Available Position
AIMEC Research Engineer (WAE26-003)
Recruiting Department
Research Division, Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change (WPI-AIMEC), Tohoku University and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
*There may be a change in affiliation in the event of a reorganization of WPI-AIMEC.
Job Description
Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change (WPI-AIMEC), an alliance-type WPI research center jointly established by Tohoku University and JAMSTEC, aims to realize the “elucidation and prediction of the mechanisms of marine ecosystem fluctuations” through interdisciplinary and international collaborative research, and to contribute to planetary stewardship toward a sustainable ocean, Earth, and human society. For this reason, WPI-AIMEC has established five Grand Challenges (GCs) as comprehensive initiatives aimed at “Elucidating and Predicting the Mechanisms of Marine Ecosystem Fluctuations” (for details on the GCs, see https://wpi-aimec.jp/en/news/2649/
For detailed information on WPI-AIMEC's research, please refer to this link:
https://wpi-aimec.jp/en/research/cluster.html
To advance these Grand Challenges, we will utilize Tohoku University’s High-Performance Computing System supercomputer “AOBA” and JAMSTEC’s supercomputer “Earth Simulator” (hereinafter collectively referred to as HPC). We are seeking one AIMEC Research Engineer to provide technical support for the development of advanced Earth System Models (ESMs), the operation of various numerical models, including ESMs, and research and development (R&D), to strongly promote the GCs.
The successful candidate will be responsible for operations, research and development support (OR&D) of numerical models on the HPC systems (Tohoku University AOBA and JAMSTEC Earth Simulator) as well as WPI-AIMEC institute-level shared workstations. This individual will work closely with multidisciplinary teams of researchers between Tohoku University and JAMSTEC to solve novel problems in our marine ecosystem research, focusing primarily on the development and operation of numerical models of marine ecosystems.
[Job Description]
(Immediately upon employment)
The successful candidate will work in cooperation with research staff at AIMEC and HPC staff to perform the following duties:
- Facilitate the deployment, configuration, development, and maintenance of scientific software required for AIMEC research.
- Support CPU-based numerical simulations, including Earth System Models, ocean circulation models, biogeochemical models, and marine ecosystem models, primarily in collaboration with AIMEC's research members (e.g., installing, configuring, and optimizing core or community models on HPC systems; managing model operations on large-scale HPC systems; and managing data on the storage allocated to the HPC).
- Troubleshoot compilation, runtime, and performance issues related to numerical simulations (including machine learning, as needed) in collaboration with the research staff (e.g., resolving build errors, identifying causes of runtime errors, and isolating performance bottlenecks and proposing improvements).
- The outcomes of these research and technical development activities may be published in academic papers, whether as first author or co-author.
[Related GCs]
GC1, GC2, GC3
(The scope of possible changes)
The duties designated by WPI-AIMEC
[Related Fields]
Computer Science, Engineering, Earth System Modeling, Oceanography (Physical), Meteorology, Ocean Data Science (including observational informatics), Mathematics and Statistics (including AI, machine learning, data assimilation technology development, numerical model construction, and predictive simulation), or related technical and engineering fields.
Job Type
[Job Title]
AIMEC Research Engineer: AIMEC Research Engineer is expected to create original technologies and related research as a technology development specialist.
[Career Track]
Specially Appointed Associate Professor (Management): Tohoku University appointment
Project Senior Engineer (II) / Project Engineer: JAMSTEC appointment
Project Senior Research Technician: JAMSTEC appointment
*The career track will be determined during the selection process.
Requirements
- A bachelor's degree holder in a field related to the research or technological development in question, with at least 5 years of relevant work experience;
- or a master's degree holder in a field related to the research or technological development in question, with at least 3 years of relevant work experience;
- or a Ph.D. holder in Earth system modeling, climate science/oceanography, or a related technical/engineering field.
[Qualifications and Experience]
Required:
- Ability to communicate proficiently in English for technical and scientific collaboration with international researchers at AIMEC (including meetings, emails, and reading/writing technical documents).
- Ability to communicate effectively in Japanese for smooth technical interaction with HPC staff from Tohoku University and JAMSTEC.
