What are the responsibilities and job description for the Postdoctoral Fellow - Kreidenweis/Perkins/Creamean position at Colorado State University?
Position Location
Fort Collins, CO
Work Location
Position qualifies for hybrid/in-office work
Research Professional Position
Yes
Posting Number
202500399AP
Position Type
Admin Professional/ Research Professional
Classification Title
Postdoctoral Fellows
Number of Vacancies
1
Work Hours/Week
40
Proposed Annual Salary Range
$63,000-70,000
Employee Benefits
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Desired Start Date
05/19/2025
Position End Date (if temporary)
To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on
04/30/2025
Description of Work Unit
The Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University is a large academic and research department in the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering. We currently have nineteen faculty members, eighty graduate students, over seventy full-time researchers and postdoctoral fellows, and an outstanding and dedicated support staff, that comprise one of the most research-active units at the university. The department conducts more than $14M in externally sponsored research each year and is nationally ranked near the top of its field.
Within the Kreidenweis/Perkins/Creamean research team, research activities focus on the nature and behavior of particulate matter in the atmosphere and its effects on atmospheric chemistry, clouds and climate. Our group conducts laboratory and atmospheric (ground-based and aircraft) measurements to characterize the physical and chemical properties of aerosols as regards to their interactions with warm and cold clouds. We are also involved in modeling of processes to gain insights into long range transport and aerosol-cloud interactions. One area of focus is on understanding the sources of cloud-active particles, particularly those of biological nature and those intentionally released during cloud-seeding operations.
Within the Kreidenweis/Perkins/Creamean research team, research activities focus on the nature and behavior of particulate matter in the atmosphere and its effects on atmospheric chemistry, clouds and climate. Our group conducts laboratory and atmospheric (ground-based and aircraft) measurements to characterize the physical and chemical properties of aerosols as regards to their interactions with warm and cold clouds. We are also involved in modeling of processes to gain insights into long range transport and aerosol-cloud interactions. One area of focus is on understanding the sources of cloud-active particles, particularly those of biological nature and those intentionally released during cloud-seeding operations.
Position Summary
We seek to recruit a highly motivated research scientist to work on processing samples and data from two recently concluded airborne field campaigns in the Arctic and sub-Arctic region. These multi-institution field campaigns had many aims, but our work focuses on understanding the populations of ice nucleating particles in the arctic, their sources, and their dynamics surrounding different weather systems.
As a part of this project, we seek to quantify seasonal changes, horizontal and vertical distributions, and source types of cloud-relevant aerosol populations. These will subsequently be used to analyze spatial variability of cloud-relevant aerosols and build parameterizations to be ingested into modelling experiments.
This position will also include effort devoted to maintenance and development of aerosol research instrumentation. These are expected to include travel for scientific meetings and field work deployments, including on research aircraft. This position will reside in the Department of Atmospheric Science. The successful candidate will conduct offline characterization of ice nucleating particles and will integrate aerosol, ice nuclei, cloud condensation nuclei, and meteorological data in the broader context of the objectives of this study and in coordination with the project teams and CSU PI. The research scientist will report to Dr. Russell Perkins, lead project PI, and Professor Sonia Kreidenweis.
As a part of this project, we seek to quantify seasonal changes, horizontal and vertical distributions, and source types of cloud-relevant aerosol populations. These will subsequently be used to analyze spatial variability of cloud-relevant aerosols and build parameterizations to be ingested into modelling experiments.
This position will also include effort devoted to maintenance and development of aerosol research instrumentation. These are expected to include travel for scientific meetings and field work deployments, including on research aircraft. This position will reside in the Department of Atmospheric Science. The successful candidate will conduct offline characterization of ice nucleating particles and will integrate aerosol, ice nuclei, cloud condensation nuclei, and meteorological data in the broader context of the objectives of this study and in coordination with the project teams and CSU PI. The research scientist will report to Dr. Russell Perkins, lead project PI, and Professor Sonia Kreidenweis.
