their own research. They will join a network of faculty members from 30 departments in 12 schools across UVA focused on producing research and providing training that is both great and good at the intersection of climate change and human well-being.
Starting salary: $69,000/year
Research Funds: $5,000/year
We partner with the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs, UVA’s Career Center, and staff across the university to provide career development and extracurricular opportunities to student and postdoctoral faculty.
About the Institute:
The UVA Environmental Institute is the hub of interdisciplinary environmental research at the university. We provide seed funding, research experiences, and training to faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students from the university’s 12 schools. With a focus on impactful research, the Institute and its collaborators are committed to our mission to support interdisciplinary research and training that is both great and good at the intersection of climate change and human well-being, while ensuring that the full spectrum of human attributes, perspectives, identities, backgrounds, and disciplines is represented and making an explicit effort to diversify voices in finding equitable solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation.
The University of Virginia is rated as one of the top three public universities in the nation and in the top 30 among all universities, public and private. Charlottesville is frequently cited as one of the best cities in which to live and work. The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.
To Apply:
External Applicants: Apply online, and search for ‘R0069110.’ Complete an application online and attach the following:
- CV/Resumé
- Cover Letter, describing your research interest and how it aligns with the project.
- Personal Statement (highly encouraged but not required): use this statement to reflect on your academic and research trajectory.
- Contact information for three (3) references (name, email, telephone, and address).
Internal UVA Applicants: Please apply through your Workday Home page, search “Find UVA Jobs” and search for R0069110.
Application Timeline:
- Application Opens: January 22, 2025
- Early application reviews will begin after February 15, 2025
For questions about the position, please contact Henry Boachi, Program Manager, at henryb@virginia.edu
For questions regarding the application process, please contact Jessica Speth, Academic Recruiter, at js9rk@virginia.edu
NEW: Open postdoctoral position in cloud feedbacks
The Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia invites applications for a postdoctoral research associate in climate science focusing on cloud feedbacks.
The successful candidate will explore relationships between modeled tropical climatology, deep convection, and high cloud feedbacks as part of a project funded through the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Regional and Global Model Analysis (RGMA) program. The overarching goal of this work will be to identify sources of inter-model spread in high cloud feedbacks and climate sensitivity among the latest generation of global climate models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP).
The postdoctoral research associate will be advised by Dr. Kathleen Schiro (University of Virginia) and co-advised by Dr. Mark Zelinka (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) and will have opportunities to travel to LLNL to develop and maintain active collaborations with scientists in the Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI).
Responsibilities include (a) analyzing publicly-available CMIP5/6 output from multiple coordinated experiments, (b) analyzing and augmenting a perturbed physics ensemble (PPE) in the DOE’s Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM), (c) analyzing observational data to create constraints on cloud feedbacks through relevant atmospheric processes, (d) presenting work at conferences and engaging broadly in the cloud feedback community (e.g., through participation in workshops), and (e) publishing results in the peer-reviewed literature.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: A PhD in Atmospheric Science, Environmental Sciences, or a related field is required by the start date. Experience analyzing global climate model output to study atmospheric processes is required.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Apply online at https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs/job/Charlottesville-VA/Research-Associate-in-Environmental-Sciences_R0066219 or https://jobs.virginia.edu/us/en/job/UOVUOVUSR0066219EXTERNALENUS/Research-Associate-in-Environmental-Sciences
and attach a curriculum vitae, a brief cover letter describing relevant experience, and contact information for three references. Please note that multiple documents can be uploaded in the CV box.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2024, but the position will remain open until filled. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.
This is a one-year appointment, with an expected start date in spring or summer 2025. However, the appointment may be renewed for one additional one-year increment, contingent upon satisfactory performance.
For any questions on this position please contact Kathleen Schiro, Assistant Professor, at kschiro@virginia.edu
For questions about the application process, please contact Rich Haverstrom, Academic Recruiter, at rkh6j@virginia.edu
For more information on the benefits available to postdoctoral associates at UVA, visit postdoc.virginia.edu and hr.virginia.edu/benefits.
