Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Maritime to Inland Transitions Towards ENvironments for Convection Initiation (MITTEN-CI)
A Postdoctoral Fellow position is available to join a university institute-based research group focused on analyzing observational data and improving understanding of the evolution of the lower atmosphere in response to differing land/water areas traversed by the air in the Great Lakes region. Prospective candidates must have a strong background in atmospheric science, as well as extensive programming and data visualization skills.
The MITTEN-CI (Maritime to Inland Transitions Towards ENvironments for Convection Initiation) field project, funded by the National Science Foundation, was a multi-university effort in southwestern Lower Michigan to understand boundary layer evolution, static stability changes, lake breezes, entrainment and convective initiation during onshore flow in southwestern Lower Michigan.
The focus of this position will be to conduct analyses of boundary layer evolution measured by University of Illinois instrument platforms - six towers with thermodynamic flux instrumentation, a GRAW sounding system, and a Halo scanning Doppler Lidar measuring backscatter, Doppler velocity and velocity variance. Measurements by instrumentation from other universities in this closely-collaborative effort, including Doppler radars, low-altitude radiosondes, and mobile mesonets, are also available for analysis. QA/QC and preparation of observations for long-term storage at UCAR EOL will be conducted, as needed.
Opportunities for writing proposals and journal articles, as well as a potential wide range of other research experiences, are available.
Qualifications
Required: PhD in atmospheric science, engineering, computer science, or a related field. Demonstrated record of innovative research in atmospheric sciences published in the peer-reviewed journal literature. Strong data analysis and visualization skills. In addition to scientists with experience collecting and analyzing observations, applications from scientists with appropriate numerical modeling efforts are welcome.
Preferred: Expertise in boundary layer evolution and its interactions with deeper convective processes. Knowledge of Great Lakes climatic conditions. Data analysis and instrumentation experience preferred.