Atmospheric scientist I

Reducing methane emissions has become an absolute priority of global climate policy. Satellites have been both a catalyst and prime supporter of these reductions by revealing large emission hot spots around the world. SRON has been at the forefront of this revolution by providing key data and analysis. SRON is the co-Principal Investigator Institute for TROPOMI, a Dutch instrument realised together with ESA and launched October 2017. SRON’s responsibilities include the development and maintenance of the operational algorithms for methane and carbon monoxide. We have various research projects with high-impact stakeholders focusing on methane emissions using the TROPOMI satellite data, also in conjunction with high spatial resolution satellites like GHGSat, Sentinel-2, EnMAP, and VIIRS that allow us to pinpoint emissions to individual facilities, enabling mitigation efforts. You will analyse TROPOMI - and other satellite - methane data to study methane emissions around the world including from large super-emitters that are urgent mitigation targets.

You will be part of our team of scientists working on the interpretation of TROPOMI - and other - satellite data in the Earth Science Group (ESG) of SRON. The ESG consists of approximately 35 scientists (permanent, postdocs, PhD students) that work on the interpretation of satellite data, data processing, as well as the development of new instrumentation. Our team (~15 persons) develops methods to detect and identify sources and quantify emissions of various trace gases using satellite data in conjunction with atmospheric modelling and machine learning. Our research addresses topics with large societal relevance.

Your project

The focus of this project is on our contribution to the CAMS Methane Hot Spot service. At the core of this service are the detection and emission quantification of methane plumes in the TROPOMI data using ML approaches.  We aim to further improve those detections and expand our methodology to the soon to be launched Sentinel-5 instrument. In addition, you will be responsible for the regular reporting in the project, including statistics on the detected emissions, support to the CAMS Methane Explorer App, etc. Your work will fit in and complement our ongoing research on methane (super-emitters) as part of UNEP’s IMEO-MARS, ESA’s MEDUSA project, and a Global Methane Hub funded landfill project.

You will present your work to various stakeholders as well as at scientific conferences, and publish your work in scientific peer-reviewed journals.

We are looking for an ambitious, highly motivated, and result driven scientist with a PhD in atmospheric sciences or a similar degree, with experience in the application of machine learning to analyze atmospheric data and the interpretation of atmospheric (e.g. satellite, aircraft, …) observations. Strong programming and data analytics skills are also expected. Experience with research on atmospheric methane, atmospheric modeling, or flux inversions is considered an asset. A highly developed proficiency in written and oral English is essential and the candidate should be capable of working both independently and in a team.

The Scientist C (postdoc) position we offer at SRON is a full-time position in which you will be employed by  NWO-I (The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research Institutes) for a period of 2 years. This position can be extended by another 2 years. The salary will be in accordance with NWO salary scale 10 with a maximum of  € 5.486,- gross per month on a full-time basis (depending on your level of education and experience). Compensation for commuting expenses will be provided.

NWO has good secondary employment conditions such as:

·         An end-of-year bonus of 8,33% of the gross yearly salary;

·         A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross yearly salary;

·         42 days of vacation leave a year on a full-time basis;

·         An excellent pension scheme;

·         Options for (additional) personal development;

·         Excellent facilities for parental leave;

·         Ample training opportunities;

·         Possibility of flexible working hours;

SRON is the Netherlands Institute for Space Research. Based at locations in Leiden and Groningen, SRON combines fundamental scientific research, technology innovation, and instrumentation development to enable breakthroughs in astrophysics and earth atmospheric research from space. In partnership with leading international partners and space agencies such as ESA, NASA and JAXA, SRON provides scientific and technological contributions to international space missions as well as expertise and support to the Dutch and international scientific communities.

SRON is the national base for the Netherlands participation in the ESA science program. On the national level, it works in close collaboration with the Dutch universities, other NWO institutes, and governmental agencies to pursue a cohesive agenda for space-based research.

At SRON we believe that a workforce diverse in gender, age, and cultural background is key to performing excellent research. We therefore strongly encourage qualified applicants of all ages, sexual orientations, gender expressions, members of minorities, persons with disabilities, and potential dual-academic-career hires to apply.

Online interviews may be part of the selection procedure.

Recruitment consultants, please put down the phone. We’ll do the recruitment ourselves so unsolicited acquisition of this vacancy is not appreciated.