Postdoctoral Position (m/f/x) in Cloud Microphysics

Atmospheric clouds and aerosols are major sources of uncertainty in weather and climate prediction due to their complex, multi-scale nature — from nanometers to hundreds of kilometers. Turbulence and intricate flows play a role across these scales, making field studies essential for capturing their full complexity. To address this, we developed the Max Planck CloudKite (MPCK), an airborne platform for high-resolution atmospheric measurements. MPCK has been deployed over the Atlantic during EUREC4A and in Arctic Finland, performing autonomous measurements like particle image velocimetry and holography. We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our multidisciplinary team at the intersection of optics, electronics, machine learning, and atmospheric science. The successful candidate will lead the design, development, and deployment of next-generation holographic particle imagers for both laboratory and in-situ atmospheric measurements. A key objective of this task is to further develop our state-of-the-art imaging systems by optimizing the hardware and integrating real-time data processing and analysis through machine learning techniques to achieve precise characterization of particle size, shape and concentration.

We seek a motivated early-career researcher with a PhD in physics, engineering, meteorology, or a related field, eager to advance our understanding of aerosols and cloud microphysics.

 Requirements:

• Background in areas such as physics, fluid mechanics, optics or meteorology
• Programming skills (e.g., Python, C/C++)
• Strong teamwork skills and good command of English (Knowledge of German language not required)
• Additional experience in optics, machine learning, big data, instrument design, image analysis, or electronics is a plus.

 Key Responsibilities

• Design compact, lightweight and robust holographic instruments
• Develop real-time data pipelines using edge computing, built on our existing toolchain and enhanced with machine learning techniques
• Validate/calibrate instruments in lab and airborne field tests
• Conducting experiments, participating in field campaigns, processing data and publishing results

We offer excellent working conditions in a highly international and interdisciplinary research environment. The position is for one year initially with the possibility of extension. Salary and working hours follow the funding guidelines of the Max Planck Society for scientists: Working hours are fulltime; salary is E13 TVöD-Bund. The starting date should be as soon as possible.

The Max Planck Society is committed to achieving the highest level of excellence and diversity. Therefore, we particularly encourage applications from women. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals.