CEDAR email: Embry-Riddle PhDships; Post-docs at HAO/NCAR

[Barbara Emery]

This is a generic mailing to the CEDAR community sent 04 December 2011.
Meetings and jobs are listed at http://cedarweb.hao.ucar.edu under
'Community' as 'Calendar of Meetings' and 'CEDAR related opportunities'.
CEDAR email messages are under 'Community' as 'CEDAR email Newsletters'.
All are in 'Quick Links' on the main page.
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(1) PhD Positions Available in Upper Atmosphere/Ionosphere Physics at 
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida.
 From Michael Hickey at hicke0b5 at erau.edu.
See also http://www.erau.edu and 
http://daytonabeach.erau.edu/coas/physical-sciences/index.html.

(2) Postdoctoral and Research Associate Positions for Research on the Global 
Atmospheric/Ionospheric Electrical System at NCAR and U of CO - due 5 January.
 From Art Richmond (richmond at ucar.edu).
See also http://www.asp.ucar.edu/pdfp/pd_announcement.php

(3) Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) 
Postdoctoral Scientist at HAO/NCAR - due 5 January.
 From Gang Lu (ganglu at ucar.edu).
See also http://www.asp.ucar.edu/pdfp/pd_announcement.php

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(1) PhD Positions Available in Upper Atmosphere/Ionosphere Physics at 
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida.
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 From Michael Hickey at hicke0b5 at erau.edu.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, FL) announces the 
availability of several Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) and some 
Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs) to begin each year for incoming PhD 
students in the Department of Physical Sciences.  We are seeking students 
interested in research related to processes in the mesosphere/thermosphere 
system, via numerical modeling and observational data analysis.   Students with 
interest in engineering work related to ground based remote sensing are also 
welcome.  Faculty whose specialize in this area include

*Dr. Michael Hickey (Atmospheric Acoustic-Gravity Wave Modeling, mesosphere and 
thermosphere)

*Dr. John Hughes (upper atmosphere and ionosphere physics, ionospheric heating, 
optical remote sensing)

*Dr. Alan Liu (Mesospheric dynamics and composition with lidar, radar & passive 
optics observation)

*Dr. Jonathan Snively (CFD & Atmospheric Acoustic-Gravity Waves, mesosphere and 
thermosphere)

*Dr. Matthew Zettergren (magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling at high latitudes, 
optical and radar remote sensing)

The assistantships cover full tuition and fees plus an annual stipend of at 
least $20,000 per year.  Applicants must have completed an M.S. in physics or 
engineering in order to prepare for this program.  To submit your application or 
for any questions, please contact Dr. Michael Hickey at 
hicke0b5 at erau.edu<mailto:hicke0b5 at erau.edu>.

See also http://www.erau.edu and 
http://daytonabeach.erau.edu/coas/physical-sciences/index.html.

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2) Postdoctoral and Research Associate Positions for Research on the Global 
Atmospheric/Ionospheric Electrical System at NCAR and U of CO - due 5 January.
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 From Art Richmond (richmond at ucar.edu).

As part of the project “Electrical Connections and Consequences Within the Earth 
System”, a collaboration among researchers at the University of Colorado (CU), 
the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and Pennsylvania State 
University, two positions are available.

At NCAR a postdoctoral scientist will carry out research in one or more of the 
following areas: processes controlling the charge and discharge of electrified 
clouds, the electrical coupling between the atmosphere and ionosphere, and the 
flow of current throughout the atmosphere-ionosphere system.  This work will 
contribute to the development of a model of the global electrical circuit (GEC). 
  The one-year position, with possibility of one-year renewal, will be 
coordinated with the annual postdoctoral selection process of the Advanced Study 
Program (ASP; http://www.asp.ucar.edu/pdfp/pd_announcement.php), with an 
application deadline of 2012 January 5.  ASP applicants prepare a research 
proposal of their own choice, in consultation with one or more NCAR scientists; 
the scientists involved with this project are Art Richmond (richmond at 
ucar.edu), Wiebke Deierling (deierlin at ucar.edu), and Wenbin Wang (wbwang at 
ucar.edu).  A Ph.D. or Sc.D. or equivalent experience is required. Numerical 
modeling experience with weather prediction models or atmosphere/ionosphere 
electrodynamics is desirable.

