Postdoctoral Investigator in Ocean Salinity and the Water Cycle

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently searching for a Postdoctoral Investigator to join the Physical Oceanography Department. This is a full-time, exempt position, and is for benefits. The initial appointment will be for one year with the possibility of a one-year extension.

Postdoctoral position in ocean salinity and the water cycle at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

The institution has a top-rated postdoctoral program (www.whoi.edu/postdoctoral/) that supports a dynamic postdoctoral community with formal mentoring and career guidance programs. While the primary focus of the work will be in research, the Postdoctoral Investigator will have the opportunity to participate in educational and outreach activities associated with the project.

Online application forms should be submitted with a cover letter, complete curriculum vitae, and three letters of recommendation. Applications will be reviewed upon submission.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Objectively Analyzed air-sea Flux (OAFlux) group (http://oaflux.whoi.edu) is seeking applications for a postdoctoral investigator position in the area of ocean salinity and the water cycle. The focus of this role will be to investigate the linkages between ocean sea surface salinity (SSS), freshwater fluxes, and ocean mass changes, with the goal to enhance our quantitative understanding of SSS as a proxy indicator for the changing water cycle.

The OAFlux project has recently developed a new high-resolution climate data record of heat, moisture, and momentum fluxes, covering the period from 1988 to the present and derived from integrating satellite observations from microwave scatterometers, radiometer, and sounders. These flux datasets have shown significant improvements in estimating ocean-surface freshwater and energy budgets, allowing for detailed investigations into the water cycle and energy exchange processes at the air-sea interface, as well as their effects on ocean salinity and their connection to ocean mass changes observed by satellite gravimetry. The primary objectives of the project are to improve the characterization of the surface freshwater signals in ocean salinity, analyze ECCO ocean estimates and/or conduct sensitive experiments to understand the effects of ocean processes in distributing and maintenance of the changes induced by surface freshwater forcing, expand the salinity proxy capability through the integration of satellite gravimetry observations, and provide guidance on improving the estimation of surface freshwater fluxes to further advance our understanding of the water cycle and its connection to SSS and climate change. The position will be on site, based at the Quissett Campus in Woods Hole, MA.

The institution has a top-rated postdoctoral program (www.whoi.edu/postdoctoral/) that supports a dynamic postdoctoral community with formal mentoring and career guidance programs. While the primary focus of the work will be in research, the postdoctoral investigator will have an opportunity to participate in educational and outreach activities associated with the project.

Online application forms should be submitted with a complete curriculum vitae, cover letter, brief statement of research interests and career goals, up to three relevant publications, and names and contact information for at least three references. Interested applicants should contact Dr. Lisan Yu (lyu@whoi.edu). Applications will be reviewed starting from April 24th, 2023, and will be considered until the position is filled.

Non-Essential Functions

As deemed necessary by supervisor

Physical duties for this position include, but are not limited to, ability to distinguish basic colors as well as visual abilities to include near, far, and peripheral vision, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors. Hearing requirements include the ability to hear, talk, travel, work around others as well as alone. This position is continuously sedentary. Physical duties are subject to change.