PhD Position in Software Engineering
ETH Zurich
Switzerland

The Center for Climate Systems Modeling (C2SM) at ETH Zurich, in collaboration with the Federal Office of Meteorology (MeteoSwiss), is leading an initiative to enhance climate projections and weather forecasting, by adapting numerical models to leverage new and emerging computing architectures. MeteoSwiss plays a crucial role in delivering climate information and weather forecasts, thereby contributing sustainably to the well-being of the population and providing benefits to the economy, science, and the environment.

In view of improving the way the general public, scientist and third party applications access the meteorological data, and in view of Open Government Data, new APIs, workflows and data processing framework are being developed.

We are seeking a motivated Software Engineer to join the high performance and cloud computing  team at MeteoSwiss. In this position, you will contribute to the development of a high performance and scalable framework for data services and processing of the production workflow for high resolution weather prediction, delivering forecast products to millions of users every day. Our applications run on distributed systems and some of the main programming languages and technologies are Python, Numpy, Xarray and C++. Our data processing framework must be highly performant, scalable and cloud-native. Therefore, other relevant technologies are containers, object stores, or Kubernetes. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on problems and contribute towards the maintenance across the full workflow as we continue to push technology forward.

• You have an MSc or PhD in Computational Science, Computer Science, or a related field.
• You have experience in software development, have previously worked in high-performance computing or cloud environments, and are used to work in a Linux/Unix environment.
• Experience in development of parallel applications, good Python knowledge and large software designs is considered an advantage.
• You bring along an interest in numerical weather prediction and are ready to work in a large, production-level software infrastructure.
• Solid software engineering skills and interest in DevOps are expected.
• To round off your profile, you are an open-minded, team-oriented, and goal-driven individual and enjoy working in a diverse working environment.

We offer an engaging position which provides the opportunity to impact weather forecasting products disseminated to millions of users, work on leading edge software and hardware technologies, to collaborate with internationally renowned research groups and supercomputing centers, and to develop production quality software products, within a motivated team.

The position is available as of October 2024. The working place will be at MeteoSwiss (Zurich airport, easily accessible by public transport).

In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish.

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents:

• letter of interest,
• a CV,
• the names and contact information of 2-3 references.

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered. The position will remain open until filled.

Further information on this position can be obtained from Carlos Osuna (he/him, carlos.osuna@meteoswiss.ch; no applications). For further information on C2SM and the collaboration between ETH and MeteoSwiss, please contact the executive director of C2SM, Christina Schnadt Poberaj (she/her, christina.schnadt@c2sm.ethz.ch; no applications).

For recruitment services the GTC of ETH Zurich apply.

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education, cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe, yet forging connections all over the world, we work together to develop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.