Free Writing and Publishing Online Workshop
Join Professor David Schultz of the University of Manchester for a free 6-hour workshop on writing and publishing. During this two-day workshop, you will learn the process of peer review from an experienced and interdisciplinary author, reviewer, and editor. Get behind-the-scenes insight into how to better prepare your manuscript for submission, engage with the reviewers and editor, and ensure a positive outcome for your manuscript. Delve into the concepts that all writers need to learn to write clear, concise, and understandable text. Learn the secrets of writing your dissertation and defending it in a viva.
Professor Schultz has published 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, served as reviewer for 60 different journals, and served as editor for several journals. His award-winning book, Eloquent Science: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Better Writer, Speaker and Atmospheric Scientist, has been translated into Chinese, and the eBook is freely available from many university libraries
All times in British Summer Time (UTC+1).
Day 1: 19 June 1300–1600: The Publishing Process
- Why publish?
- How do I publish?
- How do peer review, editors and journals work?
- Do I have publishable science?
- How to prepare my research for submission
- How to attract an audience for my paper
- Writing effective titles, abstracts, and introductions
- Writing the other parts of the paper
- Secrets of journal editors: Behind the scenes of peer review
- How to respond to reviewers
- What to do in case of rejection
Day 2: 20 June 1300–1600: The Writing Process, Dissertations, and Vivas
- General writing and editing tips
- Writing short and sharp science text
- Ensuring your writing flows
- Keeping it short
- Write what you mean to say
- How to reference and cite
- How to write-up and defend your dissertation
- Developing your career through writing and publishing
IIASA Job Opportunities
Duties will be carried out at the IIASA premises in Laxenburg, near Vienna in Austria.
Integrated Assessment Modeller
The Integrated Assessment and Climate Change (IACC) Research Group within the Energy, Climate, and Environment (ECE) Program at IIASA seeks a strong candidate to help develop and extend the current global modelling framework used within the group. The successful candidate will work with a team of international scientists who also develop and use the framework to perform state-of-the-art scenario modelling and assessment.
Main tasks and areas of responsibility
- Assist with the development and maintenance of the MESSAGEix global integrated assessment framework according to recognized best practices in scientific software development.
- Identify key new features that support ease of use in developing, deploying, and assessing large-scale scenario campaigns.
- Support the usage of the model framework on High-Throughput Computing (HTC) computational clusters.
- Develop and maintain continuous integration approaches across the framework Toolscape.
- Lead the release cycle of core libraries associated with the framework.
- Provide support to scientific staff colleagues through co-development of new features, identifying needed tests, and performing code review.
- Help develop and proliferate a culture of best practice with respect to scientific software development.
- Contribute to, and lead where feasible, the publication of relevant results in peer-reviewed journals and actively engage in dissemination efforts such as scientific conferences and workshops, stakeholder and policy events.
- Contribute to ongoing and future projects and related deliverables, reports, stakeholder communication and capacity building activities.
- In line with the team spirit that prevails at IIASA, the incumbent may occasionally work on other tasks assigned by their superiors, that might not be directly related to this appointment but where the post holder has relevant experience and skills, and/or a shortage of immediate personnel capabilities requires such.
Skills, qualifications and experience
- An academic qualification in a field related to integrated assessment modelling including economics, engineering, physics, environmental science or energy systems with at least one of the following:
- PhD degree
- Master’s degree plus more than five years relevant experience.
- Demonstrated experience in tools and systems used by the ECE program (cf. MESSAGEix documentation) including
- Experience in a modern programming language, preferably Python, is essential
- Experience with modern tools and concepts related scientific software development is essential, including
- Version control
- Unit testing
- Continuous integration
- Automated documentation
- Experience with an optimization framework (e.g., GAMS, Pyomo, JuMP, etc.) is an asset
- Experience with integrated assessment modelling is an asset.
- Demonstrated ability to lead open-source projects, data provision and code-development, using git and GitHub.
- Demonstrated ability to develop, collaborate on, and publish scientific research through peer-reviewed publications
- Fluency in English and excellent presentation skills.
