The Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology is a research institute of the Max Planck Society. It was founded in 1992 in the State of Bremen and employs around 200 staff members. In close collaboration with numerous university and non-university research institutions, we explore the diversity and function of microorganisms in the ocean and their interactions with their environment. Scientists from all over the world, engineers, technicians and administrative staff together make an important contribution to global marine and environmental research.
In the Department of Ocean Biosphere Dynamics, we are looking to fill up a position as
Scientific Programmer (mfd)
Biogeochemical Model Development and Integration
The department investigates the dynamics of the ocean carbon cycle, its variability and predictability, and its role in the Earth system through climate–carbon cycle feedbacks operating across timescales from days to millennia. A central objective is to improve the representation of marine carbon, nutrient cycling and microbial processes in Earth System Models while increasing spatial model resolution to capture key physical and biogeochemical dynamics in the ocean.
To support this mission, we are seeking different Scientific Programmers (m/f/d) to drive the next generation of ocean biogeochemical modelling in Earth System Models. The successful candidates will contribute to the development, integration, and performance optimization of a state-of-the-art modelling framework, enabling increasingly sophisticated representations of marine biogeochemical processes and unprecedented high-resolution numerical experimentation. Together, they will help ensure that the modelling infrastructure combines scientific excellence with cutting-edge software engineering, delivering robust, efficient, and scalable performance on current and future exascale computing platforms.
The successful candidate will be responsible for maintaining and advancing the ocean biogeochemical model code based on the HAMburg Ocean Carbon Cycle model (HAMOCC) which is part of the ICON Earth system modeling framework, ensuring that scientific developments arising from ongoing research are robustly implemented, documented, tested, and integrated into the model’s main development branch.
A particular focus of the position will be a dedicated project to develop and incorporate new model components enhancing the representation of biological complexity and microbial processes in HAMOCC. Key responsibilities include integrating and testing newly developed code, maintaining high standards of software quality, reproducibility, version control, and documentation, supporting the transition of research developments into the operational model framework.
The role involves close interactions with researchers, research students and model developers to translate scientific advances into reliable and maintainable model code. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to contribute to peer-reviewed publications and present research outcomes at scientific conferences.
Key responsibilities:
- Maintain and develop the ocean biogeochemical model code of the HAMOCC Model
- Coordinate integration of new process representations developed across multiple projects
- Establish and maintain software quality standards, testing procedures, and documentation
- Support researchers in implementing and evaluating new model components
- Ensure scientific consistency and long-term maintainability of the code base
Desired qualifications:
- Degree in oceanography, climate science, physics, mathematics, or a related field (PhD is advantageous)
- Experience with numerical modelling and analysis of large simulation datasets
- Knowledge of ocean biogeochemistry or Earth System Modelling
- Strong proficiency in scientific programming in Fortran, Python, Shell scripting (Bash) or comparable languages
- Experience with HPC environments and scientific workflows
- Experience with software engineering best practices, including Git version control, software testing and debugging, code review workflows, Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)
- Fluent in English, with solid scientific writing skills and a strong interest in working collaboratively within an international and interdisciplinary team
What we offer:
This position is initially offered for three years. Continuation beyond the initial term is intended, subject to satisfactory performance, applicable legal requirements, and the availability of funding.
We offer a position in an international science environment. You can expect a multifaceted job with challenging tasks in an exciting, academic work environment. You will have a high degree of autonomy and creative freedom, and we will promote your further education, e.g. within the framework of external courses and certifications. The compatibility of private life, family and career are important components of our personnel policy. You will be paid according to the collective agreement for the public service (TVöD Bund). Allowances are possible depending on qualifications and areas of responsibility.
Are you interested?
We look forward to receiving your full application via our online application portal. This should include a statement of interest, CV, publication list (when applicable) and a list of references (with contact information). Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.
The Max Planck Society is committed to employing more disabled individuals and especially encourages them to apply. The Max Planck Society strives for gender and diversity equality. We welcome applications from all backgrounds.