Required Job Qualifications
- A PhD, or equivalent doctoral degree, in a discipline relevant to the research theme, such as atmospheric science, chemical, physical and engineering science emphasis, aerosol science, technology, physics, and/or engineering.
- Experience related to sampling of ice nucleating particles, aerosols, and clouds.
- Experience with physical and chemical characterization of aerosols.
- Evidence of coding skills in MATLAB, Python, or a similar environment.
- Demonstrated experience writing code for analyses of large multivariate data sets.
- Scholarly excellence and accomplishments in at least one of the fields relevant to this position, demonstrated by a sufficient record of publications, presentations, scientific reports, and/or published manuscripts relative to the applicant’s current level of education and years of experience.
- Excellent written communication skills.
- Excellent oral communication and presentations skills conducive to operating within a multi-institutional project.
- Demonstrated ability to interact productively with a diverse group of collaborators.
- Demonstrated organizational and time-management skills, in facilitating field or lab work and sample handling and database construction
- Must be able and willing to travel approximately 10% of the time. Travel could be a mix of driving and air travel, and could be both local and international for the purposes of conferences/meetings as well as potential field work involving ground sampling and/or work aboard research aircraft.
Preferred Job Qualifications
- Extensive experience with aerosol instrument maintenance, development, and instrument-oriented coding.
- Experience participating in large airborne field campaigns studying aerosol science or other atmospheric science questions
Essential Duties
Job Duty Category
Research and Analysis
Duty/Responsibility
This position will work to process and synthesize data from two distinct airborne field campaigns in the Arctic, with CSU’s contribution in both aimed at measuring atmospheric concentrations and characteristics of ice nucleating particles (INPs). This position will analyze results from CSU deployed instrumentation along with other aerosol, cloud probe, and meteorological data. Duties will include:
- Processing of Continuous-Flow Diffusion Chamber data streams using custom CSU software, and preparation of data files for mission archives;
- Processing filter particle suspensions for immersion freezing measurements using the CSU Ice Spectrometer;
- Processing and interpretation of auxiliary airborne observations, including cloud probe data;
- Construction of merged aerosol size distributions utilizing airborne observations;
- Analysis of in-situ observations in the context of other airborne measurements and location information.
- Collaborative efforts to integrate airborne observations from multiple instrument teams within the broader projects.
- Participation in science team meetings to develop and document mission results and case studies.
- Other projects may be funded during this position’s tenure, which would require travel to participate in field deployment activities.
Percentage Of Time
65
Job Duty Category
Publication and Presentation of Research Results
Duty/Responsibility
This position will be expected to publish research findings in peer-reviewed journal articles and project reports; additionally, this position will present research findings at group science team annual meetings and scientific conferences. Because a significant amount of sample and data analysis has already occurred on this project, a large portion of initial duties will fall into this category.
Percentage Of Time
30
Job Duty Category
Instrument Maintenance and Development
Duty/Responsibility
This position will assist in maintenance and development of a suite of cutting-edge aerosol research instrumentation. Specific tasks will include:
- Calibration and validation of instrument measurements
- Routine maintenance
- Evaluation of instrument shortfalls, and work to develop improvements for existing instrumentation
Percentage Of Time
5
Application Details
Special Instructions to Applicants
CSU is committed to full inclusion of qualified individuals. If you are needing assistance or accommodations with the search process, please reach out to the listed search contact.Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
Interested applicants must submit a cover letter which addresses how professional experiences align with identified required and preferred qualifications of the position, a current resume, and the names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of three (3) professional references. References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates. If you have questions, please contact Russell Perkins. rperkins@colostate.edu
Interested applicants must submit a cover letter which addresses how professional experiences align with identified required and preferred qualifications of the position, a current resume, and the names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of three (3) professional references. References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates. If you have questions, please contact Russell Perkins. rperkins@colostate.edu
Conditions of Employment
Pre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires), Travel - Appoximately 10%
Search Contact
rperkins@colostate.edu
EEO
Colorado State University (CSU) provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
Background Check Policy Statement
Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.
Salary : $63,000 - $70,000
