Assistant Research Scientist in AI+Physics​/Climate; NYU Courant Institute

New York University: NYU - NY:
Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science, NYU Courant Math and NYU Center for Data Science Location

New York, NY

Aug 19, 2026

We are seeking a full-time Assistant Research Scientist to join a frontier research collaboration developing next-generation AI methods for scientific applications, particularly physics and climate, at the NYU Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science.

The successful candidate will contribute to building and evaluating physics-constrained AI foundation models for climate predictions, including generalization to unseen climate forcings, and extreme events. The candidate will be primarily advised by Prof. Laure Zanna and co-advised by Prof. Carlos Fernandez-Granda, as part of the M 2 LInES collaboration . They will also have the opportunity to collaborate with leading scientists in the field, which in addition to M 2 LInES scientists, include Jesse Rusak and Alex Merose from Open Athena , Ai2 Climate Modeling , and Prof.

Richard Turner (Cambridge), on creating a new generation of AI foundation and world models for Climate.

This will build on a suite of major developments led by the team in developing AI emulators for the ocean, sea-ice, and atmosphere, and the full climate science system, with 1000x speedups over the original models. The expansion of these works includes exploring multiple resolutions, multimodality, and the grand challenges of learning physics on multi-century timescales for climate projections.

The position, available immediately, is a full-time appointment, initially for one year, with the possibility of renewal for two additional years, subject to satisfactory performance and available funding.

Some examples of recent work (more at M 2 LInES ):

In compliance with NYU's Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $58,656 - $110,000. NYU considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer quality, as well as market and organization considerations.
Candidates with particularly relevant or specialized knowledge may be considered for compensation above the higher end of the range.

Education:

Bachelor's degree in computer science, machine learning, applied mathematics, engineering, physical science, or a related technical discipline. Master's degree is a plus.

2+ years of research experience

Expertise or strong demonstrated skill in deep learning and computational science

Experience or interest in developing methods for scientific applications (not necessarily climate-related)

Proficiency in Python

Experience with HPC (GPUs preferred) is a plus

Experience with agentic programming is a plus

Related Skills and Other Requirements:

Ability to work at the interface of AI and science/engineering problems

Ability to contribute to multiple projects in a fast-paced environment

Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of an interdisciplinary team

Outstanding written and oral communication skills

Technical and scientific curiosity

A record of relevant projects, publications, or software appropriate to their career stage

NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, reproductive health decision making, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

All interested persons are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.

NYU aims to be among the greenest urban campuses in the country and carbon neutral by 2040. Learn more atnyu.edu/sustainability