Research Scientist - AI-based Weather Prediction

Research Scientist – AI-based Weather Prediction

About us

The Development Centre for Weather Forecasting comprises around 50 research scientists from the natural and social sciences and 10 research meteorologists, based in Oslo, Tromsø and Bergen. The Centre has scientific responsibility for the research, development, implementation and operation of MET Norway's weather forecasting models and systems. It works closely with the Ocean Division and the Climate and Environment Division and coordinates research activities across the institute.

 

The Centre has a strong user-informed and research-driven approach, extensive national and international collaboration, and substantial external research funding. Its flexible organisation supports close interaction with users and stakeholders and the continuous development of MET Norway's services. The Centre plays a key role in the development of Yr, MET Norway's digital weather forecasting service, and in providing weather data through api.met.no.

About the position

The successful candidate will contribute to the development of data-driven weather prediction models, with a particular focus on machine learning methods for high-resolution forecasting and the evaluation and refinement of AI weather models.

MET Norway has developed Bris, a data-driven weather prediction model based on graph neural networks. Bris is a global model with a flexible stretched grid, allowing high resolution to be concentrated over areas of particular interest while retaining lower resolution elsewhere. At MET Norway, Bris is currently configured with 2.5 km resolution over the Nordic and Arctic regions and 31 km resolution globally. The Anemoi framework provides a common technical platform for model training, evaluation and deployment, enabling collaboration and reuse across European meteorological services.

The position is closely linked to two major European research initiatives. Within the Destination Earth Initiative, MET Norway leads the project Configurable Regional AI Modelling Capability (DE_376). The project aims to develop a production-ready, data-driven weather forecasting model capable of generating state-of-the-art, high-resolution probabilistic forecasts for configurable domains across Europe. The successful candidate will contribute to the core development of this domain-agnostic model. Activities will include investigating and evaluating model architectures, loss functions and training strategies across datasets and spatial resolutions; exploring approaches for hourly temporal resolution; and fine-tuning models towards production-ready forecasting using data available for model initialisation. The position may also contribute to the preparation and processing of training datasets.

Through the EU Horizon project African forecasting based on AI and regional knowledge (AF-FAIR), MET Norway is contributing to the development and evaluation of AI-based weather prediction for Africa. The successful candidate will contribute to refining Bris for African applications using high-resolution gridded analyses, satellite observations and in-situ observations. The work will focus on medium-range and sub-seasonal prediction, with particular emphasis on impacts and extreme events. The candidate will contribute to evaluation and refinement of the model, and may also participate in broader evaluation activities, including statistical, physics-based and user- and forecaster-based evaluation.

The position offers an opportunity to work at the forefront of rapidly developing AI methods for weather prediction, combining machine learning, atmospheric science, observations and high-performance computing. The results will contribute to the integration of data-driven prediction models into the weather forecasting value chain and support improved weather services, including Yr.

The position is based in Oslo. The working language at MET Norway is Norwegian. Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Applicants who do not speak Norwegian are expected to be willing to learn Norwegian; language training will be provided.

The position's responsibilities and work areas 

• Develop a probabilistic high-resolution data-driven weather forecasting model for configurable European domains.
• Refine Bris for regions in Africa, focusing on medium-range and sub-seasonal prediction, with particular emphasis on impacts and extreme events. 
• Evaluate and validate forecast performance of ML models and compare with NWP models.
• Participate in broader evaluation activities, including statistical, physics-based  and user/forecaster evaluation. 
• Create and maintain ML-ready datasets and data pipelines..
• Contribute to open-source software development and support the transition from research to operations, including engagement with stakeholders and users.
• Participate in national and international research projects, including scientific publications.

Required skills and qualifications

• PhD in meteorology, geophysics, statistics, computer science, physics, applied mathematics, or equivalent.
• Strong machine learning skills, with expertise in areas such as generative modelling, graph neural networks, transformers or large-scale modelling, and proficiency in at least one major framework (PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX).
• Expertise in handling and preprocessing large  datasets for use in ML-based weather prediction.
• Experience in software development and collaborative coding (Python or similar).
• Experience with Linux and preferably high-performance computing environments.
• Knowledge of forecast verification and model evaluation methods.
• Excellent analytical, collaborative, and communication skills, with the ability to work independently in interdisciplinary teams.

Conditions 

• Good working environment and professional challenges in a modern, technological environment
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse (SPK) with good schemes for pensions, insurances and mortgages (read more here:
• Flexible working hours with summer time
• Salary on the governmental salary scales dependent on qualifications and experience, NOK 580,000 - 800,000 pr. year. A 2% statutory contribution to the Statens Pensjonskasse is deducted from the salary.
• The first 6 months is a mutual trial period.

Diversity and positive discrimination

We believe that diversity is a strength, and want employees with different skills, subject combinations, work experience, gender, life experience and perspectives.We encourage all qualified candidates to apply for a job with us regardless of ethnic background, age or ability.

We practice positive discrimination, and will call at least one qualified applicant in each of these groups for an interview: applicants with a disability, immigrant background or gaps in the CV.To be considered in one or more of these categories, you must mark the appropriate category in your application.

Functional impairment: applicants who need accommodation in the workplace or in the working relationship.

Immigrant background: applicants who have themselves immigrated to Norway. Or who was born in Norway with two parents who both immigrated to Norway.

Gaps in CV: applicants who have had a break from work, education or training for a total of at least two years in the last five years due to e.g. physical or mental illness or injury, intoxication or punishment.

The ticks can be used for anonymised statistics or reporting purposes.

Publication of applicant lists for public sector positions is an important principle to ensure transparency. If you want your name to be excluded from the applicant list, you must ask for it yourself, and give us a reason. In order to be exempted from the public applicant list, your justification for exemption must outweigh the consideration of transparency in the applicant list. If your request is not accepted, you will have the opportunity to withdraw your application.

The application

The application with CV and other attachments is sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. Please attach CV, list of publications and the names of two references.

Attach certificates and all pages of diplomas. The documents must be in Norwegian, a Scandinavian language or English. Translations must be authorized. Before any employment, we will check the documents. In the case of foreign education, we ask that you attach an explanation of the grading system.