At CU a research associate will assist, or possibly lead, a focused study 
concerned with the pathways through which solar processes physically and 
electrically connect and influence the global electrical circuit, and will 
develop a global atmospheric conductivity model from the surface to the 
ionosphere, to be incorporated into the GEC model.  Polar processes will be a 
concentrated focus of the research, exploring relationships between solar wind 
properties and the GEC potential and current distributions. Statistical signal 
analysis will be needed to analyze and correlate time series of data sets of 
solar wind properties, ionosphere currents, lower atmosphere vertical electrical 
field observations, surface pressure observations, and other related data. The 
research associate will assist and train graduate students in atmospheric 
physics, numerical modeling schemes, and analysis techniques. A PhD in physics, 
atmospheric science, electrical engineering or a related field is desired. 
Experience is required with numerical modeling (atmospheric modeling a plus), 
statistical data analysis and signal processing skills, General areas of 
expertise should include some of the following topics: electrical systems, 
atmospheric dynamics/aerosols/chemistry, gas kinetics, electrodynamics, and 
plasma physics.  The position is for two years, beginning 2012 October 1, with a 
possibility of extension. Contact Sarah Melssen (Sarah.Melssen at colorado.edu) 
for further information.

Both scientists will collaborate with other members of the entire team, at all 
three institutions.  These positions also involve activities that advance 
professional growth, which include mentoring activities, group meetings and 
presentations, scientific workshops and conferences, and may include 
contributing to educational programs and serving on committees.  Computer 
programming skills with experience in one or more programming language (e.g., C, 
C++, Fortran-77/90, IDL, MatLab) and operating system (e.g., Unix/Linux and 
Windows XP) is necessary.  Applicants must have good oral and written skills in 
English.

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(3) Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) 
Postdoctoral Scientist at HAO/NCAR - due 5 January.
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 From Gang Lu (ganglu at ucar.edu).

The High Altitude Observatory (HAO) at the National Center for
Atmospheric Research (NCAR) invites applications for a Postdoctoral
Scientist position to conduct research on
ionospheric/thermospheric/atmospheric physics, with a particular
emphasis on thermospheric response to forcing both from the
magnetosphere above and the lower atmosphere below.  Research efforts
will involve analysis and interpretation of neutral mass densities and
winds obtained from the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation
Explorer (GOCE) and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)
satellites, numerical modeling of atmospheric, ionospheric, and
thermospheric dynamics, and comprehensive data-model inter-comparisons.
The selected scientist will interact with researchers both at HAO  and
at the University of Colorado. Among the facilities available at HAO for
this project are the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics
(AMIE) procedure, the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere-Electrodynamics
General Circulation Model (TIME-GCM), and the Global Scale Wave Model
(GSWM).  The GOCE and GRACE data products are available through
University of Colorado as part of this joint project.

The successful candidate should demonstrate a strong background in one
or more areas  of ionospheric, thermospheric, or atmospheric research,
with particular interest in the coupling between the different regions.
Experience in analyzing, visualizing, and interpreting large
observational data sets and/or the outputs of large global numerical
models of the atmosphere and ionosphere is particularly desirable. The
one-year position, with possibility of one-year renewal, will be
coordinated with the annual postdoctoral selection process of the
Advanced Study Program (ASP) at NCAR (please see
http://www.asp.ucar.edu/pdfp/pd_announcement.php for more information),
with an application deadline of January 5, 2012.  ASP applicants prepare
a research proposal of their own choice, and are encouraged to consult
with one or more NCAR scientists involved in the project, Maura Hagan
(hagan at ucar.edu) and Gang Lu (ganglu at ucar.edu)

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