- A degree of flexibility and willingness to travel.
- IIASA offers an interdisciplinary and international workplace, and the possibility to interact with researchers of different nationalities, with strong ties to a world-wide network of research institutions engaged in environmental systems research. The successful candidate must be able to work in, and have respect for, an intercultural environment, and IIASA core values.
Appointment terms The selected candidate should be available to take up the position as soon as possible in 2024 (start date negotiable). We offer an initial fixed-term, two-year, full-time (40 hours per week) employment contract, with the possibility of extension thereafter. Eligible applicants wishing to work part-time hours may be considered.
Deadline for receipt of applications: until filled. Further details can found on the IIASA web.
GAMS Modeller
The Integrated Biosphere Futures (IBF) Research Group, part of the IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources (BNR) Program, is offering an opportunity for a GAMS (General Algebraic Modelling Language) software expert who will support the implementation of IBF models. The successful candidate will work with and support a large multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team of researchers to maintain, further develop, and continuously enhance the code base of the IBF modelling system.
Main tasks and areas of responsibility
- Maintain and continuously update model code and structure to take full advantage of the GAMS software language.
- Continuously improve the implementation efficiency of the models.
- Lead the code documentation.
- Provide hands-on technical GAMS support to (junior) colleagues and the wider GLOBIOM modelling community, incl. developing of training materials.
- Develop and enforce good coding practice guidelines together with senior modelers.
- Support integration of BNR models by adapting their code base and creating necessary interfaces.
- In line with the team spirit that prevails at IIASA, the incumbent may occasionally work on other tasks assigned by their superiors, that might not be directly related to this appointment but where the post holder has relevant experience and skills, and/or a shortage of immediate personnel capabilities requires such.
Requirements
- Min. master's degree (or equivalent) in Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, or other relevant discipline.
- Proven GAMS software proficiency.
- Commend of other programming languages such as R or Python is an advantage.
- Experience with large scale applied economic models, either at sector level or in the general equilibrium framework is an asset.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality results independently and within set timelines
- Exceptional problem-solving skills and commitment to continuous learning.
- Excellent command of English, both in spoken and written form.
- IIASA offers an interdisciplinary and international workplace, and the possibility to interact with researchers of different nationalities, with strong ties to a world-wide network of research institutions engaged in environmental systems research. The successful candidate must be able to work in, and have respect for, an intercultural environment, and IIASA core values.
Appointment terms The selected candidate should be available to take up the position as soon as possible in 2024 (start date negotiable). We offer an initial fixed-term, two-year, full-time (40 hours per week) employment contract, with the possibility of extension thereafter. Eligible applicants wishing to work part-time hours may be considered.
Deadline for receipt of applications: 15 May 2024. Further details can be found on the IIASA web.
Lead spatial data scientist
The Integrated Biosphere Futures (IBF) Research Group, part of the IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources (BNR) Program is offering an opportunity for a spatial data scientist to lead the development of a novel integrated land-use and land management database connected to a world leading modelling cluster. This role requires a PhD in a relevant field such as Geography, Environmental Sciences, Computer Science, or Statistics, focusing on spatial data analysis. The ideal candidate will have a solid foundation in geospatial analysis, environmental, and agricultural statistics, complemented by a successful history in data integration, harmonization across large-scale projects, and acquiring funding for research initiatives. The responsibilities of this position are twofold: technical leadership in spatial data science and strategic development of data resources to support environmental and agricultural modelling.
The lead spatial data scientist will be tasked with building and maintaining a comprehensive database that integrates diverse datasets, including biophysical, costing, spatial, and statistical data. This role is pivotal in ensuring the database supports integrated assessment models in agriculture, biodiversity, water, and crop modelling. The successful candidate must possess experience in setting up databases, designing transparent and maintainable data architectures, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to enhance the database’s relevance and utility for advanced modelling efforts. The position demands a blend of technical expertise, innovative thinking, and leadership capabilities to drive the research group's contributions to global sustainability efforts.
Main tasks and areas of responsibility
- Lead the development and ongoing management of a comprehensive database integrating biophysical, costing, spatial, and statistical datasets.
