Overview
COAPS scientists and students come from a wide range of disciplines, including meteorology, physical oceanography, mathematics, economics, and the computer and information sciences. Interdisciplinary collaboration is highly encouraged and internal communication is strengthened through monthly seminars and meetings. Researchers are supported by highly professional administrative and technical staff, and have access to the FSU High Performance Computing system, an extensive collection of library materials at both the COAPS and FSU libraries, and on-site editing services. Employees of COAPS also have the opportunity to network outside of the institution through COAPS' collaborations. Many of the research faculties in COAPS were hired first as post-doctoral candidates.
COAPS is located in Innovation Park, a research and development centre managed by Leon County. Our office is two miles south of the main FSU campus, with free and ample parking and a regular van shuttle to the main campus. The Seminole Golf Course, the Morcom Aquatics Center, and exercise paths are all within walking distance.
Tallahassee is home to the state capital, two major universities and an array of cultural and natural attractions. Tallahassee is currently ranked as the 18th-best college town in the nation by Best College Reviews and its park system was rated the "Best in America" (National Recreation and Park Association, 2006). In 2017, the population was 191,049, making it the 7th-largest city in the U.S state of Florida, and the 126th-largest city in the United States. The population of the Tallahassee metropolitan area was 382,627 as of 2017. The cost of living in Tallahassee is relatively low and many commute times are only 15-30 minutes. The driving time to a number of beautiful Gulf Coast beaches is one to two hours; to the city of Jacksonville is two and a half hours; and to the cities of Atlanta and Orlando is four hours.
Scientist and Staff Positions
Computer Science and Software Developer
COAPS is seeking a lead programmer to direct team-oriented code development projects to support atmospheric and oceanic data stewardship activities of the Marine Data Center at COAPS. Responsibilities support research activities funded by federal agencies (e.g., NOAA, NASA, NSF) and private institutions and include:
- Developing and maintaining software, scripts, and cron jobs in a Linux operating environment to support operational data processing, quality assessment, and distribution of in-situ and satellite marine meteorological and oceanographic observations managed by the Marine Data Center
- Developing software that has been tested to ensure results are plausible and support original research using these marine data.
- Developing and maintaining relational databases.
- Developing and maintaining machine-to-machine Semantic Web services (Linked data, RDF, etc.).
- Contributing to collaborations between the Marine Data Center and national/international geospatial informatics community.
- Willingness to participate in national/international data management and informatics working groups.
- Mentoring and supervising undergraduate programmers assigned to the Marine Data Center
- Writing technical documentation for use by data center team and user community.
- Contributing to scholarly publications in informatics and computer science.
- Timely task status reporting to supervisors and deliverable completion.
- Managing code versions and maintaining back-ups of critical computer resources.
The position title is Assistant in Research and is a 12-month salaried faculty Computer Science and Software Developer. For more details and to apply:
- Select the appropriate link below to access our Careers site.
- Review the job description and click the Apply for Job button to begin your application.
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If you are NOT currently an FSU employee, please use the following link: https://jobs.omni.fsu.edu/psc/sprdhr_er/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&Action=U&FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=1&JobOpeningId=52156&PostingSeq=1
If you are a current FSU employee, please use the following link instead: https://cas.fsu.edu/cas/?&service=https%3a%2f%2fhr.omni.fsu.edu%2fpsc%2fsprdhr%2fEMPLOYEE%2fHRMS%2fc%2fHRS_HRAM_EMP_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_FL.GBL%3fPage%3dHRS_APP_JBPST_FL%26Action%3dU%26FOCUS%3dEmployee%26SiteId%3d1%26JobOpeningId%3d52156%26PostingSeq%3d1
Contact Employment and Recruitment Services at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (850) 644-6034 with any questions.
Postdoctoral or more senior research positions
The Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Predictions Studies (COAPS) at the Florida State university invites applications for postdoctoral or more senior research positions to work in the areas of ocean modeling, ocean prediction, and/or machine learning. The work is part of a broad effort to improve Navy, NOAA, and NASA operational ocean models and data assimilation methods and is a component of a multi-institutional effort including the Naval research Laboratory (NRL), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Texas A&M, etc.
The applicant must hold a Ph.D. or must have submitted his/her/their doctoral theses for assessment prior to joining. The ideal candidates should have a strong background in one or more areas among dynamical oceanography, ocean modeling, data assimilation, machine learning, applied mathematics, or numerical methods. The applicant must have the ability to work comfortably in the Unix/Linux environment with experience in scientific software development, shell scripting, and experience with Python/Matlab/GrADS or similar analysis software. The applicant must be motivated, have the ability to work independently, and be willing to cooperate with peers and students in the team. A major emphasis of this search is on the potential for independent and creative research by the candidate. Early career postdocs will be exposed to research and career opportunities. Salaries and benefits will be commensurate with the candidates’ experience. Appointees are eligible for health insurance through Florida State University.
Candidate application materials should include a current CV, summary of doctoral dissertation and/or past research experience, statement of research interest, and the contact information of three references. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. If interested, please contact Professor Eric Chassignet at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
COAPS is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Student Positions
Student opportunities at COAPS include graduate assistantships, OPS employment, fellowships, internships, and Federal work-study. Details about current openings are posted here as they become available. For more information on academics at COAPS, please visit the Academics section of our website.
