Assistant/Associate/Full Project Scientist - Department of Earth & Planetary Science

This position is a full-time (100%) appointment for one year, with the possibility of extension based on performance and funding. The anticipated start date is Fall 2026.

About the Role

The Department of Earth & Planetary Science at the University of California, Berkeley seeks a Project Scientist to conduct research in Atmospheric Science. The candidate will help create advanced forecasts of high-impact weather and climate phenomena for deployment at scale in tropical countries. As part of a multidisciplinary collaboration involving universities, international development agencies, and governmental ministries, the selected candidate will contribute to developing forecasts for dangerous heat stress, precipitation, monsoon onset, and other tropical phenomena using physics-based, artificial intelligence, and statistical weather prediction models.

The role is central to Berkeley's new Tropical Risk Project, which builds on a collaboration with the University of Chicago that developed AI-enabled long-lead forecasts of rainy season onset, distributed to over 50 million farmers in India and institutionalized by the Indian government. This position will expand the program to other phenomena, such as heat stress, and support its growth into additional countries. The position will be supervised by Profs. William Boos and Lucas Vargas Zeppetello.

Responsibilities

• Develop novel decision-oriented forecasting metrics, systems using AI, statistical, and physics-based methods, and evaluate forecast skill against baselines tailored for decision-makers.
• Serve as a key member of a fast-paced, multi-institutional team to create built-for-purpose regional forecasts improving livelihoods of farmers in low- and middle-income countries.
• Build fundamental understanding of forecasting potential for high-impact phenomena, such as extreme heat, using AI and statistical weather models.
• Collaborate with meteorological agencies in multiple countries to help build an operational system delivering actionable, real-time predictions to tens of millions of people, leveraging last-mile delivery pipelines developed by non-governmental partners.
• Disseminate research results through presentations and publications, and mentor junior project staff.
• Contribute to writing grant proposals.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application):

• PhD or equivalent international degree.

Preferred qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science, Statistics, Environmental Science, Mathematics, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience handling and processing large-scale datasets (hundreds of terabytes and larger).
• Record of productivity and publications and/or scholarly contributions.
• Ability to work in a research team and manage active collaborations with other academic groups.
• Expertise in data infrastructure and governance.
• Experience with high-performance computing environments.
• Experience with cloud services (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.).
• Experience with state-of-the-art AI/ML methods in the atmospheric sciences.
• Experience mentoring junior staff, such as students or BA/MA-level data scientists.
• Experience with scientific and/or governmental speaking engagements.
• Ability to communicate effectively, collaborate openly, and engage with a diverse group of researchers.

Required at time of start:

• At least one year of postdoctoral research experience.

For consideration at specific ranks:

• Associate Project Scientist: Minimum of 8 years of post-Ph.D. research experience in a relevant field.
• Full Project Scientist: Minimum of 14 years of post-Ph.D. research experience in a relevant field.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $79,400 - $192,400, determined by the UC academic salary scales based on rank and step at appointment (Table 37b).