Research Scientist

The Cooperative Institute for Severe & High-Impact Weather Research and Operations seeks to fill a Research Scientist position for its collaborative research as a Cooperative Institute with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL).

 

Date posted

Dec. 12, 2022 11:45 am

Application deadline

Jan. 12, 2023 5:00 pm

Organization

CIWRO at the University of Oklahoma

Location

  • United States

Job description

CIWRO Research Scientist
Social Scientist for Warn-on-Forecast
 
The Cooperative Institute for Severe & High-Impact Weather Research and Operations (CIWRO
- https://ciwro.ou.edu/) seeks to fill a Research Scientist position for its collaborative research as a Cooperative Institute with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). The Research Scientist will contribute to NSSL’s Warn-on-Forecast (WoF) program.
 

Background: 

The WoF system (https://wof.nssl.noaa.gov/) is envisioned to be a primary driver of the NWS Forecasting a Continuum of Environmental Threats paradigm  (FACETS; https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/projects/facets/). Given that the ultimate goal is the transition of a WoF prototype system to operations, it is important that the probabilistic WoFS forecast guidance is usable and useful to NWS forecasters and other stakeholders. (e.g., Emergency Managers, Broadcast meteorologists, etc.)

Responsibilities: 

The incumbent will design and conduct studies within NOAA Testbed, NWS Weather Forecast Offices or centers to explore and test operational usability to include aspects such as: 1) visualization, 2) perceptions, understanding, and use of probabilistic forecast guidance and related uncertainty information, 3) the communication of this information to partners, and 4) identification of operational opportunities for (or concerns about) applying probabilistic information within the WFO and broader NWS infrastructure. In this role, a primary responsibility of the incumbent will be to coordinate the experimental use of the WoF system with NWS leaders and travel to and conduct research within NWS offices and centers. Throughout the research process, the incumbent will collaborate with other social scientists, model developers, and stakeholders to contribute toward the production of a WoF system prototype ready for transfer to operations. Additional responsibilities include publishing findings in peer-reviewed literature and presenting at conferences.

Required Qualifications: 

  1. A Ph.D. in one or more of the following fields: Meteorology, Cognitive Psychology/Industrial Engineering/Human Factors;  Communication; Anthropology/Ethnography; and/or Science and Technology Studies.                             C
  2. Research experience designing and conducting studies to observe and elicit feedback.
  3. Ability to coordinate experimental activities with the NOAA NWS and travel to NWS offices or centers to conduct research.
  4. Experience conducting data collection and analysis in a collaborative environment (i.e., observation, user evaluation, etc.).
  5. Excellent oral and written communication skills (including papers published in or submitted to refereed journals).
  6. An ability to work both independently and cooperatively with others.

The beginning salary will be competitive for this position and location, and will be dependent on experience. The University of Oklahoma provides a generous benefits package. Information on benefits may be found at https://hr.ou.edu/Employees. The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is identified. 

To apply for the position, please forward your resume, cover letter and list of three references to:

University of Oklahoma CIWRO
120 David L. Boren Blvd., Suite 2100
Norman, OK 73072-7304
Job Requisition – Social Scientist WoF
 

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity/Affirmative Action employer