Description
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has an exciting opportunity for a Researcher to provide scientific and technical support to ongoing projects related to water risk modeling, vulnerability to and risk assessment of floods and droughts, and building a water risk framework and indicators to promote sustainable climate finance. Core responsibilities consist of planning and execution of project activities and work plan; field visits, data collection and analysis; and supporting stakeholder engagement to ensure alignment with national and regional priorities.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Reporting to the Country Representative – India, the successful candidate will be responsible for providing support to researchers in the Water Risk to Development and Resilience (WR2DR) Research Group and to the Country Representative – India with the following tasks:
- Implement and conduct research for a range of ongoing projects connected to water-related disasters and risk assessment.
- Use climate change downscaling techniques and weather forecasts for providing climate information services which will help to build resilience to floods and droughts.
- Promote sustainable climate finance through the application of information on climate change and water risk, vulnerability, impacts and adaptation.
- Implement hydraulic models (Hydrologic Engineering Center – River Analysis System [HEC-RAS], Flood Modeller, MIKE, etc.).
- Conduct hydrological analyses (Variable Infiltration Capacity [VIC], Hydrologic Engineering Center – Hydrologic Modeling System [HEC-HMS], Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning [HBV], MIKE 1D and Flood, LIS[CM(1] , etc.).
- Assist in collecting, managing and analyzing spatial and non-spatial agricultural and hydrological data.
- Assist with the preparation for events/workshops/conferences by conducting background analysis, and preparing concept notes and presentations.
- Prepare project and research reports.
- Engage with key stakeholders in project implementation and dissemination of outcomes to contribute to development goals.
- Assist in developing new research proposals.
- Produce articles for peer-reviewed publications.
- Conduct advanced research and data analysis on how changes in climate are impacting extreme weather events in developing regions.
Requirements
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Master’s or PhD degree in climate change, hydrology/water resources engineering, remote sensing, water sciences, and natural hazards.
- At least 2 years of work experience in water-related risk analysis and management, hydrologic modelling, etc. We may reconsider the work experience requirement for exceptional candidates, based on work carried out during their master’s thesis and publication of the final report.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
- Strong knowledge of water risk modeling, and integration of satellite and socioeconomic data for vulnerability and risk assessment, demonstrated through fieldwork/coursework/projects.
- Experience in working with climate models (i.e., Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase [CMIP5], global climate models [GCMs], regional climate models [RCMs], etc.), ensemble analysis and uncertainty analysis.
- Preferred modeling experience: flood/hydrological modeling, bias correction/downscaling methods, climate impact assessments.
- Knowledge of climate risk assessment and extreme weather event analysis.
- Ability to work with large, multidimensional data (e.g., Network Common Data Form [netCDF], GRIdded Binary or General Regularly-distributed Information in Binary form [GRIB], Tag Image File Format [TIFF] files).
- Knowledge of Python programming language and experience in working with xarray, and knowledge of basic software engineering principles.
- Experience in working with Linux and command line scripting (i.e., bash, zsh), and familiarity with cloud computing environments.
- Strong analytical and programming skills in R, MATLAB or related tools.
- Strong writing skills demonstrated through term papers and reports written during the attainment of a master’s or PhD degree.
Desirable:
- An understanding of development challenges, especially in relation to water and food security, in India and South Asia.
- Proven competence in spatial and non-spatial data analysis.
- Knowledge of regional languages.
Benefits
TERMS OF THE APPOINTMENT
This is a nationally recruited position and only candidates who are eligible to work in India will be considered. IWMI offers a competitive salary and benefits package, inclusive of health insurance, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, and long-term disability coverage. The duration of the contract will initially be for a period of three years with the possibility of extension.
TO APPLY
Your application must include a copy of your curriculum vitae, a cover letter that addresses IWMI’s requirements stated above, and the contact information of three professional referees who may be contacted if you are short-listed for the position.
IWMI believes that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary working environment. We are consciously creating an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and our commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.
