https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/195246
A postdoctoral research project training opportunity is currently available at the Institute for the Environment with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This appointment will be in the Institute’s Center for Environmental Modeling and Policy Development (IE-CEMPD). The selected candidate will work with Dr. Sarav Arunachalam in IE-CEMPD, developing and applying multi-scale modeling techniques for assessing air quality and health impacts of aircraft emissions. Sponsored by FAA and other Federal Agencies, the candidate will work on a subset of the following tasks: a) Review, apply and evaluate multiple dispersion modeling approaches for assessing airport air quality at local scales, b) Perform an integrated measurement-modeling study at a large U.S. airport focused on understanding aircraft contributions to ultrafine particles, c) Critically review air pollution formed from aircraft emissions at multiple spatio-temporal scales, and enhance/refine models as necessary, d) Explore use of instrumented techniques such as the Decoupled Direct Method (DDM) and Adjoint for aviation impacts on air quality and health, e) Explore use of remote sensing products for model evaluation and source attribution, f) Study the effects of direct and indirect effects in coupled meteorology-chemistry models on ambient air quality, and e) collaborate with other institutions working on similar problems related to aviation’s environmental impacts under a DOT-sponsored Center of Excellence.
Beyond these tasks, the chosen candidate will also have an opportunity to work with other ongoing projects within IE-CEMPD in the field of emissions, air quality and climate modeling, and likely lead the development of new project ideas.
Educational Requirements
Ph.D. in Atmospheric or Environmental Sciences and Engineering or Equivalent
Qualifications and Experience
The ideal candidate should have a strong background in numerical modeling specifically with models such as CMAQ, SCIPUFF and AERMOD or other for modeling aircraft sources, and quantitative analysis of models and observational data using Python, Matlab, R, etc. Additional desired qualifications are a) strong communication skills – written and oral, b) computer skills related to working with complex models and large datasets, c) software skills needed to work with multiple observation datasets – in situ and remotely sensed (such as NASA’s satellite data products) for model evaluation and source attribution, d) a strong desire/motivation to develop scientific analyses of environmental problems for decision-making in support of national and international policies, and e) ability to work in a team environment.