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Scientist (Weather-based Agricultural Risk Modeling)

Employer
AIR Worldwide
Location
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
Aug 11, 2021

View more

Sector
Academic / Research
Field
Informatics / GIS
Discipline
Modeling
Salary Type
Salary
Employment Type
Full time
Join our growing Research department as a member of our dynamic agricultural risk modeling team. Use your demonstrated knowledge of meteorological processes, and their modeling, to develop new and improved indices and mathematical process representations (models) of environmental stresses on key components of agricultural systems within a framework of stochastic modeling of crop and/or livestock productivity and insurance losses. You will work with the team to develop, improve, and deploy models across spatial scales from individual fields/farms to whole countries, and over temporal scales from a day through to thousands of years as represented in probabilistic models of agroecosystems and the meteorological factors that can damage those systems. As a member of this collegial team, you will incorporate up-to-date scientific knowledge, data, and modeling approaches into our existing agricultural risk models as well as contribute to development and testing of new crop and livestock models and their deployment into new regions.

Main responsibilities, but not limited to:
  • Integrate meteorological principles and new data into AIR's agricultural risk models and explain changes seen in modeled results.
  • Critically analyze the quantitative and qualitative suitability of historic and stochastic weather datasets used as input to AIR's agricultural risk models.
  • Improve stochastic weather datasets used as input to AIR's new and existing agricultural risk models, i.e., improve temporal and spatial characteristics of the magnitude and variability of air temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and other key meteorological variables affecting agricultural systems.
  • Develop and test damage functions relating crop and/or livestock losses (e.g., crop yield reduction or livestock mortality) to meteorological factors.
  • Prepare accurate and effective technical and nontechnical documents describing modeling progress and results.
  • Present research and modeling results to coworkers, company management, and clients.


Qualifications

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:·
  • Strong domain knowledge of climate/weather data and modeling, including boundary layer processes and micrometeorology over land surfaces. Experience with atmospheric general circulation model applications and/or weather forecasting models in an environmental or agricultural research environment is a plus.
  • Solid programming skills gained through practical experience using interpreted and/or compiled programming languages. Experience with the interpreted language R a plus.
  • Strong mathematical or statistical experience with applications to agricultural and/or environmental sciences.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Experience using and managing large datasets. SQL and/or ArcGIS experience a plus.
  • Demonstrated ability to learn new concepts and skills and to meet project objectives and deadlines.
  • General knowledge of probabilistic modeling and experience with applications to (re)insurance a plus.
  • Knowledge of climate change science a plus.
  • Experience interacting with professional clients a plus

Requirements:
  • Ph.D. in (agricultural) meteorology, crop modeling, or related discipline with 2+ years professional experience in a research/technical environment.

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