Research Associate

Department:College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric SciencesSpecial Instructions to Applicants:

When applying you will be required to attach the following electronic documents:

1) A resume/CV; and

2) A cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position.

3) A Statement of Research

Starting salary will be commensurate with skills, education, and experience.

For additional information please contact: Jay Alder at [email protected] or 541-737-5629.

Job Summary:

The College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences invites applications for a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term Faculty Research Assistant position.  Reappointment is at the discretion of the Dean.

Key Responsibilities:

• Expand the scale and scope of the USGS National Climate Change Viewer (NCCV) web application.
• Analyze and visualize climate model data.
• Participate in activities of the Climate Adaptation Technical Services (CATS) team.
• Interact with partners and stakeholders.
• Independent research.

The Research Associate (RA) will support the Climate Adaptation Technical Services program (CATS), which is part of the US Geological Survey’s Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs). The program provides partners with tailored climate adaptation science, advice, and training to help them rapidly incorporate climate adaptation science into planning and decision making. The RA will serve as a climate data scientist to support the CATS mission by providing technical support that advances research on climate change, climate adaptation for natural and cultural resources of interest, and the effects of climate on species, ecosystems, and ecological processes. 

The RA will work with project principal investigators on the analysis of large-scale climate projections, development of new datasets, creation of data releases, documentation, and visualization of climate model projections for public communications. The initial focus will be on expanding the capabilities and data layers of the USGS National Climate Change Viewer (NCCV), which is a web application for visualization of climate model projections. The RA will work with CASC partners and stakeholders by providing climate projections in the form of custom analyses, extracting data, and producing high-quality maps and other scientific graphics to support assessments of the impacts of climate change on land management and species.

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree in climate science, Earth science, atmospheric science, or a related field.
• Knowledge of climate assessments and international climate modeling projects such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5), and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP).
• Understanding of climate models, climate model projections, and emissions scenarios
• Proficiency in performing scientific data analysis in a programming language such as Python, Matlab, IDL, or R.
• Experience with climate model data formats, including but not limited to NetCDF data files.
• Experience creating high-quality scientific figures and maps.
• Ability to clearly communicate scientific concepts and results of analyses to a variety of audiences, including presentation of results at scientific conferences and meetings.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with researchers, stakeholders, and external partners.
• Must complete and pass a USGS background check.
• Must complete USGS computer security courses within 90 days of hire.
• Fluency in English.

This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per University Standard: 05-010 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with Climate Adaptation Science Centers, their partners, or other federal programs.
• Familiarity with climate impact reports, such as Species Status Assessments.
• Experience with scientific Python programming with the core geoscience libraries (NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, Cartopy, xarray, Jupyter Notebooks).
• Knowledge of JavaScript programming.
• Familiarity with Linux-based operating systems or high-performance computing. environments

Working Conditions/Schedule:Work will be performed primarily in an office or similar setting with adequate light, ventilation, and climate controls. Travel for meetings and conferences may be required and may result in exposure to inclement weather and other common circumstances. Work is expected to be in person on the main Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, Oregon. Telework will be allowed prior to relocating to Corvallis, Oregon, and as needed and agreed on between the employee and supervisor after relocation. Most of the work will be sedentary, with extensive use of a computer as well as some moving about and lifting or moving of lightweight objects such as a laptop.Salary Range:$75,000 - $85,000Anticipated Start Date:2026-10-01Anticipated End Date:

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status.

OSU will conduct a review of the National Sex Offender Public website prior to hire.
OSU is a fair chance employer committed to inclusive hiring. We encourage applications from candidates who bring a wide range of lived experience including involvement with the justice system. If this position has “critical or security-sensitive” responsibilities and/or driving duties and you are selected as a finalist, your initial job offer will be contingent upon the results of a job-related pre-employment check (such as a background check, motor vehicle history check, sexual misconduct reference check, etc.). Background check results do not automatically disqualify a candidate. Take a look at our Background Checks website including the for candidates section for more details. If you have questions or concerns about the pre-employment check, please contact OSU’s Employee and Labor Relations team at [email protected].