Research engineer position - Air quality source apportionment and planning (RE1)

Job Reference
257_26_ES_EC_RE1
Position
Research engineer position - Air quality source apportionment and planning (RE1)
Closing Date
Wednesday, 03 June, 2026
Reference: 257_26_ES_EC_RE1
Job title: Research engineer position - Air quality source apportionment and planning (RE1)

About BSC

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is the leading supercomputing center in Spain. It houses MareNostrum, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, was a founding and hosting member of the former European HPC infrastructure PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and is now hosting entity for EuroHPC JU, the Joint Undertaking that leads large-scale investments and HPC provision in Europe. The mission of BSC is to research, develop and manage information technologies in order to facilitate scientific progress. BSC combines HPC service provision and R&D into both computer and computational science (life, earth and engineering sciences) under one roof, and currently has over 1000 staff from 60 countries.

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We are particularly interested for this role in the strengths and lived experiences of women and underrepresented groups to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights in science and IT research. In instances of equal merit, the incorporation of the under-represented sex will be favoured.

We promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, fostering an environment where each and every one of us is appreciated for who we are, regardless of our differences.

If you consider that you do not meet all the requirements, we encourage you to continue applying for the job offer. We value diversity of experiences and skills, and you could bring unique perspectives to our team.

Context And Mission

We are looking for a junior researcher to join the Atmospheric Composition (AC) group within the Earth Sciences department at the BSC-CNS. The AC group aims at better understanding and predicting the spatiotemporal variations of atmospheric pollutants along with their effects upon air quality, weather and climate. This is addressed through the continuous development and application of numerical models over multiple scales, from weather to climate and from global to urban scales.

The AC group develops and maintains the CALIOPE air quality system (“CALIdad del aire Operacional Para España”), which provides high-resolution air quality forecasts over Europe and Spain. The system is used for air quality assessment and planning.

The successful applicant will support the modeling activities designed to quantify the role of ozone and particulate matter precursors, emitted from anthropogenic and natural sources, on the tropospheric ozone and particulate matter formation in Spain. The candidate will contribute to 1) numerical model experiments using the MONARCH-HERMES system, 2) the compilation of relevant observations for model evaluation, 3) emission scenarios experiments, and 4) source apportionment experiments. The modeling results will be further exploited in air quality assessment studies in collaboration with partner institutions.

The candidate will work in a highly collaborative environment, with tight links with other researchers in the AC group. The researchers will have the opportunity to follow multiple training activities, including those aimed at improving coding and data analysis, scientific and project writing abilities, or project management. All this will be implemented via the formal courses organized by the Education and Training team and Human Resources, and the participation in the regular seminars organized by the department.

Key Duties

Run model experiments on the BSC supercomputers
Compile air quality observations for model evaluation
Evaluate model experiments with observations
Develop analysis strategies
Participate in collaborative projects with partner institutions
Present results at meetings
Contribute to the intellectual life of the AC group, including meetings and collaborations
Other duties include contributing to the development of common analysis tools; writing project reports; contributing to scientific papers; assisting in grant applications; and other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Education
Having a degree in Physics and MSc in Environmental engineering or related discipline
Essential Knowledge and Professional Experience
Knowledge in air quality fundamentals (0-2 years)
Experience with atmospheric science data formats (NetCDF) and with scientific software and tools (CDO, NCO, Python or R) (0-2 years)
Experience in data analysis (0-2 years)
Experience with UNIX/LINUX environments and with scripting languages (such as bash) (0-2 years)
Additional Knowledge and Professional Experience
Previous experience on air quality modeling will be highly valued
Knowledge in high-level computer languages (FORTRAN is required)
Competences
Very good interpersonal skills
Fluency in English
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to take initiative, prioritize and work under set deadlines
Ability to work both independently and within a team

Conditions

The position will be located at BSC within the Earth Sciences Department
We offer a full-time contract (35h/week), a good working environment, a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, flexible working hours, extensive training plan, restaurant tickets, private health insurance, support to the relocation procedures
Duration: Open-ended contract due to technical and scientific activities linked to the project and budget duration
Holidays: 22 days of holidays + 6 personal days + 24th and 31st of December per our collective agreement
Salary: we offer a competitive salary commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate and according to the cost of living in Barcelona
Starting date: July 2026

Applications procedure and process

All applications must be submitted via the BSC website and contain:

A full CV in English including contact details
A cover/motivation letter with a statement of interest in English, clearly specifying for which specific area and topics the applicant wishes to be considered. Additionally, two references for further contacts must be included. Applications without this document will not be considered.

Development of the recruitment process

The selection will be carried out through a competitive examination system ("Concurso-Oposición"). The recruitment process consists of two phases:

Curriculum Analysis: Evaluation of previous experience and/or scientific history, degree, training, and other professional information relevant to the position. - 40 points
Interview phase: The highest-rated candidates at the curriculum level will be invited to the interview phase, conducted by the corresponding department and Human Resources. In this phase, technical competencies, knowledge, skills, and professional experience related to the position, as well as the required personal competencies, will be evaluated. - 60 points. A minimum of 30 points out of 60 must be obtained to be eligible for the position.

The recruitment panel will be composed of at least three people, ensuring at least 25% representation of women.

In accordance with OTM-R principles, a gender-balanced recruitment panel is formed for each vacancy at the beginning of the process. After reviewing the content of the applications, the panel will begin the interviews, with at least one technical and one administrative interview. At a minimum, a personality questionnaire as well as a technical exercise will be conducted during the process.

The panel will make a final decision, and all individuals who participated in the interview phase will receive feedback with details on the acceptance or rejection of their profile.

At BSC, we seek continuous improvement in our recruitment processes. For any suggestions or comments/complaints about our recruitment processes, please contact recruitment [at] bsc [dot] es.
For more information, please follow this link.

Deadline

The vacancy will remain open until a suitable candidate has been hired. Applications will be regularly reviewed and potential candidates will be contacted.

OTM-R principles for selection processes

BSC-CNS is committed to the principles of the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers of the European Commission and the Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment principles (OTM-R). This is applied for any potential candidate in all our processes, for example by creating gender-balanced recruitment panels and recognizing career breaks etc.
BSC-CNS is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by applicable state or local law.
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