Call for WIP members now open

Application deadline: 08:00 UTC, Friday 10th January 2025

The WGCM Infrastructure Panel (WIP) is a Working Group on Climate Modelling (WGCM) subcommittee charged with coordinating and promoting a robust and sustainable global data infrastructure in support of the development, dissemination and evaluation of Global and Regional Climate Model Intercomparison Project (MIP) data through the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) and other WCRP and community modelling activities as resources are available. This coordination role includes interaction with infrastructure delivery partners, most notably the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF), ensuring that the technical requirements of infrastructure contributors to meet CMIP project infrastructure delivery are met. Both the WIP and WGCM are part of the WCRP Earth System Modelling and Observations (ESMO) core project.

The demands on this global data infrastructure are growing with an ever wider and more diverse users, rapidly advancing data technologies, and increasing numbers of climate data portals and platforms. The WIP is seeking new members to help address these and the many other challenges in preparing the infrastructure for CMIP7, and beyond, and offer new insight and fresh thinking.

Invitation for nominations

This call invites the community to nominate candidates (including self-nomination) who have well demonstrated skills in any of the following:

• Understanding, quantifying and monitoring the energy and carbon footprint of the WGCM activities, starting with the CMIP7 AR7 Fast Track simulations and continuing through CMIP7. This will include liaising with modelling centres and data hosting institutions to collect and maintain appropriate datasets and the aggregation of the results and reporting back to the WGCM and CMIP communities. This role will build on the early contributions of Balaji et al., 2017 and Acosta et al., 2024 focused on the previous CMIP6 phase.
• Liaising with cloud-computing infrastructure providers to support the dissemination of ESGF published data through commercial and non-commercial cloud platforms. This will include coordination of activities between WIP, the ESGF community and the cloud platform providers to support the dissemination of data through the cloud platforms and the maintenance of them should issues arise (i.e. through the issuing of errata, data retraction and replacement).
• Coordinating the collection and expression of the model output data requirements of the scientific community, including those groups focusing on climate change impacts and risks, taking into account the capabilities of climate modelling centers and the costs of data production, storage and distribution. This role will build on existing contributions that targeted the CMIP6 phase, e.g. Juckes et al., 2020 and ongoing work underway for CMIP7.
• Developing and producing the data standards upon which CMIP data production activities are based (e.g., CF Conventions, global attributes, Data Reference Syntax/DRS, etc), along with the construction and maintenance of information sources such as the Controlled Vocabularies and MIP variable registry developed to specify key MIP metadata (e.g., frequency, experiments, variable definitions) and various properties of the output data. Experience with the CF standards community would also be valuable. This role will build on existing contributions that targeted the CMIP6 phase, e.g., Taylor et al., 2018 and ongoing work underway for CMIP7.

The WIP members, and co-chairs, cover the following areas of expertise:

• Controlled Vocabularies (CVs), CF Conventions and data standards
• Software facilitating contributors to meet MIP data requirements including CMOR, PrePARE
• MIP data documentation including liaison with services supporting CMIP6 including ES-DOC
• International data delivery infrastructure including, but not limited to ESGF nodes, e.g. CDNOT
• Data citation services including liaison with services supporting CMIP6.
• Data Request from CMIP contributing activities
• Errata systems and integration, and overview of issues raised by users
• Environmental sustainability
• Liaising with commercial cloud operators/Data accessibility

Responsibilities of WIP members

• Attend and contribute to meetings, typically convened monthly, to drive progress, make decisions and review issues and risks arising in the delivery of CMIP.
• Work with other Panel members to develop white papers and other publications as relevant and to support delivery of the objectives of the WIP
• Ensure adequate availability to be able to respond to requests for support from Panel co-chairs and the IPO.
• Promote the work of the WIP and gather community feedback within their own networks and wider community.
• Commit to promoting diversity, equality, inclusivity, and environmental sustainability within the activities of the WIP.
• Assist the co-chairs with liaison with the task teams and stakeholder panel.
• Represent the needs and requirements of regions currently underrepresented in WIP and CMIP activities, promote their capacities, and support collaborations with appropriate regional groups and activities.
• Members are expected to conduct themselves according to the WCRP Code of Conduct.

Selection process and criteria

The call selection panel will undertake the shortlisting from the applications received by the deadline of 08:00 UTC Friday 10th January 2025. The identified names will then be submitted as a recommendation to the WGCM for final approval.

Time commitment and activities

WIP meetings take place regularly, typically one hour every two weeks or at the discretion of the WIP co-chairs, with an annual meeting (virtual or in person) together with the WGCM. There may be times when there is more or less work, depending on the activities undertaken (e.g., more intensive time demand may be needed with, for example, decisions regarding implementation/delivery activities, a workshop/event, stakeholder engagement or publishing a paper). Meetings will primarily be online, with some face-to-face meetings, if possible, to leverage suitable opportunities. Some out-of-hours work will be required due to time zones, but every effort is made to rotate meeting times to ensure fairness across the members.  

Typical additional activities that a WIP member would engage in could include:

• Involvement and contribution to the WIP task teams and/or Fresh Eyes on CMIP.
• Attending a WIP-related workshop (virtually or in person).
• Additional virtual meetings for dialogue with other parts of WCRP and external stakeholders.
• Document preparation such as white papers, guidance documents or peer reviewed publications.
• Developing new cross-cutting themes.
• Developing or leveraging networks relevant to the aims of CMIP/WCRP.
• Proposal conceptualization and development.
• Representing the WIP at conferences, workshops, and other events.
• Supporting capacity building in the global South and helping to foster collaboration.
• Mentoring / fostering early career researchers.

Remuneration

CMIP Panel members are not paid. Financial support to travel and participate in person to relevant meeting may be available on a case-by-case basis.

How to apply

The deadline for applications/nominations is 08:00 UTC Friday 10th January 2025.

Please contact the CMIP IPO if you have any questions or require further information.