CMCC Marsili Fellowship Program

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CMCC Marsili Fellowship Program

Recognizing emerging talents in Climate Science, Climate Resilience and Climate Economics

The CMCC Marsili Fellowship Program offers a unique opportunity for talented young scientists to pursue groundbreaking research and academic excellence in the field of climate science, climate resilience and climate economics. Named after the renowned Italian oceanographer, this Program honors his legacy by empowering future generations to expand the frontiers of scientific knowledge and explore holistic perspectives.

The Marsili Fellowship Program is a 1- or 2-year appointment aimed at early-career researchers, with a proven track-record of research excellence in the field of climate science, climate resilience and climate economics. The Program seeks to attract outstanding individuals who can contribute significantly to advancing our understanding of the interactions between climate and society.

The selection of Marsili Fellows is carried out by the CMCC Selection Committee, based on the research proposal linked to one of the CMCC Strategic Programs. Once awarded, Fellows will be associated with one of CMCC Institutes and will be guided by the Institute Director in selecting a research team. Throughout the fellowship period, the Institute Director will guide and oversee the work of the Fellow in collaboration with the relevant Program Director.

During their appointment, Marsili Fellows must commit full-time dedication to CMCC’s activities. The Program will provide them with essential resources, mentorship, and opportunities necessary to develop their skills and expand their knowledge in the field of climate science, resilience and economics.

WHAT WE OFFER

  • Engagement in one of the Research Institutes and in one of the four cross-cutting Programs: Integrating the Industrial and Planetary Carbon Cycle, Global Coasts as the New Frontier, Predicting Socio-Economic outcomes and AI and Machine Learning integration in the modeling chain.
  • Professional development: training in grant and paper writing, scientific communication and dissemination, and other relevant skills to enhance their career prospects.
  • Networking opportunities: the chance to interact with peers and experts in their field through projects, workshops, seminars, conferences and other initiatives.
  • Access to journals and to licensed software /repositories.
  • Access to state-of-the-art facilities and resources:
    The High Performance Computing Center (HPCC) of the CMCC, active since 2008, is the largest computing infrastructure in Italy entirely dedicated to research on climate change and its interactions with society and economic systems. SCC features 2 Supercomputers named Juno and Cassandra. Juno consists of 160 nodes Lenovo SD630 dual-processors (Intel Xeon Platinum 8360Y processors with 36 cores each) and 10 hybrid nodes also equipped with NVIDIA A100 GPUs with a total computational power (CPU + GPU) of 1.134 TFlops. Cassandra consists of 180 nodes Lenovo SD650 V3 computing nodes, each featuring dual Intel Xeon Max 9480 processors with 56 cores each, resulting in a grand total of 20,160 cores. This configuration, driven by Intel’s newest Sapphire Rapids HBM family processors, allows the SCC to attain an outstanding theoretical peak computing power of 1,225 TFlops. Furthermore, to ensure the effective preservation and accessibility of vast amounts of climate data generated by CMCC’s research activities, the SCC incorporates the Deep Archive Storage System (DASS), offering a capacity of 62 Petabytes with 20 LTO8 tape-drives.
  • Financial award: an attractive compensation package for the duration of the Fellowship.
  • Administrative support for relocation and visa approvals.
  • Flexibility to accommodate personal circumstances.

WHO CAN APPLY (eligibility criteria)

Applicants to the CMCC Marsili Fellowship Program should have 7-8 years of academic experience after completion of a PhD in either Climate Science, Environmental Science, Environmental Economy or related fields. They should demonstrate:

  • Research skills: a promising track record of academic achievements, research productivity, and potential for making significant contributions to the field of climate science, climate resilience or climate economics demonstrated by some relevant papers as 1st author in high impact journals. Ability to recognize and tackle scientific challenges using logical reasoning, creativity, and adaptability. This involves designing, executing, and analyzing experiments effectively.
  • Critical Thinking: ability to evaluate current theories and methodologies critically, while generating new research questions or hypotheses.
  • Independence and Initiative: ability to work independently, take initiative in identifying research opportunities or areas for improvement, and demonstrate leadership potential within the scientific community.
  • Interdisciplinary engagement: a commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and ability to engage on a global scale with a wide range of stakeholders in addressing climate-related issues.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for the CMCC Marsili Fellowship are accepted year-round, with selection rounds occurring twice a year in February and June. Interested candidates can apply through the online application system, where they will be required to submit both a CV and a comprehensive proposal:

  • The CV should outline how the candidate meets the eligibility criteria listed above, emphasizing their experience in innovative research related to one of CMCC Strategic Programs and engagement in international research networks.
  • The proposal (not exceeding 2,000 words) should include a defined output or deliverable that is meaningfully advanced during the fellowship period and likely to be highly influential. Moreover, proposals should contribute to the research activities of at least one of the Strategic Programs and support the distinctive cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary environment of CMCC.

EVALUATION CRITERIA OF THE PROPOSAL

The proposal will be evaluated against the following criteria:

Clarity: the clarity of the proposal, including its objectives, methods, and expected outcomes. The proposal must include a well-defined plan with clear milestones and deliverables to outline the project’s feasibility and potential for advancement of at least one of CMCC Strategic Programs during the fellowship period.

Impact: the potential impact of the project in terms of novel insights and societal transformations, considering both the magnitude of its effects and its compatibility with CMCC strategic objectives.

Leverage: the potential of the project to raise global awareness. The proposal may include strategic outreach campaigns, collaboration agreements with key stakeholders, or targeted initiatives to address identified global priorities.

SELECTION PROCESS

The Selection Committee will assess and rank the proposals based on the above criteria. All applicants will be notified about the outcome and shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview. During the interview applicants are expected to showcase the scientific validity of their work, their predisposition for innovation, and how receiving the award will lead to impactful solutions or significant advancement of CMCC Strategic Programs.

Successful applications will be presented to the Executive Committee that will make the final decision according to resources and other constraints. Candidates will then be contacted to agree on appointment terms, including duration, start date and role expectations, and will be then formally appointed as Fellows.

TIMELINE

1st Selection Round:

Application Deadline: February 28th
Candidate Evaluation & Appointment: by April 30th
Fellowship Start Date: September of the same year

2nd Selection Round:

Application Deadline: June 30th
Candidate Evaluation & Appointment: by August 31st
Fellowship Start Date: January of the following year

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