Job Reference
630_25_ES_AQS_R1
Position
PhD in urban air quality services (R1)
Closing Date
Wednesday, 22 October, 2025
Reference: 630_25_ES_AQS_R1
Job title: PhD in urban air quality services (R1)
About BSC
The Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is the leading supercomputing center in Spain. It houses MareNostrum, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, was a founding and hosting member of the former European HPC infrastructure PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and is now hosting entity for EuroHPC JU, the Joint Undertaking that leads large-scale investments and HPC provision in Europe. The mission of BSC is to research, develop and manage information technologies in order to facilitate scientific progress. BSC combines HPC service provision and R\&D into both computer and computational science (life, earth and engineering sciences) under one roof, and currently has over 1000 staff from 60 countries.
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We are particularly interested for this role in the strengths and lived experiences of women and underrepresented groups to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights in science and IT research. In instances of equal merit, the incorporation of the under-represented sex will be favoured.
We promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, fostering an environment where each and every one of us is appreciated for who we are, regardless of our differences.
If you consider that you do not meet all the requirements, we encourage you to continue applying for the job offer. We value diversity of experiences and skills, and you could bring unique perspectives to our team.
Context And Mission
The Department of Earth Sciences of the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre-Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS), BSC-ES henceforth (bsc.es/earth-sciences) is one of the most active groups in air quality and atmospheric composition modeling, climate prediction and climate services in Europe. The Department comprises about 160 people, including scientists and technical staff. It is structured into five distinct but interacting research groups: Atmospheric Composition, Climate Prediction, Earth System Services (ESS), Global Health Resilience, and Computational Earth Sciences.
The candidate will work in the ESS group. The ESS group develops climate and air quality services, facilitating knowledge and technology transfer of state-of-the-art research at local, national, and international levels. The main purpose is to demonstrate the ongoing value of climate prediction services, atmospheric composition, and weather forecasting to society and key sectors of the economy, such as renewable energy, urban development, infrastructure, transport, insurance, health, and agriculture.
The group hosts air quality and climate researchers, research engineers, physicists, social scientists, economists, epidemiologists, and communication experts who work to bring the latest developments in earth sciences to society. ESS has an interdisciplinary approach with several lines of expertise working together and collaborating with the other research groups within the Earth Sciences Department.
Cutting-edge operational forecast services on climate, air quality, and airborne dust are created by ESS via collaboration with public administration, from our involvement as leaders in multinational partnerships, as well as through private contracts with companies willing to exploit the opportunities that arise from disposing of information on future climate and air quality. Close collaboration with stakeholders pioneering the application of this knowledge in their operative decisions is essential to foster adaptation to climate change and move towards a more resilient and sustainable society.
The ESS seeks a PhD candidate to implement cutting-edge operational models to run massive simulations of urban air quality. The candidate will work on a new generation of microscale urban air quality systems coupled to mesoscale models and incorporate new pollutants into the system. BSC-CNS will provide all necessary tools for developing the candidate’s potential, deepening their skills and knowledge in a stimulating, international and interdisciplinary environment to boost their career perspectives as successful independent researchers. We encourage applications from highly motivated physicists, engineers, and mathematicians (and related disciplines) with outstanding qualifications.
Key Duties
Execution of high-resolution urban air quality models for the domain of Catalonia
Implement dispersion of new pollutants and methodologies to link with mesoscale data
Work together with atmospheric composition scientist and IT developers.
Communicate scientific results within the Department, at international conferences, and write quality papers in scientific publications.
Requirements
Education
- Physics degree and related disciplines.
Essential Knowledge and Professional Experience
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Experience with air quality data. 1-3 year
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Ability to work in a professional environment and within a multidisciplinary research team.
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Demonstrated verbal communication and technical presentation skills (English is a must).
Additional Knowledge and Professional Experience
- Previous experience in model development and application in parallel computing environments will be valued. 0-2 years
Competences
- Fluency in English.
Fortran and Python/R Programming skills
+
Conditions
The position will be located at BSC within the Earth Sciences Department
We offer a full-time contract (37.5h/week), a good working environment, a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, flexible working hours, extensive training plan, restaurant tickets, private health insurance, support to the relocation procedures
Duration: Open-ended contract due to technical and scientific activities linked to the project and budget duration
Holidays: 23 paid vacation days plus 24th and 31st of December per our collective agreement
Salary: we offer a competitive salary commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate and according to the cost of living in Barcelona
Starting date: 1/11/2025
Applications procedure and process
All applications must be submitted via the BSC website and contain:
A full CV in English including contact details
A cover/motivation letter with a statement of interest in English, clearly specifying for which specific area and topics the applicant wishes to be considered. Additionally, two references for further contacts must be included. Applications without this document will not be considered.
Development of the recruitment process
The selection will be carried out through a competitive examination system ("Concurso-Oposición"). The recruitment process consists of two phases:
Curriculum Analysis: Evaluation of previous experience and/or scientific history, degree, training, and other professional information relevant to the position. - 40 points
Interview phase: The highest-rated candidates at the curriculum level will be invited to the interview phase, conducted by the corresponding department and Human Resources. In this phase, technical competencies, knowledge, skills, and professional experience related to the position, as well as the required personal competencies, will be evaluated. - 60 points. A minimum of 30 points out of 60 must be obtained to be eligible for the position.
The recruitment panel will be composed of at least three people, ensuring at least 25% representation of women.
In accordance with OTM-R principles, a gender-balanced recruitment panel is formed for each vacancy at the beginning of the process. After reviewing the content of the applications, the panel will begin the interviews, with at least one technical and one administrative interview. At a minimum, a personality questionnaire as well as a technical exercise will be conducted during the process.
The panel will make a final decision, and all individuals who participated in the interview phase will receive feedback with details on the acceptance or rejection of their profile.
At BSC, we seek continuous improvement in our recruitment processes. For any suggestions or comments/complaints about our recruitment processes, please contact recruitment [at] bsc [dot] es.
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Deadline
The vacancy will remain open until a suitable candidate has been hired. Applications will be regularly reviewed and potential candidates will be contacted.
OTM-R principles for selection processes
BSC-CNS is committed to the principles of the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers of the European Commission and the Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment principles (OTM-R). This is applied for any potential candidate in all our processes, for example by creating gender-balanced recruitment panels and recognizing career breaks etc.
BSC-CNS is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by applicable state or local law.
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