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CIWRO Research Associate

Position Description

This is a career-track Master’s-level Research Associate position in our Behavioral Insights Unit at the Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations (CIWRO) at the University of Oklahoma in collaboration with NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory.


Overview

The Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations (CIWRO) at The University of Oklahoma (OU) is currently looking for a Research Associate to work with the Behavioral Insights Unit (BIU). The BIU is a cross-functional team that evaluates how weather information is used and acted upon by various entities including the general public and NWS stakeholders. This position will be located in Norman, OK, housed within the National Weather Center (NWC), a highly collaborative operational, research, and academic environment containing several NOAA and OU organizations. The successful candidate will work directly with development meteorologists and social scientists and will have opportunities to interact with the National Weather Service, National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and other NOAA labs, and the broader meteorological community.


Job Responsibilities

Represent the job-related skills, duties, and technologies of broadcast meteorologists in the design, creation, and execution of FACETs (Forecasting a Continuum of Environmental Threats; https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/projects/facets/) research. Specific tasks include:

  1. Supporting the organization, distribution, and analysis of the results of experimental or survey-based data collected about broadcast meteorologists’ use of probabilistic weather-hazard information.
  2. Supporting HWT (Hazardous Weather Testbed) experiments to test the efficacy of different methods for communicating probabilistic hazard information to NWS stakeholders (e.g., broadcast meteorologists, transportation decision makers, emergency managers).
  3. Moderating focus groups and discussions with NWS stakeholders.
  4. Collaborating with other researchers and developers to solicit feedback from NWS stakeholders on experimental weather products.
  5. Assisting with preparation of grant proposals, publications, and reports.


Preference will be given to candidates with the following experience:

  1. Experience working as a broadcast meteorologist.
  2. Experience collaborating with multi-institution research teams.


Qualifications

The minimum qualifications for this position are:

  1. A Master’s degree in Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, Communication, User-Centered Design, or a related area is preferred.
  2. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
  3. Ability to work and communicate effectively in diverse team environments.


Desired skills:

  1. Experience working with social science data, including qualitative and quantitative data analysis.
  2. Proficiency working with survey platforms such as Qualtrics.
  3. Proficiency working with statistical software packages or languages such as R, STATA, or similar.
  4. Experience working with qualitative software packages such as NVivo, MaxQDA, or similar.


Occasional travel is expected with this position. CIWRO staff will provide general supervision, with technical oversight provided by the NSSL BIU team lead. You will work under general supervision but are expected to work independently and determine actions to take in handling all but unusual situations. This is a non-supervisory position. Beginning salary will be based on qualifications and experience with a generous University benefits package. This position will be located at the National Weather Center in Norman Oklahoma.


Benefits

More details about working at The University of Oklahoma, benefits packages, as well as living in Norman, Oklahoma are provided on our website: https://ciwro.ou.edu/


How to Apply

Applications should be mailed to ciwro-careers@ou.edu and include a cover letter, the names and contact info for 3 references, and your resume/cv. Applications will be accepted until March 7, 2024. The starting date is negotiable.


The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.