The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (GFD) group in the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) and Department of Physics (Atmospheric Physics Program) at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) is seeking a PhD student for a graduate research assistant position. The student will work on an exciting new project that will study the fluid mechanics of turbulence, convection and hurricane intensification with cutting-edge numerical models and remote sensing data. One of these models, “Climate Machine”, is a new atmospheric model that has an advanced computing architecture and optimal numerical properties for simulating turbulent flow. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a period of three years with Dr. Steve Guimond (UMBC) and Dr. Simone Marras (NJIT) as lead investigators. The selected graduate student with receive a stipend (~ $32,000/year) and tuition coverage in addition to conference expenses. The selected student will also have connections to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), which is in close proximity to UMBC, with potential opportunities for internships, collaborations and future job prospects. Note that students can also choose to get their PhD degree in the Department of Mechanical Engineering if desired.
The atmospheric models being studied in this project utilize high-order Continuous Galerkin (CG) or Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) numerical methods along with various time integration schemes. Part of the project is to understand the value of these high-order methods relative to community-based finite difference or finite volume methods for simulating very high Reynolds number flows that typify a hurricane. Large eddy simulations of the hurricane intensification process will be conducted on supercomputers with these models to understand the flow of energy between various space/time scales and the lifecycle of discrete convective plumes in a moist atmosphere.
Interested students should have a B.S., M.S. or have started their Ph.D. degree in physics, atmospheric science, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics or a closely related field. The ideal student will have interests/skills in the physics of turbulence, hurricanes (or more generally fluid mechanics) as well as computational methods for studying these problems. Significant experience with computer coding in Fortran or C as well as Matlab, Python or Julia is required. Excellent oral and written communication skills and a passion for working on problems through to completion are desired.
For questions and further information, please contact Dr. Steve Guimond at sguimond@umbc.edu and include a CV with information relevant to the position. Positions can start as soon as possible and applications will continually be evaluated until a suitable candidate is found. When in doubt, send an email to check in.