Careers
Full Time OR PART TIME
Summer Research Associate in Climate Data Analytics| [PDF]
Position OVERVIEW
We are hiring 2 to 3 Summer Research Associates in Climate Data Analytics to support the development or perform novel research on cloud-based climate and weather data platforms for multiple State of California agencies (e.g., energy and climate-adjacent). The Summer Research Associate position would be a good fit for a recent graduate or current graduate student looking for summer salary and experience.
This position will support the development of the Cal-Adapt: Analytics Engine, an associated historic data platform of weather station data, and early work to develop a climate risk index with the California Air Resources Board. These projects apply cutting-edge scientific programming with hands-on stakeholder engagement and public policy, leading to actionable scientific outcomes. The Research Associate will be expected to contribute to research and development while having the opportunity to participate in business development, outreach, stakeholder engagement, and public policy events.
We know that scientists come from a variety of backgrounds, and will consider full and part-time applicants, applicants seeking to work non-traditional hours, and applicants working remotely. Candidates must be based in California and be available from the end of May into September of 2023. If your experiences don’t line up with what is outlined below, but you believe you would be a great fit for the project, please still apply so we can learn more about you. This position is a remote, non-exempt, seasonal/temporary which pays hourly.
This position will support the development of the Cal-Adapt: Analytics Engine, an associated historic data platform of weather station data, and early work to develop a climate risk index with the California Air Resources Board. These projects apply cutting-edge scientific programming with hands-on stakeholder engagement and public policy, leading to actionable scientific outcomes. The Research Associate will be expected to contribute to research and development while having the opportunity to participate in business development, outreach, stakeholder engagement, and public policy events.
We know that scientists come from a variety of backgrounds, and will consider full and part-time applicants, applicants seeking to work non-traditional hours, and applicants working remotely. Candidates must be based in California and be available from the end of May into September of 2023. If your experiences don’t line up with what is outlined below, but you believe you would be a great fit for the project, please still apply so we can learn more about you. This position is a remote, non-exempt, seasonal/temporary which pays hourly.
responsibilities
Position Responsibilities.
Applicants will contribute to one (or more) of the following research efforts:
Support development of the Cal-Adapt: Analytics Engine
Depending on interest, applicants could also participate in the following tasks as interested/needed:
General position requirements:
Applicants will contribute to one (or more) of the following research efforts:
Support development of the Cal-Adapt: Analytics Engine
- Building Jupyter Notebooks that make high-resolution climate data accessible
- Developing Python code to execute analytics and methods
- Work collaboratively with other developers using Github
- Performing usability testing
- Documenting products and code, performing additional technical/scientific writing for varied audiences
- Engaging and training stakeholders on developed products
- Researching and building QA/QC protocols for observed data
- Automating the collection of weather data and cleaning functions on AWS
- Performing exploratory data analysis on weather/climate data
- Creating web-based visualizations (and toolkits) of geospatial datasets
- Documenting platform features and code, perform additional technical/scientific writing
- Researching open geospatial data sources
- Documenting metadata and develop data repository
- Exploring methods for quantifying local climate risk and vulnerability
- Engaging with stakeholders, (i.e. California Air Resources Board) to co-produce data and methods
Depending on interest, applicants could also participate in the following tasks as interested/needed:
- Outreach:
- Developing communication and/or organizational plans
- Performing technical writing to support outreach efforts
- Organizing and participating in meetings with state agencies, non-profits, and other entities
- Stakeholder Engagement:
- Communicating with decision-makers, policymakers, and energy sector professionals
- Performing stakeholder interviews and facilitate workshops
- Performing usability assessments of developed products
- Synthesizing engagement efforts
- Public Policy:
- Attending and presenting at statewide forums
- Participating in California Energy Commission events
- Participating in California’s Fifth Climate Assessment events
- Business Development:
- Organizing workshops and scientific events
- Working with governmental forms
- Reviewing and editing proposals and other technical writing
- Observing budgeting, invoicing, and bookkeeping practices
- Gaining experience collaborating in a modern, remote working environment
General position requirements:
- Periodic travel to workshops, seminars, conferences, and meetings with our partners
- This position requires a lot of computer work, applicants will need to be capable of working at a desk or computer for the majority of the workday.