- Experience in at least one of the following (A to D):
- HPC infrastructure experience: Operational experience with Linux-based operating systems (RHEL, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu Server, etc.) in a high-performance computing (HPC) environment.
- Development and scripting languages: Practical coding experience using Python, C/C++, or similar languages for automation, deployment, and system diagnostics.
- Scientific and engineering computing languages: Experience developing and using scientific, technological, and engineering languages such as MATLAB, Fortran, Perl, or Julia.
- Knowledge of parallel computing: Experience and knowledge of parallel computing, including MPI, distributed computing, and resource allocation.
Desirable (Experience in any of the following is preferred):
- Experience in developing and operating machine learning workflows on GPU-equipped servers (including PyTorch, JAX, and TensorFlow).
- Experience in developing prototypes (numerical simulation, agent-based models, machine learning) and deploying them to HPC environments by parallelizing and optimizing code based on GPU profiling.
- Experience with parallel file systems (such as Lustre), large-file transfers, and storage optimization.
Work Place
(Immediately upon employment)
One of the following options will be assigned in consideration of the successful candidate's technical development achievements, future technical development direction, and working environment.
a) Tohoku University
Aobayama Campus, 6-3, Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, JAPAN
b) JAMSTEC
Yokohama Institute for Earth Sciences (YES), 3173-25, Showa-machi, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0001, JAPAN
*Tohoku University: Measures to prevent passive smoking: No smoking on the premises, no work in areas where smoking allowed.
*Yokohama Institute for Earth Sciences: Measures to prevent passive smoking: No smoking on the premises (smoking areas are available outside), no work in areas where smoking allowed.
(The scope of possible changes)
The places designated by WPI-AIMEC (including a place for working from home)
Working Conditions & Contract Period
(1) Number of position:
1 position for AIMEC Research Engineer
(2) Type of contract:
Fixed-term employee
(3) Contract Period: April 1, 2027 – March 31, 2028 (renewable up to a maximum of 5 years in total)
*The start date of employment is negotiable (an earlier start date is also welcome).
*The total employment period shall be up to 5 calendar years from the start date, with the final renewal capped at the day before the 5th anniversary of the start date.
(e.g., If the start date is April 1, 2027, the upper limit will be March 31, 2032. If the start date is February 1, 2027, the upper limit will be January 31, 2032.)
*Each contract period is one fiscal year, and the contract may be renewed based on WPI-AIMEC’s progress, work performance, and other relevant factors.
*The above contract period is subject to change depending on WPI-AIMEC’s budgetary situation.
*On reaching the age of 65 during an employed fiscal year, the contract period will expire at the end of the same fiscal year. This bylaw may change.
*This position falls under Article 15-2, Act on Promotion of Science and Technology Innovation.
*Eligibility for Tohoku University’s tenure review or JAMSTEC’s transition review under the mandatory retirement system does not apply.
(4) Working Hours
Specially Appointed Associate Professor (Management): 8:30-17:15 (Break Time 12:00-13:00)
*Overtime: Applicable (overtime pay is provided for work beyond the scheduled working hours)
Project Senior Engineer (II) / Project Engineer: 9:00-17:30 (Break Time 12:15-13:00)
*Overtime: Applicable (overtime pay is provided for work beyond the scheduled working hours)
*Teleworking and flextime systems are available subject to various conditions.
Project Senior Research Technician: Discretionary Labor System for Specialized Work
*The determination of working hours allocation, including start and end times, as well as the method of carrying out research and development activities (including teleworking), is left to the discretion of the employee.
Salary
Annual salary (paid in 1/12 equal monthly payments)
e.g., JPY 7,100.000-10,000,000
*Salary will be competitive, based on the academic qualifications and demonstrated research skills of the successful candidate.
*Bonus and retirement allowance are included in the annual salary.
*There is no raise.
Terms of Employment
(1) Relocation travel expenses will be provided in accordance with the regulations of Tohoku University and JAMSTEC.
(2) Various allowances (commuting allowance, housing allowance, etc.) will be provided in accordance with the regulations of Tohoku University and JAMSTEC.