- Design and implement a transparent, easily updatable data architecture, ensuring data accuracy and consistency across various modelling projects.
- Coordinate with interdisciplinary teams to identify and integrate new data sources, expanding the scope and impact of the database.
- Apply advanced spatial analysis techniques and statistical methods to analyse complex datasets, drawing insights to inform research and policy.
- Contribute to scientific publications and presentations, sharing research findings with the broader scientific community and stakeholders.
- Seek and secure funding opportunities to support and expand research initiatives within the group.
- In line with the team spirit that prevails at IIASA, the incumbent may occasionally work on other tasks assigned by their superiors, that might not be directly related to this appointment but where the post holder has relevant experience and skills, and/or a shortage of immediate personnel capabilities requires such.
Requirements
- PhD in Agricultural Economics, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Computer Science, Statistics, or a closely related field, with a significant emphasis on spatial data analysis. A minimum of five years of post-PhD experience is required.
- Proven track record in data integration and harmonization within large-scale environmental or agricultural projects.
- Demonstrated experience in setting up databases and creating a maintainable data architecture.
- Advanced proficiency in GIS and programming languages such as R or Python, with extensive knowledge of database management systems.
- Successful history of acquiring funding for research projects.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to lead teams, mentor early career researchers, and engage with interdisciplinary stakeholders.
- A deep understanding of agricultural and environmental statistics and their application in sustainability research.
- IIASA offers an interdisciplinary and international workplace, and the possibility to interact with researchers of different nationalities, with strong ties to a world-wide network of research institutions engaged in environmental systems research. The successful candidate must be able to work in, and have respect for, an intercultural environment, IIASA core values.
Appointment terms The selected candidate should be available to take up the position as soon as possible in 2024 (start date negotiable). We offer an initial fixed-term, two-year, full-time (40 hours per week) employment contract, with the possibility of extension thereafter. Eligible applicants wishing to work part-time hours may be considered.
Deadline for receipt of applications: 15 May 2024. Further details can be found on the IIASA web.
Economic modeler - agricultural sector
The Integrated Biosphere Futures (IBF) Research Group, part of the IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources (BNR) Program is offering an opportunity for an applied economist to work on modelling of the EU agriculture and food system and related sustainability issues, such as climate change impacts, adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity, and food and nutrition security, at the interface between science and policy. The successful candidate will advance the representation of the EU agricultural sector and related policies within the partial equilibrium model GLOBIOM. They will work in a large multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team of researchers and will contribute to the development of assigned thematic areas as well as the application of the model in EU research and policy projects, such as (LAMASUS, BrightSpace, or SWITCH) .
Main tasks and areas of responsibility
- Further develop the agricultural sector representation in GLOBIOM along different dimensions including
- Improved policy representation to cover key agricultural and land-use related policies,
- Updating (spatially explicit) datasets such as land cover information, yields, or cropping areas etc.,
- Improved costing of agricultural production systems,
- Improved model calibration to observed data and historic trends.
- Include new management practices in the model such as organic farming, agro-forestry etc. that are important to achieve EU policy targets as presented in the Farm to Fork Strategy and the EU Green Deal. This includes data analysis and processing, module conceptualization and implementation.
- Apply the model in the context of international research and policy projects – incl. regulatory assessments – on the impact of agricultural policy interventions on land use sectors and other sustainability metrics.
- Produce project and policy reports and publish relevant results in authoritative peer-reviewed journals.
- Grow further the topics of expertise within the team, by expanding the international network and new funding acquisition.
- Participate in IIASA research dissemination in scientific conferences, workshops, and stakeholder events.
- In line with the team spirit that prevails at IIASA, the incumbent may occasionally work on other tasks assigned by their superiors, that might not be directly related to this appointment but where the post holder has relevant experience and skills, and/or a shortage of immediate personnel capabilities requires such.
Requirements
- PhD degree, or a master's degree combined with relevant research experience in applied economics, such as agricultural economics, development economics, resource economics.
- Experience with large scale applied economic models, either at sector level or in the general equilibrium framework.
