Job Description

The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University (CSU) seeks to fill a full-time research associate position designed to conduct collaborative research and development with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) located at the Global Systems Laboratory (GSL) in Boulder, CO. The individual in this position will work in the NOAA/OAR/GSL Earth Prediction Advancement Division (EPAD) Physics Branch.
 
The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University is a multi-million-dollar research organization located on CSU's Foothills Campus in Fort Collins, Colorado. CIRA is a cooperative institute that is also a research department within CSU's College of Engineering, in partnership with the Department of Atmospheric Science. Its vision is to conduct interdisciplinary research in the atmospheric sciences by entraining skills beyond the meteorological disciplines, exploiting advances in engineering and computer science, facilitating transitional activity between pure and applied research, leveraging both national and international resources and partnerships, and assisting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, CSU, the State of Colorado, and the Nation through the application of our research to areas of societal benefit. 

NOAA's Global Systems Laboratory is a federal science and research laboratory under NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. GSL provides the National Weather Service (NWS) and the nation with environmental observation, prediction, computer, visualization, and information systems. These systems deliver data, forecasts, and predictions of weather, including severe weather events, within the next few minutes to weeks away. GSL is a leader in the applied research, directed development, and technology transfer of environmental data, models, products, and services that enhance environmental understanding with the outcome of supporting commerce, protecting life and property, and promoting a scientifically literate public.

Position Summary:

The individual in this position will be a technical lead for numerical weather and Earth system prediction model development in the context of NOAA’s Unified Forecast System (UFS) leveraging the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) atmospheric dynamical core. They will lead and assist the implementation of new and revised modeling capabilities, infrastructure, and workflows. A particular focus will be on porting modeling system codes to future NOAA research, development, and operational cloud-computing architectures. The individual in this position will also play a leading role in optimizing modeling system components to improve their computational efficiency while maintaining their scientific robustness and in managing the code bases for which GSL – and specifically Physics branch members – are the lead developers and maintainers. This position will report to the Ensemble Prediction Scientist. 

Full Consideration Date: Monday, 9/28/2026, 11:59 pm (MT)

Essential Job Duties:

• Be a technical lead for numerical weather and Earth system prediction system development, including leading and assisting with the technical implementation of new and revised modeling capabilities, infrastructure, and workflows.
• Port modeling system codes in support of numerical weather and Earth system prediction systems to NOAA research, development, and operational cloud-computing architectures.
• In collaboration with model, infrastructure, and physics parameterization developers, develop and implement code optimizations that reduce computational expense while maintaining scientific quality.
• Lead the code management of the model, infrastructure, and physics parameterization codes for which GSL is the lead developing entity.

Conditions of Employment:

• Initially, this position will require onsite presence. If project circumstances allow and with satisfactory performance, up to 2 days per week of telework may be allowed.
• This full-time position requires a National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI), tier 1 federal background check and a NOAA Common Access Card (CAC) ID badge for systems access. Therefore, only US citizens and lawful permanent residents with a physical USCIS “Green Card” are eligible. 

Supervision:

The individual in this position will not supervise employees.

Required Qualifications:

NOTE: In the body of your resume, please specifically address all required qualifications when describing your work experience. A resume that fails to specifically address the qualifications of this position may not be further considered by the search committee. 

• A M.S. in Atmospheric Science, Computer Science, or related field and 
• At least two years of specialized technical experience developing, building infrastructure to support, and/or maintaining Earth system models.
• At least three years of experience with Fortran and/or C++, Python, high-performance computing (cloud and/or on-premises), and Linux computing environments.
• At least three years of experience with version control and the life cycle of complex software.
• This position requires a National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI), tier 1 federal background check and a NOAA Common Access Card (CAC) ID badge for systems access. Therefore, only US citizens and lawful permanent residents with a physical USCIS “Green Card” are eligible. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with state-of-the-art operational and/or research weather prediction systems.
• Knowledge of cloud-computing environments for scientific applications.
• Knowledge of best-practices for scientific code development, optimization, and management.
• Experience communicating technical information, such as through technical reports, evaluations, and assessments, in ways that can be understood and acted upon by scientists and managers.

Application Instructions

Applications must be submitted via online portal. We will not accept materials sent via email or other mode. NOTE: In the body of your resume, please specifically address all required qualifications and applicable preferred qualifications when describing your work experience. A resume that fails to address the qualifications of this position may not be further considered after review by the search committee. Likewise, an online application with a generic cover letter or missing a cover letter may not be further considered after review by the search committee.  References will be requested for finalists and will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates. 

Salary Range

Required Application Documents

To apply, please upload the following applicant documents. Ensure your materials fully address the required and preferred job qualifications of the position. Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

Employee Benefits

Colorado State University is not just a workplace; it’s a thriving community that’s transforming lives and improving the human condition through world-class teaching, research, and service. With a robust benefits package, collaborative atmosphere, and focus on work-life balance, CSU is where you can thrive, grow, and make a lasting impact.

• Review our detailed benefits information here.

• Explore the additional perks of working at CSU here.

• For the total value of CSU benefits in addition to wages, use our compensation calculator.

• Lastly, click here for more information about why Fort Collins is consistently ranked in the top cities to live in!

Background Check Policy Statement

Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.

EEO

Colorado State University (CSU) provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.