Polar Climate Research Scientist

Position: 12817 - Polar Climate Research Scientist
What We Are Looking For
We are seeking up to two climate scientists passionate about understanding the rapidly changing Arctic system, with emphasis on sea‑ice modeling and polar extreme events.
CMCC Position cod. 12817
Polar Climate Research Scientist

The ideal candidate combines strong analytical and computational skills with curiosity and creativity. They will draw on both physical understanding and data‑driven methods, including AI and machine learning, to uncover new patterns in complex Arctic/Antarctic datasets. The role is inherently cross‑disciplinary, spanning oceanography, sea ice and polar dynamics, climate extremes, and operational research. If you’re eager to apply advanced data analysis and modeling at one of the most critical frontiers in applied climate research, we’d love to hear from you.
About Us
CMCC Foundation is a cross‑cutting scientific research center on climate change and its interactions with the environment, society, the world of business, and policymakers. Our work aims to stimulate sustainable growth, protect the environment, and develop strategies for the adaptation and mitigation of climate change. CMCC's core objective is to conduct cutting‑edge science, to train the next generation of scientists at both national and international levels, and to be a beacon for climate modelling.
CMCC pursues fundamental and applied science with utmost scientific integrity, prioritizing data‑driven science and providing data, information, and research results that can support informed public debate and decision‑making processes. To achieve climate research objectives at the highest international standards, we invest in training all our talents and strive to create a workplace where everyone can excel.
At CMCC you will find a strong, professional environment. Join an inclusive community that values diversity, where every voice is heard and respected. Help foster a culture of innovation and societal change, where individuals from all backgrounds can thrive and succeed.
Over the last decade, CMCC has experienced extraordinary growth. We are now embarking on a new chapter of our journey that will further boost CMCC’s global position in climate change research…Together!
ROLE
At CMCC, we connect cutting‑edge science to actionable climate insights. In this role, you will analyze and synthesize climate and ocean data to advance our understanding of the polar systems: physical processes, emerging extremes, and how these are projected to evolve in the future.
Working within the CMCC Arctic Working Group, you will collaborate with experts in polar climate modelling, climate extremes and prediction, and Earth system dynamics to develop and improve numerical tools for understanding and projecting Arctic change. You will help advance data‑informed modelling approaches—combining process knowledge with AI/ML methods, statistical learning, and AI emulators—to better represent key Arctic processes and their impacts on variability and extremes.

For both positions, you are expected to apply AI‑assisted methods to extract knowledge from large geophysical datasets, integrate model outputs with observations and reanalyses, and contribute to the evaluation and improvement of climate projections and forecasting systems. The roles are highly interdisciplinary and require solid scientific and computational skills, as well as a readiness to work across teams on the broader climate implications of Arctic change.
Responsibilities

Applying data analysis and AI/ML methods to develop an Arctic ship weather routing model, using inputs from observations, dynamic climate models, and extreme events analysis.
Investigating the interplay between sea‑ice loss, ocean circulation, and extreme events, and their implications for climate feedbacks.
Collaborating with modeling teams to design and interpret targeted experiments (e.g., wave–ice–ocean coupling or idealized scenarios under reduced sea‑ice extent).
Synthesizing results into concise scientific products, reports, and working papers supporting future proposals and collaborations.
Contributing to the integration of Arctic process understanding into…