Research Engineer- Earthquake

Company Description

We help the world see new possibilities and inspire change for better tomorrows. Our analytic solutions bridge content, data, and analytics to help business, people, and society become stronger, more resilient, and sustainable.

Job Description

Extreme Event Solutions at Verisk (previously AIR Worldwide) is the scientific leader and most respected provider of risk modeling software and consulting services.  Extreme Event Solutions at Verisk founded the catastrophe modeling industry in 1987 and today models the risk from natural catastrophes, terrorism, and pandemic outbreaks in 90 countries.  Verisk offers the opportunity to work with advanced technologies, global clients, and hundreds of the most innovative, talented minds in the industry. Become a member of our Atmospheric Perils Vulnerability team and join our growing Research and Modeling department in our Boston office. Use your knowledge of civil engineering and statistics to develop models of extreme catastrophic events (i.e., hurricanes, tornadoes, storm surge, flood etc.) and assess building performance in the context of such events.

This research engineer position is responsible for developing and supporting the engineering components of Verisk’s wind vulnerability models that cover multiple regions and perils, including perils such as straight-line wind, tornadic wind, hail, snow, and freezing temperatures.  General responsibilities include identifying the impact that these perils can have on the built environment, including physical damage which can result in monetary loss to buildings/infrastructure, contents, and loss of use (downtime).  In this role, you will work closely with a team of structural engineers and atmospheric scientists to perform probabilistic risk assessments for the built environment, and present and explain results to internal stakeholders and external clients. 

The evolving nature of research work at Verisk creates unique and challenging problems that spark innovation and growth and creates opportunities for its employees. A successful candidate should have a desire to use problem-solving skills in applying sound engineering principles to solve unique and challenging problems in the fields of civil/structural engineering and risk assessment.  It is expected that candidates will be highly motivated, detail-oriented, well-organized, able to perform high-quality self-directed research, have outstanding written and verbal communication skills, and be team-oriented.

About the Day to Day Responsibilities of the Role

As a member of our Atmospheric Perils Vulnerability Team, your day-to-day responsibilities will include the following:

• Data acquisition and analysis for the purpose of understanding building inventory and its vulnerability subjected to atmospheric-based hazards in multiple regions worldwide
• Analytical analyses and research aimed towards the development of vulnerability functions and monetary loss curves for structural and non-structural building and infrastructure components subjected to hazards such as wind, tornadoes, hail, and snow for several regions of interest worldwide
• Implementation of research into AIR’s portfolio risk analysis models, including programming loss simulation codes and analysis tools, and probabilistic assessment validation
• Use of GIS tools for data visualization and analysis
• Real-time and virtual building damage assessments due to natural catastrophes during and after significant events
• Preparation and presentation of work at staff internal and client external meetings as well as technical writing for internal and external publications and client-facing documentation

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Qualifications

About You and How You Can Excel in This Role

• Ph.D. in Wind Engineering, Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering, and/or other relevant fields
• Experience in performance-based design, probabilistic and stochastic risk assessment and modeling, and reliability theory with applications to the field of structural engineering
• Proficient in C/C++, MATLAB, R, and/or FORTRAN
• Demonstrated data mining skills (SQL and/or statistical analysis)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational and excellent documentation skills
• Knowledge of energy and infrastructure asset design and vulnerability is a plus
• Knowledge of GIS applications (e.g. ArcView) and SQL server is a plus

Additional Information

At the heart of what we do is help clients manage risk. Verisk (Nasdaq: VRSK) provides data and insights to our customers in insurance, energy and the financial services markets so they can make faster and more informed decisions.   

Our global team uses AI, machine learning, automation, and other emerging technologies to collect and analyz