The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person’s perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, and family medical or genetic information.
Logan Longacre and Emma Dawson successfully defend MS theses!
Congratulations to Emma Dawson and Logan Longacre for successfully defending their masters theses in November 2024. Well done!
Emma’s thesis title: Tropical High Cloud Feedback Relationships to Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity
Logan’s thesis title: Examining meteorological controls on tropical low clouds in satellite observations and climate models
Joint PhD Position in Hydroclimate and Data Science
Application deadline: January 15, 2024
The Department of Environmental Sciences invites applications for a PhD position under the supervision of Professors Kathleen Schiro and Antonios Mamalakis. The student will enroll full-time in the graduate program of the Department of Environmental Sciences in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The student is expected to take all necessary courses/credits towards completion of their degree. The graduate student is also expected to carry out research related to hydroclimate and data science. This includes but is not limited to understanding predictability of hydroclimate across different timescales, using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to improve predictive skill, enhance understanding of climate change impacts and attribution of hydroclimatic extremes, and other related questions.
Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Atmospheric/Climate Science, Earth System Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or other related fields
Solid scientific background and academic performance (e.g., as may be indicated by GPA)
Proficiency in English
Experience in Python, MatLab, or R Experience in working with large datasets
Preferred qualifications
Proficiency in Python, MatLab, or R
Passion for climate science and big data
Strong presentation skills (written/oral)
Previous experience in presenting at scientific conferences or/and publishing in scientific journals Independent thinking and creativity
Applicants should send an email including a CV (2 pages maximum) and 1-page cover letter to npa4tg@virginia.edu and kschiro@virginia.edu. The cover letter should solidify the applicant’s interest in the position and discuss qualifications. The applicants may be contacted by the PIs to discuss further details about their application before being encouraged to apply to the graduate program.
Sayali advances to PhD Candidacy
Congrats to Sayali on the successful defense of her PhD thesis proposal, titled, “Investigating Environmental Controls on Tropical Mesoscale Convective Systems Lifecycles.”
Logan successfully defends MS thesis proposal
Congrats to Logan on successfully defending his MS thesis proposal titled, “Examining dynamical controls on tropical low clouds in present and future climate.”
Welcome, Swatah, Jun-Jie, and Rebecca!
In August (2023), we welcomed three new lab members: Jun-Jie Chang, Rebecca Weinstein, and Swatah Borkotoky. Rebecca is a PhD student and recent graduate of Virginia Tech, Jun-Jie is a PhD student co-advised by Prof. Kevin Grise coming to us from the National Taiwan University, and Swatah is an EI Climate Fellow co-advised by Prof. Grise who recently graduated from Cornell University in their Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. A warm welcome to all!
Emma successfully defends MS thesis proposal
In August (2023), Emma Dawson successfully defended her MS thesis proposal titled, “Mean State Tropical High Cloud Relationship to Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity.” Way to go, Emma!
Sayali and Emma win EVSC awards!
Congratulations to Emma Dawson and Sayali Kulkarni on their awards at the 2023 UVA Dept. of Environmental Sciences awards ceremony! Sayali won the Michael Garstang award for exploratory research in the amount of $1500, and Emma Dawson won the Graduate Atmospheric Sciences award for her research on high cloud feedbacks. Way to go, ladies!
Two fully-funded graduate student opportunities available!
***Application deadline for admission in Fall 2023 is January 15, 2023. For those interested in admission in Spring 2023, please contact kschiro@virginia.edu ASAP.
Our group has an opening for two graduate students to study tropical deep convection at a process-level as part of two newly funded opportunities. Please contact kschiro@virginia.edu for more information about the projects and admissions, if interested.
