University of Chicago - Chicago, IL

posted 6 months ago

Full-time
Chicago, IL
Educational Services

About the position

The Climate Impact Lab (CIL) at the University of Chicago is seeking a dedicated individual to participate in scientific research projects focused on climate change. This role is integral to ensuring that research activities comply with institutional, state, and federal regulatory policies, procedures, directives, and mandates. The successful candidate will engage in analyzing potential solutions using standard procedures and will be responsible for writing articles, reports, and manuscripts. Additionally, the role involves assisting in the preparation of presentations that communicate research findings effectively. The Climate Impact Lab is a unique collaboration of experts, including economists, climate scientists, and computational scientists, working together to build data-driven estimates of the local and global costs of climate change. The research conducted by the lab employs econometric methods and utilizes globally comprehensive data to quantify the impacts of climate change on various sectors and communities worldwide. This research is crucial for informing decision-makers in both the public and private sectors about the risks posed by climate change and how to mitigate these risks through informed investments and public policy. Notably, the lab has produced the world’s first empirically-derived estimate of the social cost of carbon, which quantifies the societal cost of each ton of carbon dioxide emitted. This estimate will be continuously updated as research progresses, serving as a foundational element for energy and climate policies. In this role, the candidate will develop and enhance climate and impact research tools, manage and optimize petabyte-scale data storage systems, and collaborate with researchers to conduct new analyses using large datasets. Training research assistants in tool usage and providing support will also be a key responsibility. The candidate will oversee code management and organization within the lab, ensuring efficient data storage accessibility and integrity. Furthermore, the role involves contributing insights to research, producing outputs for policymakers, and supporting the data collection and analytical needs of various research projects. The candidate will also conduct literature reviews and assist in writing reports and manuscripts, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures. Other duties may include transcribing and coding data, developing data collection instruments, presenting research findings, and recruiting and scheduling research subjects.

Responsibilities

  • Develops and enhances climate and impact research tools.
  • Manages and optimizes petabyte-scale data storage systems.
  • Collaborates with researchers for new analyses with large datasets.
  • Trains research assistants in tool usage and provides support.
  • Oversees code management and organization within the lab.
  • Ensures efficient data storage accessibility and integrity.
  • Contributes insights to research and produces output for policymakers.
  • Develops, maintains, and extends computational tools and data storage systems for climate and impact research.
  • Supports researchers in conducting new analyses by working with petabyte-scale in multiple computing environments.
  • Acts as a point of contact for code management and data storage at the Lab.
  • Produces output for policymakers and publication in media outlets.
  • Supports data collection and analytical needs of research projects.
  • Conducts literature reviews and helps write reports and manuscripts.
  • Ensures project compliance with different policies, procedures, directives, and mandates.
  • Takes responsibility for non-laboratory duties such as transcribing and coding data, developing data collection instruments, presenting research, and recruiting and scheduling research subjects.
  • Acquires higher-level skills and knowledge in the process.
  • Performs other related work as needed.

Requirements

  • Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in a related field.
  • Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Nice-to-haves

  • Research-related work in economics, climate science, data science, computer science, or a similar quantitative field is highly desirable.
  • Statistics or econometrics training.
  • Bachelor's degree in a related field.
  • Strong background in Python; data analysis tools (pandas, xarray), climate data storage formats (e.g. NetCDF, Zarr).
  • Familiarity with version control (git).
  • Experience with geospatial and temporal data visualization.
  • Strong background in distributed computing tools (dask).
  • Experience with high-performance computing clusters.
  • Linux command line/bash scripting.
  • Familiarity with R and/or STATA.
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