Job Details

CIRES/ NOAA NCEI Electromagnetic Induction Temporary Researcher

Position Number: 6682884
Location: Boulder, CO
Position Type: Science - Geology, Earth Sciences & Oceanography

CIRES/ NOAA NCEI Electromagnetic Induction Temporary Researcher

Requisition Number: 68161
Location: Boulder Colorado
Employment Type: Research Faculty
Schedule: Part Time
Posting Close Date: 31-Oct-2025
Date Posted:

Job Summary

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder welcomes applications for a Temporary Researcher. This is a temporary position to support a NASA Living with a Star grant-funded project. The aim of the project is to develop new methods to model the highly variable electromagnetic current activity in Earth's ionosphere, and to understand the currents induced inside the conducting Earth, particularly during strong geomagnetic disturbances. The successful candidate will work with our team in CIRES as well as collaborate with other research institutions involved in the project. The focus of this position is to work with spatio-temporal basis functions developed for modeling ionospheric sources, constructed previously under this project, characterize the induced component of these basis functions inside the conducting Earth, and ultimately recover currents and electric fields induced inside the Earth during strong geomagnetic storms. CIRES' mission is to conduct innovative research that advances our understanding of the global, regional, and local environments and the human relationship with those environments, for the benefit of society. This position directly supports this mission by attempting to enhance our understanding of ground induced currents during strong geomagnetic storm events, which could potentially improve our ability to predict these important physical phenomena and protect infrastructure during storms.
CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

At CIRES, more than 900 people work to understand the dynamic Earth system, including people's relationship with the planet. An institute at the University of Colorado Boulder, we have partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since 1967. Our areas of expertise include weather and climate, wildfire and water, changes at Earth's poles, air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, solid Earth sciences, and more. Our researchers work in 10 CU Boulder departments and eight NOAA laboratories and centers.

This position will be housed within the geomagnetism group at the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), a division of NOAA. The geomagnetism group maintains operational software and models pertaining to the World Magnetic Model (WMM) as well as other geomagnetic field models used for navigation and orientation. The group also performs basic research into a variety of different fields relating to geomagnetism and the electromagnetic environment of the Earth.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Characterize the induced electromagnetic response to external ionospheric drivers during geomagnetic storm events (40%).
Collaborate with colleagues to perform geophysics inversions to recover currents and electrics induced in the Earth during storm events (40%).
Communicate results and confer with other members of the science team (15%).
Performs other duties as necessary (5%).

What You Should Know

This appointment is not eligible for vacation leave, holidays, annual merit pay increases, nor employee health, retirement, or related benefits, except those required by law.
This appointment will accrue 0.034 hours of sick leave for every hour worked.
The hours for this position may vary and are not guaranteed.
This temporary position cannot extend past a maximum of 12 months, however, the anticipated end date is May 31, 2026.

What We Can Offer

The hourly rate for this position ranges from $48.56 - $67.60/hour. Salary is commensurate with education and experience.

Benefits

Temporary positions at the University of Colorado are not benefits-eligible, however, all positions are eligible for paid sick leave.

Be Statements

Be enlightened. Be successful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

Ph.D. in physics, geophysics, space science, Earth science, or a closely related field.
At least 12 years of experience working in electromagnetic induction and solid Earth conductivity.

What You Will Need

Strong knowledge of spherical harmonic analysis and geophysical inverse problems.
Strong knowledge of the ModEM Geophysics software to perform 3D inversions of electromagnetic sources inside the conducting Earth.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

Resume/CV.
The search committee will request references at a later time.

If you are selected as the finalist, your degree will be verified by the CU Boulder Campus Human Resources department using an approved online vendor. If your degree was obtained outside of the United States, please submit a translated version as an optional attachment.

Please apply by October 31, 2025, to be considered for this position.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.

To apply, visit https://jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDetail/CIRES-NOAA-NCEI-Electromagnetic-Induction-Temporary-Researcher/68161