(3) Both of Tohoku University and JAMSTEC are fully covered by various insurances (health insurance, employee pension insurance, unemployment insurance, workers' accident compensation insurance, etc.) to promote welfare and benefits.
*At Tohoku University, there is the Mutual Aid Association of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and at JAMSTEC, there are the Corporate Pension Fund and Mutual Aid Association System, etc.
(4) Successful candidate assigned to Tohoku University have the right to move into the Lodging House.
At JAMSTEC, the candidate is eligible for the company housing lease service, although there are criteria based on income etc.
(5) Holidays and vacations: Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, year-end, and New Year's holidays. Annual vacations with pay, special vacations, leave of absence to care for a family member, and maternity leave are provided.
(6) Tohoku University has the largest on-site childcare environment of any national university in Japan, including the Kawauchi Keyaki Nursery School (Capacity: 22 children) and the Aobayama Midori Nursery School (Capacity: 116 children), which are available to all staff. There is also a nursery for children with minor illnesses and children after illnesses on the premises of the University Hospital, which is available for use by all university staff.
Application Procedure
(1) Required documents
a) CV
*Valid email and home address must be provided.
*Educational history should include all qualifications from high school and above.
b) Resume of specialized work experience described details of career history, professional experiences and skills.
*Please describe in detail the research and technology development projects you have worked on to date, including the development environment used (OS, hardware, etc.), programming languages, scale, and scope of your responsibilities.
c) Research and technology development plan at WPI-AIMEC (1 page)
**Please submit the following documents voluntarily;
d) "Publication (achievement) list" including thesis titles and "List of competitive research funds" awarded to the applicant
*Please list publications in refereed (peer-reviewed) journals separately from unrefereed publications.
*Include DOI codes if available.
*Include grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and other competitive research funding sources.
*Include records of scholarship awards received.
*If you have not been awarded any, include "none" in the list.
e) Two (or fewer) representative publications
(2) Submission
a)–e) Convert all application documents to PDF format and upload them to the following website:
https://recruit.jobcan.jp/jamstec/entry/new/2327503
*Since some of the notation is in Japanese on the website, please refer to the following input procedure when entering your information.
(3) Interview
Applicants will be selected on the basis of submitted application materials, followed by an interview in English.
*Web-based online interviews are expected basically.
Closing Date
December 13, 2026 at 23:59 in Japan time
*Depending on the situation of applications, the closing date may be extended.
Contact
Recruitment Desk, Research Promotion and Planning Division, WPI-AIMEC
Email: wpi-aimec_hr[at]jamstec.go.jp
*Please replace [at] with @ when addressing Emails and include "AIMEC WAE26-003" in the subject line.
Remarks
(1) Submitted documents will be managed safely according to strict rules. Personal information received during the recruiting process will be used only for recruitment screening and appointment procedures and not for any other purposes.
(2) Successful candidate should submit a certificate documenting their health upon appointment.
(3) Please kindly inform us in case of withdrawal of your application by Email.
(4) Above conditions may be changed at the discretion of the WPI-AIMEC.
(5) For non-Japanese speakers, the interview and daily work will be conducted in English.
Diversity and Inclusion
WPI-AIMEC has established guidelines for DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion).
Here are the details.
https://wpi-aimec.jp/about/dei.html
Tohoku University promotes activities to improve Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and welcomes active applications from diverse individuals.
With the aim of realizing an environment in which employees respect diversity in their academic, research, and professional activities, the University has established "Tohoku University - Everyone Plays a Leading Role - Guidelines on Diverse Sexuality" that outlines its policies and specific measures to be taken.
Please refer to the following website for information on Tohoku University's DEI initiatives.
In our quest to perform state-of-the-art research and develop scientific and technological innovations based on diverse values, JAMSTEC not only actively recruits women based on gender equality but also strives to create a work environment in which individuality is respected regardless of nationality, race, gender, gender identity, age, or the presence or absence of disabilities.
In response to the diverse needs of our employees, we will also promote more flexible work styles and environments, including shorter working hours and opportunities for discretionary work.
You can see specific actions from the website below.
