KTP Associate – Lead Meteorologist

What You’ll Be Doing

• Assessing the collection of data from airborne platforms and different techniques used to quantify observation impact on forecasts.
• Developing code based on ensemble sensitivity analysis to assess the potential impact of the Voltitude observations within a numerical weather prediction system.
• Performing uncertainty quantification of the observations and develop the necessary quality control procedures needed to ingest the new data streams.
• Participating in field work to gain a full appreciation of the deployment of airborne platforms and an understanding of how these systems work in practice.
• Leading on the dissemination of the project findings through presentations to academic and commercial audiences including international conferences and through academic publications.

The aim of this pioneering Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project is to support the business partner, Voltitude Ltd, in realising the full potential of autonomous stratospheric platforms to transform the global weather data services market. This includes advancing scientific understanding and practical use of novel atmospheric observations, particularly data from microdropsondes dispensed from constellations of long-endurance, high-altitude stratospheric platforms.

The Associate will develop robust methodologies to assess the impact of these observations on numerical weather prediction (NWP) models, with a focus on Ensemble Sensitivity Analysis (ESA) to quantify forecast improvements. This project offers an opportunity to contribute to the emerging field of stratospheric meteorological sensing, addressing key gaps in global observation networks and improving forecasts in data-sparse regions.