Deadline: 30 May 2026
CMIP is pleased to announce an open call for nominations to join the Fresh Eyes on CMIP leadership, with many exciting opportunities available:
- Fresh Eyes Scientific Co‑Lead (Global South)
- Fresh Eyes Steering Group Member – South & Central America Representative
- Project co‑leads for four active Fresh Eyes Projects
These roles offer early career researchers (ECRs) the opportunity to help shape CMIP from the perspective of those who actively use, analyse, and work with CMIP data.
Interested in joining Fresh Eyes, but not as a co-lead? Explore the Fresh Eyes Directory and Fresh Eyes Projects on their website.
About Fresh Eyes on CMIP
Fresh Eyes on CMIP is a growing community of approximately 250 early career scientists, researchers and practitioners who bring a critical, user‑focused perspective to CMIP activities. The group works alongside CMIP7 Task Teams, providing feedback on CMIP processes, infrastructure and outputs, and developing projects that improve CMIP engagement and usability.
The Fresh Eyes Steering Group provides strategic leadership for this community, with scientific and technical co‑leads and regional representatives from across the globe.
Fresh Eyes Projects identify and address practical gaps in CMIP data, documentation, analysis, and tools, with the aim of making CMIP more accessible and usable.
Roles available
Fresh Eyes Scientific Co‑Lead (Global South)
The Scientific Co‑Lead provides leadership and vision for the Steering Group, chairs meetings, liaises with CMIP Task Teams and the CMIP Panel, and represents Fresh Eyes at CMIP Extended Panel meetings. For this call, CMIP is particularly seeking a co‑lead who can represent the Global South.
Fresh Eyes Steering Group Member – South & Central America
Steering Group members act as regional representatives, contribute to strategic discussions, support project development (including white papers and publications), and promote Fresh Eyes and CMIP within their networks. For this call, we are seeking a representative from South and Central America.
Project co‑leads for four active Fresh Eyes Projects
1 Entry Level Documentation
Project co‑leads will lead the development of accessible, entry‑level documentation that helps new users understand, navigate, and responsibly use CMIP data. The role involves structuring content, gathering community input, and translating expert knowledge into clear guidance for early‑career researchers, Global South users, and non‑traditional CMIP communities. Co‑leads will directly influence how future users first encounter and work with CMIP datasets.
The previous co-leads and project members for this project have undertaken a number of knowledge gathering exercises to help start the curation of the documentation, and will provide a handover call with the new co-leads to continue project momentum.
2 Consistency between Paleo and Modern Forcing
Project co‑leads will guide a collaborative assessment of the consistency between paleo and modern forcings and their implications for CMIP7 experiments. Responsibilities include coordinating analyses on temporal continuity, identifying inconsistencies in forcing implementation, and ensuring changes and uncertainties are clearly documented and visible to the community. This role suits researchers interested in cross‑CMIP-era coherence, uncertainty communication, and improving experimental design.
There is one project co-lead already in place who devised the project proposal and is looking for additional support in leading this project.
3 Aggregating CMIP data analysis tools developed by Fresh Eyes on CMIP members in a common Github repository
The objective of this project is to create a structured, functional, tested and documented Github repository of CMIP data analysis tools contributed by members of the Fresh Eyes on CMIP community. Project co‑leads will help coordinate community contributions to a shared, well‑documented GitHub repository of CMIP data analysis tools, covering preprocessing, analysis, and visualisation. The role includes shaping repository structure and standards, and encouraging contributions and testing. Co‑leads will play a key role in building a widely usable open‑source resource, with the potential to support a community publication if momentum allows.
The original project proposers are no longer able to lead this project, but will provide a handover call with the new co-leads to explain and refine project goals.
4 Responsible use of CMIP Data
Project co‑leads will explore how CMIP data are used across diverse downstream communities and develop best‑practice guidance for appropriate and responsible use. The role includes engaging with user communities, and testing effective ways to communicate model purpose, limitations, and uncertainty. Co‑leads will help ensure CMIP data supports robust science and informed decision‑making.
This project will work closely with the joint RIfS-CMIP Task Team on Responsible Data Use.
Eligibility
Applicants for the Steering Group positions must meet the Fresh Eyes definition of an Early Career Researcher, defined as:
- Within seven years of completing a PhD (or equivalent), or
- Within six years of a first academic appointment,
excluding any career breaks.
Applicants may represent regions where they have worked and maintained significant collaborations. Nominations from candidates affiliated with CMIP‑participating modelling centres are particularly welcome.
The same restrictions do not apply for Project co-lead positions, though applications from Early Career Researchers are strongly encouraged.
Term and commitment
Appointments to the Steering Group are for an initial two‑year term, with the possibility of extension. Steering Group meetings are held virtually approximately every two months.
Project co-lead positions are given through to the project closure, with an annual check-in to discuss capacity and willingness to continue in the co-lead position.
Roles are unpaid, though limited travel support may be available for in‑person meetings on a case‑by‑case basis.
How to apply
Interested candidates should complete the relevant online application form.
Deadline for applications and nominations: 30 May 2026
If you are an early career researcher keen to influence the evolution of CMIP and amplify ECR perspectives within the programme, we strongly encourage you to apply.
