Job Reference
414_25_ES_ESS_R0
Position
Master Student - Earth Sciences Department (R0)
Closing Date
Thursday, 19 June, 2025
Reference: 414_25_ES_ESS_R0
Job title: Master Student - Earth Sciences Department (R0)
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.
Look at the BSC experience:
BSC-CNS YouTube Channel
Let's stay connected with BSC Folks!
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.
Look at the BSC experience:
BSC-CNS YouTube Channel
Let's stay connected with BSC Folks!
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
The Earth System Services Group (ESS) at the Earth Sciences Department conducts interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research to enhance the societal value of climate prediction services, atmospheric composition and weather forecasting. The group actively engages with society, decision-makers, and businesses to co-produce and exchange knowledge and develop user-oriented services. The work includes research on the impact of weather, atmospheric chemistry and climate upon socio-economic sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, water management, forest fires and urban development. The aim of the ESS is to enhance knowledge co-creation and improve resilience by accelerating adaptation to a rapidly changing environment.
Within this context, we are seeking a highly motivated master student to analyse the Catalan drought from 2020-2023. The student appointed will be involved in the
Destination Earth project. The selected candidate will work with state-of-the-art climate data and will produce climate indicators to analyse the impacts of anthropocentric warming on the drought intensity. The student will work in python to evaluate changes in the drought conditions based on different warming scenarios. The results of this work will be used to inform local water authorities about the potential increase in drought risk over the region under future warming.
The position holder will work in an transdisciplinary setting, collaborating with interdisciplinary scientific teams, as well as with the stakeholder community, to produce more inclusive and comprehensive climate knowledge.
Within this context, we are seeking a highly motivated master student to analyse the Catalan drought from 2020-2023. The student appointed will be involved in the
Destination Earth project. The selected candidate will work with state-of-the-art climate data and will produce climate indicators to analyse the impacts of anthropocentric warming on the drought intensity. The student will work in python to evaluate changes in the drought conditions based on different warming scenarios. The results of this work will be used to inform local water authorities about the potential increase in drought risk over the region under future warming.
The position holder will work in an transdisciplinary setting, collaborating with interdisciplinary scientific teams, as well as with the stakeholder community, to produce more inclusive and comprehensive climate knowledge.
Key Duties
The research should form the basis of a Master thesis and should lead to eventual publication in a relevant journal
Requirements
- Education
- The student should hold a degree in mathematics, engineering or physical sciences
- Essential Knowledge and Professional Experience
- Previous experience working with and computing with climate data
- Working knowledge of the climate system
- Experience working with users of climate data
- Additional Knowledge and Professional Experience
- Fluency in English
- Experience in python or R
- Competences
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to take initiatives, prioritize tasks and work under set deadlines Ability to work independently and shape research
Conditions
- The position will be located at BSC within the Earth Sciences Department
- We offer a full-time contract (37.5h/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: 23 paid vacation days plus 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: 01/02/2026
Applications procedure and process
All applications must be submitted via the BSC website and contain:
The selection will be carried out through a competitive examination system ("Concurso-Oposición"). The recruitment process consists of two phases:
- 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.
For more information follow this link
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.
For more information follow this link