NCEP Research Collaboration Opportunities

Applications are accepted at anytime, and are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Request For Proposals

Short-term Research Collaboration Opportunities at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)

Managed by UCAR’s Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS)

We are seeking research project proposals from scientists in academia, government laboratories, non-profit and private sectors to interact with colleagues at NCEP.

NCEP delivers national and global weather, water, climate and space weather guidance, forecasts, warnings and analyses to a broad range of users and partners. These products and services respond to user needs to protect life and property, enhance the nation's economy, and support the nation's growing need for environmental information.

This program offers an opportunity for the research community to be fully integrated within a national scale operational environment for discrete periods of time.  Researchers integrated within “operations” will provide great benefit to NOAA research to operations (R2O) transition activities, bringing new concepts, tools, processes, and innovation to the conduct of “operations” more efficiently.  Their presence will enhance ongoing activities and catalyze new efforts at several of the onsite test-beds while promoting an environment ripe for innovation.  By immersing visitors into the NCEP operational infrastructure, they can carry valuable insights and capabilities back to their home institutions, thereby facilitating O2R support.

Opportunities are available at the NCEP locations listed below

  • Aviation Weather Center

   (Kansas City, MO)

  • Ocean Prediction Center

   (College Park, MD)

  • Climate Prediction Center

   (College Park, MD)

  • Space Weather Prediction Center

   (Boulder, CO)

  • Environmental Modeling Center

   (College Park, MD)

  • Storm Prediction Center 

   (Norman, OK)

  • National Hurricane Center

   (Miami, FL)

  • Weather Prediction Center

   (College Park, MD)

 

Suggested Collaboration Subjects

Please note that an important criterion for the funding is that the work be truly collaborative. Examples of projects include the following:

  • Activities that improve understanding of forecasting problems.
  • Activities that address some critical aspect of operational model development.
  • Incorporation of social science knowledge and practices to communicate forecast uncertainty.
  • Activities that will increase university research community’s awareness of operational problems and needs.
  • Activities that will create new data analysis techniques with wide application and usefulness in operational forecasting.
  • Activities that facilitate or improve the use of new observing systems.

Types of Appointments

Visiting Scientists:  The program places a special emphasis on short-term visits (e.g., one week to a few months) by experienced research scientists.  Such visits will permit interaction with model developers and diagnosticians in the Environmental Modeling Center and with forecasters and technique developers in the various service centers of NCEP.

Proposed visits that offer the potential for improving the utility of successful research projects in the operational framework are of particular interest to NCEP, but scientists whose interest is principally on some critical aspect of model or tool development are also strongly encouraged to apply.

Graduate Students:  Students interested in working on a thesis topic specifically relevant to the efforts of the various service centers are encouraged to apply with the appropriate center. Such student participation will require a close collaboration between NCEP and the student home institution, specifically the thesis advisor.  A sponsoring scientist should initiate applications for graduate students.

Travel and local living costs will be covered and administered by the UCAR CPAESS office.

Applications are accepted at anytime, and are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Please contact a scientist at an NCEP center and discuss a collaborative plan of action before applying.

Required Application Materials:

1. Cover letter stating the name of this program and the specific center(s) to which you are applying.  Please address the following:

  • Proposed goals and objectives of visit;
  • Approximate time schedule;
  • General statement of how research project relates to the specific activities of the NCEP center.

2. Curriculum vitae (3-page maximum)

3. A two-page summary (with a specific title) of the proposed project. Please include the following:

  • Current area of work and new work you would initiate with this project;
  • Previous or potential collaborations with NCEP;
  • Description of the work in non-technical detail;
  • Specific resources required to do the work;
  • Describe the tangible outcomes you expect from the collaboration;
  • Budget of anticipated expenses including a timeline.

4. Three professional references (include names and contact information.

Send applications as a single pdf attachment to: Whitney Robinson (wrobs@ucar.edu).

(UCAR will not accept *.zip files)

For additional information contact:

Jacqui Poindexter, NCEP Program Assistant,(jacqui.poindexter@noaa.gov) or

Whitney Robinson, CPAESS (wrobs@ucar.edu).