- Strong analytical, quantitative, and programming skills (such as R, Python, and GIS tools) combined with exceptional problem-solving skills.
- Proficiency in GAMS is an asset.
- Commitment to continuous learning and capacity to take upon novel topics.
- Proven capacity to autonomously design and implement research.
- Deliver high-quality results within set timelines, ability to produce policy-relevant reports and publish scientific articles.
- Excellent command of English, both in spoken and written form.
- Flexibility to travel.
- IIASA offers an interdisciplinary and international workplace, and the possibility to interact with researchers of different nationalities, with strong ties to a world-wide network of research institutions engaged in environmental systems research. The successful candidate must be able to work in, and have respect for, an intercultural environment, and IIASA core values.
Appointment terms The selected candidate should be available to take up the position as soon as possible in 2024 (start date negotiable). We offer an initial fixed-term, two-year, full-time (40 hours per week) employment contract, with the possibility of extension thereafter. Eligible applicants wishing to work part-time hours may be considered.
Deadline for receipt of applications: 15 May 2024. Further details can be found on the IIASA web.
Spatial data researcher
The Integrated Biosphere Futures (IBF) Research Group, part of the IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources (BNR) Program is offering an opportunity for a spatial data analyst to work on processing and analysing land-use, land management and international trade related large datasets. The successful candidate will primarily handle spatial dataset processing and management, including raster and vector data for land use and ecosystem modelling projects. Responsibilities encompass data manipulation, cleaning, and alignment with existing models to support creation of projections and analyses for research and policy discussions on land use, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation. Additionally, the person selected for this position will collect, download, and compile statistical data to complement spatial analyses, identifying and extracting relevant information from diverse sources to enrich our models. This role ensures accuracy and contextual enrichment of spatial datasets, contributing directly to sustainable land management and policy-making efforts within the IBF group. Main tasks and responsibilities
- Collect, process, and manage large spatial datasets for model integration.
- Design and develop databases supporting GLOBIOM, G4M, and downscalR models.
- Implement quality control procedures for data sources and databases.
- Contribute to automated tests and routines for efficient data sharing.
- Support the analysis and interpretation of data using statistical methods.
- In line with the team spirit that prevails at IIASA, the incumbent may occasionally work on other tasks assigned by their superiors, that might not be directly related to this appointment but where the post holder has relevant experience and skills, and/or a shortage of immediate personnel capabilities requires such.
Requirements
- Master's degree (or equivalent) in a relevant quantitative field. Suitable fields include but are not limited to: Geography, with a focus on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Environmental Sciences, with a concentration in spatial analysis, Computer Science, with expertise in spatial data and analysis, Statistics, with experience in spatial statistics, Economics, with a specialization in environmental economics and data analysis.
- Proficiency in R, particularly libraries and packages focused on spatial analysis (e.g., GDAL, raster, sf). Knowledge of python and experience with cluster computing is an asset.
- Practical experience with GIS software (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS) for spatial data processing and analysis.
- A genuine interest in land use, environmental science, and sustainability, with familiarity with relevant datasets considered a plus.
- Experience in managing and processing large land-use and satellite datasets, with an understanding of database architecture and design beneficial for model support.
- Knowledge of statistical methods and their application in analysing spatial data.
- Ability to develop and implement procedures for ensuring the quality of data sources and databases.
- Excellent command of English, both written and spoken, with the ability to communicate complex data insights to a non-specialist audience.
- Capability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
- IIASA offers an interdisciplinary and international workplace, and the possibility to interact with researchers of different nationalities, with strong ties to a world-wide network of research institutions engaged in environmental systems research. The successful candidate must be able to work in, and have respect for, an intercultural environment, and IIASA core values.
Appointment terms
The selected candidate should be available to take up the position as soon as possible in 2024 (start date negotiable). We offer an initial fixed-term, two-year, full-time (40 hours per week) employment contract, with the possibility of extension thereafter. Eligible applicants wishing to work part-time hours may be considered.
Deadline for receipt of applications: 15 May 2024. Further details can be found on the IIASA web.
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