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Application deadline: 23:00 UTC, Wednesday 20 August 2025
The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Earth System Modelling and Observations (ESMO) Infrastructure Panel (WIP) is seeking applications from enthusiastic and dedicated individuals to join the WIP Stakeholder Panel.
The WIP is 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. CMIP coordinates climate simulations to understand past, present, and future climate changes. CMIP and its associated data infrastructure have become essential to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other international and national climate assessments.
The Stakeholder Panel will provide input and feedback on:
- guidance drafting,
- user experience,
- user restrictions e.g. CMIP experiment name character limit,
- infrastructure design and development implications for models and modelling groups.
This call invites relevant communities and their representatives to nominate candidates (including self-nomination) who have expertise and are able to act in a representative capacity in one or more of the following areas:
- Downstream users including, but not limited to:
- cloud providers
- climate service platforms
- ESGF Nodes
- Modelling centres
- Integrated assessment models
- WCRP activities, including but not limited to:
- Digital Earths/high-resolution
- obs4MIPs
- Input4MIPs
- MIP scientific and/or technical leads
- Thematic science domain leads across Atmosphere, Ocean, Land, Earth System and Impacts & Adaptation domains
The WCRP-ESMO Infrastructure Panel (WIP)
The WIP is a subcommittee of ESMO, charged with the coordination and implementation of data infrastructure that defines a CMIP project phase, and the information that these infrastructure components require in order to build and deliver their services. The WIP is also tasked with providing guidance and feedback on other non-CMIP activities, within the interests of the ESMO Core Project. The WIP is responsible for many of the technical specifications for model output. The WIP and its subsidiary bodies are supported by the CMIP International Project Office. Full details of the purpose and objectives of the WIP are set out in its Terms of Reference.
Responsibilities of WIP Stakeholder Panel members
- Attend and contribute to meetings to drive progress and review issues and risks arising in the delivery of infrastructure for WCRP activities including CMIP
- Work with other Panel members to develop presentations and publications as relevant.
- Ensure adequate availability to be able to respond to requests for support from Panel co-chairs.
- Promote the work of the WIP, and consult as required, within their own networks and wider community.
- Commit to embracing diversity, demanding equality, and building capacity for the future within the WIP, in line with WCRP principles.
- Members are expected to conduct themselves according to the WCRP Code of Conduct.
Time commitment
We anticipate as a minimum this panel will meet 4 times a year. The meetings will be held online and scheduled to coincide with infrastructure timelines requiring stakeholder input. Where possible meetings will be convened for review of bundles of documentation/activities that require feedback
Term
Initial term is a minimum of one year. The WIP Stakeholder Panel will be reviewed by the WIP Core Panel on an annual basis to allow for inclusion of new representatives.
Membership to the panel is on an ex-officio, representative basis. If a member changes organisation/institution and/or steps down from or changes position in the organisation/institution/activity that renders their position not relevant to the objectives of the WIP, their appointing body/body they represent should provide a nomination for replacement.
Eligibility criteria
We seek nominations that will help us to enhance the integration of diverse and representative views to inform the activities of the WIP.
Current voting members of working groups or panels across WCRP, including those under ESMO are eligible to apply to the WIP stakeholder panel.
Selection process
All open calls for WIP panel and subsidiary body members will follow a four-stage selection process:
- An initial blind review of applications to generate a shortlist, which will then be reviewed in line with WCRP principles of embracing diversity, demanding equality, and building capacity for the future. Therefore, please adhere to guidance provided on the application form e.g., removing photographs, any personal details and publication list from your Curriculum Vitae.
- A full review of the shortlisted candidates – all information in the application will be considered at this stage. The WIP co-chairs will use the outcomes of the selection panel to produce a final, prioritised shortlist.
- Candidates on the priority shortlist will be asked to supply contact details for a supervisor/line manager/representative body who can confirm their support for the application.
- For core panel member appointments, the prioritised shortlist will then be submitted as a recommendation to the ESMO SSG for final approval. For subsidiary body appointments, the shortlist will be submitted to the WIP voting members for final approval.
Selection procedures align with the relevant clauses (14-19 and under subsidiary bodies) in the WIP Terms of Reference. All selection panel members will be asked to identify if they have any conflicts of interest with regard to the shortlist of candidates. They can still assess all shortlisted candidates, but their scoring and views can be disregarded by the selection process for the final prioritised shortlist.
Remuneration
WIP panel members and their subsidiary body 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 23:00 UTC, Wednesday 20 August 2025
Please contact the CMIP IPO if you have any questions or require further information.
