Applied Physicist (Experienced) - SEAL - Open Rank (Onsite)

Overview:

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.   

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do: 

1. Students are our top priority.
2. We strive for excellence.
3. We thrive on diversity.
4. We celebrate collaboration.
5. We champion innovation.
6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community.
8. We act ethically.
9. We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

Location

Smyrna, GA (Metro Atlanta)

Project/Unit Description

Support the operations of the Severe Storms Research Center at GTRI through meteorological research into the early prediction, detection and tracking of severe local storms; develop new and innovative business leads in the fields of atmospheric physics and meteorology. Outreach to Georgia residents and stakeholders.

Job Purpose

An applied physicist leverages knowledge and skills from the fields of physics, chemistry, material science, and mathematics to contribute to the research, analysis, design, and development of innovative systems, sensors, materials, and devices. They design and conduct experiments and/or simulations to ascertain physical properties and behaviors. Experiments conducted may involve the measurement, characterization, and testing of equipment and environmental phenomenology using specialized tools. Fundamental physical principles are used to inform the design of systems and sensors, to evaluate their theoretical performance, and to develop algorithms. Areas of application may include: optical systems, energy systems and storage, quantum systems, EO/IR & RF M&S and analysis, and photonics, and new materials. An applied physicist might also contribute to the development and application of new materials related to energy production, harvesting, and storage or to areas as diverse as healthcare, entertainment, or national security.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop novel applications utilizing cutting edge research in physics 
• Take ownership of a small to moderately sized teams that may feature members with varying areas of expertise in executing tasks and projects, mentor junior scientists and manage schedule and budget for project
• Responsible for contributing essential content/material for project deliverables and/or leading the development of specific deliverables
• Generate documentation of experiments and results
• Lead development of white papers and proposals.
• Contribute to technical reports/presentations of project results

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of meteorology, specifically some experience in severe storms and atmospheric electricity.
• Experience leading and developing research on meteorological topics.
• Experience interfacing with other stakeholders in the meteorological community including governmental agencies, such as the National Weather Service, NOAA and the NSF.
• Experience configuring and running meteorological models such as WRF.
• Experience using data from and maintaining lightning instrumentation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Secret Clearance
• Ph.D. in Meteorology or Physics
• 5+ years in Meteorological environment
• Experience developing proposals for external agencies such as NSF, NOAA, etc.
• Experience in collaborative programs with multiple agencies
• Atmospheric Modeling
• Python Programming
• Linux Operating System
• Data Analysis and Program Development
• Python, MATLAB, EXCEL, WORD and ArcGIS

Travel Requirements

<10% travel