As part of the STEP UP! Fellowship programme, which operates on a 2-year cycle, the Deutscher Wetterdienst offers fellowships to early career scientists. These fellowships involve working on a research project during a guest stay at the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in Bonn. The Early Career Fellows collaborate with experienced scientists from various ECMWF teams and with CESOC.

During their stay, the Early Career Fellows are assigned a supervisor who supports their personal and professional development and integrates them into the Centre's communication and knowledge exchange processes. Additionally, they receive scientific mentorship from one of the institutions of the Center for Earth System Observation and Computational Analysis (CESOC), including the universities of Bonn and Cologne and Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ).

A key component of the STEP UP! Fellowship programme is the development of professional competencies. The programme includes a further education programme funded by the DWD. This includes participation in one international science conference per year, specialist training units, and job shadowing at the DWD. The specific content of the further education modules is tailored to the Fellow's research focus.

To enhance exchange and networking, a guidance programme is planned with half-day events at the beginning, mid-point, and conclusion of the Fellowship. These events bring together all stakeholders and guests from the participating project parties.

Fellowship Benefits:

The financial support awarded through the Fellowship amounts to EUR 2,900 per month for a period of 2 years, plus individual travel expenses and publication costs as outlined in the funding principles. The Fellowship grant also includes participation in one international science conference per year, specialist training, and one day of job shadowing at the DWD.

Application Requirements:

- Successfully completed scientific or technical university degree (Bachelor, Master), preferably in physics, mathematics, environmental sciences, hydrology, oceanography, or meteorology
- Confident knowledge of written and spoken English (at least level B2 CEFR)

Currently Available Fellowships:

You can now apply for places on the Fellowship programme starting in 2025 here.

• Fellowship project 1: Interfacing with Digital Twins
• Fellowship project 2: Generative Machine Learning (ML)
• Fellowship project 3: Investigate GNSS-R observation usage over land surface
• Fellowship project 4: Discerning the effect of the Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) on flood forecasting
• Fellowship project 5: Using observations to improve cloud and precipitation processes for numerical weather prediction

More information and an overview of the programme can be found here.

For questions about the STEP UP! Fellowship programme, please write to fellowship@dwd.de.

Deutsche Version

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