Opportunities: Careers, Visitors, Students

  • Scientific Visitors
  • Post Docs
  • Grad & Undergrad
  • Careers


Researcher on board NCAR's C130 research aircraft during the 2006 RICO (Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean) experiment. Each year nearly 700 students, scientists, weather forecasters, and other professionals visit the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). These visits vary both in purpose -- workshops, summer internships, or collaboration on research -- and in length, from a few days to several years. Formal programs either provide opportunities for visitors to pursue special training or research in Boulder, Colorado, or place them at designated research and educational institutions around the world. In addition to the formal programs described here, individual groups at NCAR or UOP may host visitors outside the scope of these specific programs.

Some direct links to NCAR & related scientific visitor programs:


Graduate students, postdocs, and Faculty Fellowship Program visitors at the August ASP social: a breakfast hike at the Mesa Lab. In an effort to bring postdocs together from around the organization, the ASP hosts monthly socials and in 2006 formed the NCAR Graduate-Postdoc Fellows Assocation. The ASP socials are open to all fellows at NCAR and often include an education or career development component, while the Association meetings are held in a social setting and aim to provide friendship and support to other fellows in the organization.NCAR’s postdoctoral program, part of the Advanced Study Program, provides an opportunity for recent Ph.D. scientists to continue pursuit of their research interests in atmospheric and related science. The program is open to postdoctoral physicists, chemists, applied mathematicians, computer scientists, engineers, and specialists from related disciplines such as biology, geology, science education, economics, and geography.

Successful applicants have considerable freedom to pursue their own research interests. While most postdoctoral fellows develop research projects in collaboration with NCAR scientists, all are expected to choose their own research directions and are responsible for the design and conduct of their own projects.

Undergraduate Student Programs


A group of undergraduate students from several universities in Australia and the United States, take a break in front of Wave rock, Hyden, Western Australia. The PI, Udaysankar Nair, University of Alabama, Huntsville is on far right. SOARS (Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science) is a four-year, paid summer research internship for undergraduate science, math, engineering, and social science students interested in understanding the atmosphere and using that understanding to improve life on Earth.

The SOARS mission is to broaden participation in the atmospheric and related sciences by engaging students from groups historically underrepresented in science and preparing them to succeed in graduate school. These groups include Black or African-American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino, female, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities. SOARS welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.

In addition to the SOARS program, there are undergraduate programs in NCAR's labs, such as the Earth Oberving Laboratory's Summer Engineering Internships. These students help with the operation and maintenance of EOL equipment during domestic and international field campaigns.

To find these and other opportunities for student assistants, watch the “Student Assistant” area of UCAR's careers page for listings.

Graduate Student Visitor Program

In 2006, the Advanced Study Program (ASP) established a Graduate Student Visitor Program. The program allows NCAR staff to bring graduate students to NCAR for 3 to 12-month collaborative visits with the endorsement of thesis advisors and in pursuit of their thesis research. These visits have the goal of enhancing NCAR partnerships with other public and private institutions. Students cannot apply. Graduate students should work with their thesis advisor to identify the appropriate NCAR staff sponsor.

NCAR/UCAR was voted one of the “Best Companies to work for” in 2006 & 2007. Click on the image to visit the careers page which lists current job openings.


Background

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is managed by UCAR (The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research), a consortium of 66 member universities that offer doctoral degrees in the atmospheric and related sciences. While we're serious about what we do, our work environment is relaxed and invigorating.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research was formed in 1960 as a research institution for scientists who wanted to study climate and the weather. Our research interests have grown to encompass the whole earth system, sun & space weather, societal impacts, and technology transfer! This broad and inter-related scope makes working at NCAR professionally exciting.