Project 1: Characterizing interactions between tropical deep convection and the environment using a buoyancy framework (funded by the National Science Foundation)
Our overarching goal is to work towards identifying a conceptual model for tropical deep convection that can be used to explain precipitation variability across scales (diurnal, seasonal, intraseasonal, and interannual), building on our knowledge of relationships between precipitation and estimates of entraining plume buoyancy (Ahmed and Neelin 2018; Schiro et al. 2018; Schiro and Neelin 2019; Ahmed et al. 2020; Adames et al. 2021; Wolding et al. 2022) hereafter referred to as the “precipitation-buoyancy (P-B) framework.” Our main research questions are (1) to what extent do “grid-scale” O(100 km) integrated measures of convective instability accurately assess the capacity of the atmosphere to support deep convection, and (2) how can we refine grid-scale average instability measures to account for variability and dynamics across scales? We will address these questions with four proposal objectives. Our first objective is to characterize how the precipitation-buoyancy (“P-B”) relationship varies as a function of convective variability across spatial scales. Our second objective is to examine how P-B thresholds change as a function of mesoscale convective system evolution, estimating the sensitivity of deep convection to its thermodynamic environment throughout different lifecycle stages. Our third objective is to characterize how dynamical interactions – mass flux/entrainment, wind shear, vorticity, cold pools – modify thermodynamic controls on deep convective evolution. Our fourth objective will be to put our new buoyancy framework to the test: to apply the refined P-B framework to study diurnal, regional, and intraseasonal precipitation variability across the tropics. Using new mesoscale convective tracking databases and cold pool gradient feature detection algorithms, long-standing radar data, field campaign data, and satellite observations, combined with novel compositing techniques, the proposal team is uniquely positioned to study thermodynamic controls on tropical deep convection in a new way and thus to refine a buoyancy framework with significant potential to improve prediction of future hydroclimatological changes and extremes.
Project 2: Thermodynamic and Non-thermodynamic Controls on Deep Convection in ARM Observations (funded by the Department of Energy)
Deep convection remains one of the most challenging processes to represent in weather and climate models, partly because of multiple controlling factors. We propose to create a framework based on Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) observations, with which to assess the relative influence of thermodynamic, dynamic and aerosol effects on deep convection. This framework will expand upon a previously identified empirical buoyancy measure that constrains the thermodynamic influence on deep convective precipitation in the tropics. We also propose to integrate this precipitation-buoyancy framework into the ARM model diagnostics package (ARM-DIAGS).
Prior work with observations from DOE ARM sites from the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) and Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) helped establish the empirical precipitation- buoyancy framework, which constrains the thermodynamic influences on deep convection. This project will expand the buoyancy framework using ARM site observations across a wider range of environments (tropical and sub-tropical; oceanic and continental). We will examine data from recent ARM field campaigns: Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI), GoAmazon2014/5, and Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER). We will also use long-term measurements from the Southern Great Plains (SGP) and TWP sites. We will extend the buoyancy framework by accounting for non-thermodynamic controls on convection, which include dynamical (e.g., wind shear, orography, sea-breeze convergence) and microphysical (aerosol) effects. By controlling for thermodynamic factors, we propose to use the precipitation-buoyancy framework to more precisely evaluate the dynamical and aerosol effects on convection. We will employ multi-instrument ARM observations, including radiosondes, surface meteorological instruments, precipitation and cloud radars, radar wind profilers, and aerosol observing systems. We will also quantify how the environmental influence on convection changes as a function of the cloud-lifecycle and convective organization. These efforts will allow us to construct a broader framework for representing deep convection dependence on its environment. To aid climate model development, we will also integrate the observed precipitation-buoyancy relationship into the ARM model diagnostics package (ARM- DIAGS). We also propose to use the buoyancy framework to identify optimal parameter regimes for development versions of DOE’s Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM). These efforts will identify convection-related process errors in climate models. Our team has the required expertise in ARM instrumentation, convective physics, aerosol-cloud interactions and climate model diagnostics to achieve the proposed targets.