- This position involves executing complex research and computational independently, in a timely fashion. This requires applicants to be able to learn new tasks, maintain focus, execute documentation processes , complete tasks independently, make timely decisions without consultation, and communicate clearly with team members.
- Perform other duties as required. We are a small team, and sometimes you’ll have to do tasks that are outside of position scope.
required qualifications
- Interest in a career in science, particularly applied research in environmental/climate fields
- Share our values and vision, particularly in creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace
- Familiarity with geospatial data and Python (or similar language)
- Demonstrated capacity to work independently
- Technical writing skills and the ability to communicate politely and effectively
- Education, experience, and/or skill in atmospheric, climate, or environmental sciences and/or data science
- Applicants for the Summer Research Associate position are likely to have a B.S. and/or be pursuing an M.S. or Ph.D.
- We’re open to non-traditional hires too!
- Applicants for the Summer Research Associate position are likely to have a B.S. and/or be pursuing an M.S. or Ph.D.
desired qualifications
We anticipate applicants having some of these qualifications.
- Experience performing scientific/computational work in the cloud on AWS, or better -- experience developing applications on AWS, and/or AWS certifications
- Experience using GitHub
- Experience using Python and developing Python Notebooks
- Experience working with scientific (geophysical) toolkits (e.g., nco, cdo, ncl), repositories/libraries (e.g., MetPy, numpy, scipy), or visualization packages (e.g., matplotlib, hvplot) a plus
- Basic knowledge of statistics
- Familiarity with QA/QC procedures for environmental datasets
About Eagle Rock Analytics
We are a small climate and environmental consulting firm, with a focus on applied research that transforms big geospatial data into understandable information that answers questions or advances the science. We don’t take profits on public good projects, allowing us to prioritize our clients and stakeholders, maintain professionalism and scientific ethics, and do work without ego. We’re hoping to find people to join our team who agree that slow, steady, methodical, and empathetic is better than a fast-paced, work-hard-play-hard, everyone is a unicorn/rockstar approach.
Benefits & Compensation
The salary for this position will be a minimum of $26 per hour and higher for experienced candidates. We are committed to providing better than a livable wage, which in Sacramento has been estimated to be between $17 and $18 per hour. We are advertising this position as a remote, full-time, non-exempt position based in Sacramento, CA but will strongly consider applicants seeking part-time employment.
Eagle Rock Analytics offers a flexible workplace with a generous benefit package, including at a minimum, health benefits, retirement (i.e. 6% employer contribution to 401k) and paid time off. As a smaller company we are able to work with employees to meet their needs, and we prioritize work-life balance.
Eagle Rock Analytics offers a flexible workplace with a generous benefit package, including at a minimum, health benefits, retirement (i.e. 6% employer contribution to 401k) and paid time off. As a smaller company we are able to work with employees to meet their needs, and we prioritize work-life balance.
How to apply | Learn more
Questions?: Submit your questions about the application process, position, or working at Eagle Rock Analytics to careers@eaglerockanalytics.com. You can also consult our careers FAQ for additional information.
To Apply:
Deadline and Process: We’ll begin reviewing applications as they come in, and will continue to do so until the listings are removed from our website. We will reach out to successful applicants for references and interviews. All applicants will be notified when the position is filled.
To Apply:
- E-mail a resume/cv to careers@eaglerockanalytics.com with the subject line of “Summer Research Associate.”
- Resume title should be “Lastname Firstname - 2023 Summer Research”
- e.g. “Smith John - 2023 Summer Research.pdf”
- In the body of the email, indicate your answers to the following questions
- “Are you eligible to work in the United States of America?”
- “Are you a resident of the state of California?”
- “Please rank the projects listed in Position Responsibilities in order of interest to you.”
- Attach a Statement of Qualifications which addresses in your own words: (1) why you are interested and qualified for the position, and (2) a link to and/or description of a project or product you are proud of (a link could be your GitHub, a publication, a conference proceeding, etc).
- Please limit replies to 2 pages, with 1” margins and size 12 Times New Roman font.
Deadline and Process: We’ll begin reviewing applications as they come in, and will continue to do so until the listings are removed from our website. We will reach out to successful applicants for references and interviews. All applicants will be notified when the position is filled.
