Applicants should have a science or engineering degree. Knowledge of meteorology would be beneficial. Programming skills in matlab/idl/Python/C/Java/C++ and knowledge of radar systems, signal processing and numerical modelling could also be beneficial. Team working attitude and excellent knowledge of spoken and written English are highly desirable.

This project offers an excellent opportunity to develop and apply novel radar techniques to remote sensing of clouds and precipitation. The student will be trained in a wide range of topics including radar meteorology, cloud physics, radiative transfer and precipitation remote sensing. The PhD student will be supervised by Prof. A. Battaglia, who currently has a joint appointment at Politecnico of Turin and at the University of Leicester, UK. A. Battaglia is a world leader in spaceborne radars and forward modelling of space-borne microwave sensors with direct involvement in all international missions with cloud and precipitation microwave observing instruments. He was involved with the NASA INCUS team in the successful proposal to the NASA’s Earth Venture Program led by Professor Susan van den Heever (PI) at Colorado State University. The PhD student will be able to collaborate with the international INCUS team when refining the algorithms for the characterization of convection (specifically there will be weekly teleconferences with the INCUS PI and Prof. Kollias at Stony Brook, City College of New York). The student will benefit from the collaboration with the CIMA foundation group led by Dr. A. Parodi who will provide consolidated experience in the execution of cloud-resolving numerical experiments at kilometric scale by combining different microphysics and radiative schemes as well by using stochastic parameterization schemes.