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Wildfire/Atmospheric Modeling Scientist

Employer
Verisk
Location
South Boston, Massachusetts, US
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
Dec 7, 2022

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Sector
Academic / Research
Field
Informatics / GIS
Discipline
Modeling
Salary Type
Salary
Employment Type
Full time
Company Description

We help the world see new possibilities and inspire change for better tomorrows. Our analytic solutions bridge content, data, and analytics to help business, people, and society become stronger, more resilient, and sustainable.

About The Role

Job Description

Join our growing Research and Modeling department as a member of our wildfire modeling team. You will work with the team to develop, optimize, and deploy advanced computational models that simulate fire ignition, spread, and penetration into the wildland-urban interface at meter-scale resolution for millions of scenarios, and that describe the complex relationships between wildfire activity, weather/climate, fuels, and other factors. As a member of this collegial team, you will work closely with a range of stakeholders to (a) incorporate up-to-date scientific knowledge, data, and modeling approaches into our existing models; (b) develop new models and model components; and (c) deploy existing modeling technologies into new regions and/or for new applications.

About The Day To Day Responsibilities Of The Role

* Understand the principles of our wildland fire models and how their components work together to assess model stability, sensitivity to key drivers (e.g., fuel type, weather), and convergence of output, with a key emphasis on computer model structure and implementation.
* Understand client needs and address those needs with our model products.
* Create, optimize, and run critical model code using the principles of high-performance computing.
* Evaluate large datasets that describe processes and entities affecting wildfire behavior in multiple regions of the world.
* Analyze and validate model solutions and perform sensitivity analyses to answer client questions and constrain uncertainty regarding their wildfire risk.
* Critically analyze and estimate statistical significance of decadal-scale trends in wildfire in the United States and elsewhere.
* Integrate new climatological, wildfire fuel, and wildfire activity data into existing models and explain changes seen in modeled results.
* Keep abreast of current wildland fire research and look for ways to integrate this research into existing and new wildfire models.
* Navigate and manage multiple code repositories, data sets, and data archives to maintain and update our models with appropriate approaches to archiving and version control.
* Prepare accurate and effective technical and non-technical documents describing modeling processes and results, both for client use and internal model improvement.
* Create and deliver presentations to coworkers, company management, and clients.
* Deliver results on time to meet project objectives.

Qualifications

* Advanced programming skills gained through practical experience using both compiled and interpreted programming languages is essential. Strong proficiency with C++ and R, and a demonstrated ability to write clear, concise, and well-documented code in these or similar languages is required.
* Solid foundational knowledge of atmospheric, climatic and/or hydrological processes and their quantification across large landscapes.
* Practical experience analyzing/interpreting large model output datasets for both model evaluation and improvement.
* Experience applying climate and/or weather forecasting model output to landscape processes is a plus.
* Strong mathematical and/or statistical experience and practical experience developing new models and/or significant new components (e.g., advanced subroutines) in existing models.
* Experience using and managing large datasets; practical experience with SQL is desirable.
* Experience with ArcGIS a plus.
* Ability to gather, understand, and critically analyze information from all relevant sources, such as historical fire/weather/climate databases, scientific papers, government reports, insurance data, etc.
* Demonstrated ability to learn new concepts and skills and to meet project objectives and deadlines.
* Excellent written and oral communication skills.
* Knowledge of the application of probabilistic modeling to (re)insurance applications and/or climate change science a plus.
* Advanced degree in wildfire, climate, atmospheric, or environmental science, engineering, mathematics, or statistics (Ph.D. preferred).

Additional Information

In 2022, Verisk received Great Place to Work® Certification for our outstanding workplace culture for the sixth year in a row and second-time certification in the UK, Spain, and India. We're also one of the 38 companies on the UK's Best Workplaces™ list and one of 18 companies on Spain's Best Workplaces™ list.

For over fifty years and through innovation, interpretation, and professional insight, Verisk has replaced uncertainty with precision to unlock opportunities that deliver significant and demonstrable impact. From our historic roots in risk assessment, we've grown to provide analytic insights that help transform industries focused on some of the world's most critical areas. Today, the insurance industry relies on Verisk to be, and to make the world, more productive, resilient, and sustainable.

Verisk works in collaboration with our customers and at the intersection of people, data, and advanced technologies. Through proprietary platformed analytics, advanced modeling, and interpretation, we deliver immediate and sustained value to our customers and through them, to the individuals and societies they serve, with greater speed, precision, and scale.

We're 9,000 people strong, committed to translating big data into big ideas. We help others see new possibilities and empower certainty into big decisions that impact individuals and societies. And we relentlessly and ethically pursue innovation to help move our customers, and the world, toward better tomorrows.

Everyone at Verisk-from our chief executive officer to our newest employee-is guided by The Verisk Way, to Be Remarkable, Add Value, and Innovate.

* Be Remarkable by doing something better each day in service to our customers and each other
* Add Value by delivering immediate and sustained results that drive positive outcomes
* Innovate by redefining what's possible, embracing challenges, and pushing boundaries

Verisk Businesses

Underwriting Solutions - provides underwriting and rating solutions for auto and property, general liability, and excess and surplus to assess and price risk with speed and precision

Claims Solutions - supports end-to-end claims handling with analytic and automation tools that streamline workflow, improve claims management, and support better customer experiences

Property Estimating Solutions - offers property estimation software and tools for professionals in estimating all phases of building and repair to make day-to-day workflows the most efficient

Extreme Event Solutions - provides risk modeling solutions to help individuals, businesses, and society become more resilient to extreme events.

Specialty Business Solutions - provides an integrated suite of software for full end-to-end management of insurance and reinsurance business, helping companies manage their businesses through efficiency, flexibility, and data governance

Marketing Solutions - delivers data and insights to improve the reach, timing, relevance, and compliance of every consumer engagement

Verisk Maplecroft - provides intelligence on sustainability, resilience, and ESG, helping people, business, and societies become stronger

At Verisk you can build an exciting career with meaningful work; create positive and lasting impact on business; and find the support, coaching, and training you need to advance your career. We have received the Great Place to Work® Certification for the 7th consecutive year. We've been recognized by Forbes as a World's Best Employer and a Best Employer for Women, testaments to our culture of engagement and the value we place on an inclusive and diverse workforce. Verisk's Statement on Racial Equity and Diversity supports our commitment to these values and affecting positive and lasting change in the communities where we live and work.

Verisk Analytics is an equal opportunity employer.

All members of the Verisk Analytics family of companies are equal opportunity employers. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, veteran's status, age or disability.

http://www.verisk.com/careers.html

Unsolicited resumes sent to Verisk, including unsolicited resumes sent to a Verisk business mailing address, fax machine or email address, or directly to Verisk employees, will be considered Verisk property. Verisk will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume.

HR CCPA Privacy Notice.pdf

At Verisk, the health and safety of our people is our number one priority. Effective November 15, 2021, and subject to applicable law, all prospective hires for office based roles or roles that support any of our businesses' government contracts will be required to demonstrate that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by their start date, or qualify for a legally-required medical or religious accommodation to this vaccination requirement, as a condition of employment. Hired candidates who do not demonstrate that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by their start date, and who have not been approved for a legally-required medical or religious accommodation will no longer meet the requirements for employment and their offers of employment will be immediately rescinded, in accordance with applicable law.

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