ETH Zurich is one of the leading universities in the world with a strong focus on science and engineering. In 2010 it established the Singapore-ETH Centre (SEC) in collaboration with the National Research Foundation (NRF) to do interdisciplinary research on pressing problems.

The Singapore-ETH Centre is home to a community of doctoral, postdoctoral and professorial researchers working in three main programmes: Future Cities Laboratory, Future Resilient Systems, and Future Health Technologies. The centre provides a multicultural and interdisciplinary environment to researchers working on diverse themes, with the shared vision of translating research to practical solutions for more sustainable and liveable cities, resilient physical and social urban systems, and patient-centric healthcare systems.

Project background

SEC is leading the interdisciplinary Cooling Singapore 2.0 project – a collaboration between ETH Zurich, SMU, TUM, MIT, Cambridge and NUS. The project is dedicated to reducing the urban heat island and improving the outdoor thermal comfort in Singapore. The project aims to develop a Digital Urban Climate Twin (DUCT) for Singapore. This includes development, deployment and operations of the necessary technical infrastructure and integration of a variety of computational models for anthropogenic heat emissions and urban climate simulations. The DUCT will feature a sophisticated user interface and multiple applications to support government agencies and planning authorities in assessing strategies for reducing urban heat in a holistic, systematic and interactive manner.

Job description

We are looking for a talented individual to join our interdisciplinary team based at the Singapore ETH-Centre. The candidate will be a climate Modeler & Developer to carry out – with the support of supervisors- numerical simulations of meso-climatic conditions at the city level in Singapore to study the urban heat island problem. The ideal candidate will be able to disseminate the work utilizing presentations and journal articles, constructively interact with other project members, and further develop the scientific network with scholars, researchers, and peers. We are looking for candidates who are confident in working in flat hierarchies and enjoy the start-up vibe, who are driven by curiosity and not afraid of learning new things.

Specific tasks:

Participate in ongoing studies targeting Urban Heat Island (UHI) and urban environment modelling.
Conduct and assess simulations of various UHI mitigation strategies in the mesoscale.
Help integrate mesoscale models in Digital Twins.
Work closely with all project team members to develop and assess what-if scenarios to mitigate the UHI.
Run mesoscale simulations closely with the Energy & Transportation Pillar and Data Analysis Pillar.
Conduct post-processing, analysis and validation of the data resulting from the simulations and measurements.
Write technical reports and other publications.
Participate in and support the preparation of technical meetings and workshops to provide a forum for regular review of the work progress, both internally and externally.

Your profile

The Modeler & Developer will be working exclusively for the Cooling Singapore project and will be responsible for providing expertise and creating knowledge, close collaboration with the various domain expert in the Cooling Singapore team.

You are required to have:

MSc/PhD in a relevant Environmental Sciences, Environmental Engineering, meteorology, physical geography or computer/data science.
Mesoscale modelling (e.g., Weather Research Forecasting WRF, SINGV…) experience and knowledge is a plus.
Solid general data analysis and result validation skills.
Experience in various scripting/shell languages and common programming languages (e.g., Matlab, Fortran, Python)
Excellent presentation and communication skills (must be able to clearly articulate ideas and concepts to domain experts).
Ability to take ownership and work independently with a minimum of supervision.
Fluency in English, both spoken and written.

We value diversity

In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish.

Curious? So are we.

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents:

Cover Letter
CV/Resume

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

Further information about Cooling Singapore can be found on our website. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Mr. Ander Zozaya email: ander.zozaya@sec.ethz.ch