WindBorne Systems

Meteorological Scientist - Data Assimilation and NWP

WindBorne Systems is supercharging weather forecasts with a unique proprietary data source: the largest balloon constellation in the world. WindBorne Atlas is backed by next-generation smart weather balloons targeting the most critical atmospheric data. We design, manufacture, and operate our own balloons, using the data they collect to generate otherwise unattainable weather intelligence.

Our mission is to eliminate weather uncertainty, and in the process help humanity adapt to climate change, be that predicting hurricanes or speeding the adoption of renewables. We are building a future in which the planet is instrumented by thousands of our microballoons, eliminating gaps in our understanding of the planet and giving people and businesses the information they need to make critical decisions. The founding team of Stanford engineers was named Forbes 2019 30 under 30 and is backed by top-tier investors, including Khosla Ventures and Footwork VC.

WindBorne is seeking a Meteorological Scientist to contribute to the improvement of weather forecasting and observational analyses. As a member of the weather team, you’ll incorporate WindBorne’s unique state-of-the-art balloon constellation observations into the most advanced weather prediction systems. You’ll work with our team of scientists, engineers and flight controllers to influence the collection and use of observations from start to finish, beginning with balloon flight and ending with insights to help consumers, businesses and governments adapt to changing weather and climate.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and optimize the impact of WindBorne’s balloon observations across traditional and AI-based data assimilation

• Work closely with the Machine Learning team to help advance AI-based data assimilation techniques that drive WindBorne’s WeatherMesh AI forecast system

• Design visualizations and analyses that demonstrate the impact of WindBorne's in-situ observations on forecast quality for both scientific and business audiences

• Refine and develop quality control algorithms for WindBorne's in-situ observations

• Communicate technical findings to scientific, government, and business stakeholders

Skills and Qualifications

• Strong background in atmospheric sciences and weather analysis

• Experience with data assimilation and numerical weather prediction, including familiarity with how observations improve forecast skill

• Demonstrated ability to work with observational data including weather radar, weather satellite, surface and upper air observations

• Experience using LLMs to implement code

• Strong understanding of statistical methods, especially those used to validate observation quality and verify weather forecasts

• Willingness to work across unfamiliar domains and learn new skills quickly

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences, Meteorology, or related field preferred

• Scrappiness
  

Additional Beneficial Skills

• Experience developing data assimilation and NWP systems including GSI, JEDI, GFS/FV3 and MPAS.

• Scientific programming experience using Python, Fortran and/or C/C++

• Experience with instrumentation used for collecting weather observations including instrument design, calibration and quality control

Benefits

• 401(k)

• Dental insurance

• Health insurance

• Vision insurance

• Unlimited PTO

• Stock Option Plan

• Office food and beverages

Salary

• $110,000 - $150,000** We are considering a range of backgrounds and experience levels for this position and adjust our offers accordingly to be competitive with market rates.

Location

We are located at 1600 Bridge Pkwy, Redwood City, CA with opportunities for work in Redwood Shores and Washington, DC. In-person Preferred