Undergraduate Computer Programmer
Gain applied programming experience to enhance your resume or graduate school application at the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS). COAPS has an immediate opening for a part-time undergraduate student to conduct scientific programming to support ongoing atmospheric and oceanic research. The successful candidate will be working within the COAPS Marine Data Center (MDC). Duties may include (1) developing database- coupled applications to export, analyze, or plot a wide range of atmospheric and oceanic data products hosted by the MDC, (2) developing application programming interfaces to serve marine observations, (3) directed scientific programming to process remote and in-situ observational data sets to support team research activities, and (4) maintaining and expanding content in backend databases (MySQL and MariaDB).
Candidates should be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, scientific computing, information technology, computer engineering, or a related field and have at least one full academic year remaining prior to their anticipated graduation. Successful candidates must have completed COP 4521 and COP 4530 (or equivalent courses). Applicants must have a strong interest in scientific programming, data analysis, and software development. The successful candidate will have strong people skills, a working knowledge of C/C++, Python, or another programming language commonly used in the physical sciences. Additional desired skills include a fundamental knowledge of relational databases. Familiarity with Linux shell scripting or Git (or similar version control systems) is a plus, but not required. Candidates must possess a willingness and ability to acquire new programming skills, be able to work within a team programming environment, and be able to meet deadlines established by supervisors.
The position will be filled for Fall semester 2021 (10-15 hrs/wk), with possible employment extension based upon performance. The position is part-time OPS with wages commensurate with experience and typically on the high end for student employment. The applicant must be able to work a regular schedule between 8 am and 5 pm (M-F) at our facility in Innovation Park. City and FSU bus services to/from campus are available.
Interested applicants should email their resume, unofficial transcripts, and contact details for three references to Mr. Shawn R. Smith (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
Mr. Shawn R. Smith Director, Marine Data Center Center for Ocean Atmospheric Prediction Studies
Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306-2741 Ph: (850) 644-6918 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Federal Work Study (FWS): Web Programmers
If you are receiving FWS at FSU for the 2021-2022 academic year and are interested in web applications programming, you can obtain applied experience to enhance your resume or graduate school application at the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS). COAPS has openings for FWS-eligible undergraduate students to maintain and develop web pages and services to support dissemination of research results and datasets to researchers and the general public. Duties include (1) designing and developing new web pages, (2) updating content on HTML, PHP, and Joomla pages, (3) maintaining content in backend databases (primarily MySQL), and (4) developing database-to-web applications to display/serve the wide range of atmospheric and oceanic data and research products served by COAPS. This opportunity will provide the motivated undergraduate with an opportunity to develop and expand his or her web programming skills while supporting an operational research center.
Candidates should be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, scientific computing, computer engineering, or a related field and have a strong interest in the distribution of information via the World Wide Web. The successful candidate will have strong people skills and a working knowledge of HTML. Past experience with personal web pages, an interest in web page design, and the desire to acquire new web programming skills are essential. Familiarity with PHP, Python, CSS, Java script, and/or Joomla (or similar content management systems) is a plus. Other desired skills include a fundamental knowledge of relational databases. Familiarity with JavaScript, Linux shell scripting, and/or Git (or similar version control systems) is a plus, but not required. Candidates must be able to work within a team programming environment and to meet deadlines established by their supervisors. As a final note, we do not expect an undergraduate to come into the position with all the skills listed here, but we do expect them to be willing and capable of learning new programming skills under the direction of their coding mentors. These mentors will be either full time computer staff or advanced undergraduate students working for our center.
The positions will be filled for fall semester 2021 (~10 hrs/wk depending on the candidate’s FWS funds) with a possible extension to spring semester 2022 based upon performance. The applicant must be able to work a regular schedule between 8 am and 5 pm (M-F) at our facility in Innovation Park. City and FSU bus services to/from campus are available.
Interested applicants should email their resume, unofficial transcripts, and contact details for three references to Mr. Shawn R. Smith (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
Mr. Shawn R. Smith Director, Marine Data Center Center for Ocean Atmospheric Prediction Studies Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306-2741 Ph: (850) 644-6918 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Prospective Graduate Students
COAPS/FSU is seeking applications from prospective graduate students with strong computational science backgrounds for studies in physical oceanography and ocean modeling. Students with either B.S or M.S degrees may apply. Applications from students from computationally intensive fields, such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Meteorology, and Engineering are particularly encouraged.
Students will pursue M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in physical oceanography from the FSU Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences while conducting innovative research in ocean modeling and forecasting at COAPS in collaboration with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. This unique opportunity provides students with course instruction from top faculty, state-of-the-art research facilities, and mentorship from some of the world’s foremost ocean modelers and forecasters. Though scientific computing and modeling will be central to the research program, students will have opportunities to gain experience in traditional oceanographic research methods through cruises, in situ and satellite data analysis, and laboratory methods.
Students will receive financial support covering tuition, annual stipend, health insurance subsidy, and funds to cover travel to work with scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory. As this opportunity involves access to U.S. Department of Defense facilities, applicants should be U.S. Citizens.
For more information, please contact Dr. Eric Chassignet at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
FSU is an Equal Opportunity/Access/Affirmative Action Employer.
Other Opportunities
COAPS periodically has technical and administrative staff openings that are posted on this webpage. Please also check the FSU Employment and Recruitment Services website.
The Florida State University is an equal employment opportunity employer and educational provider committed to a policy of non-discrimination for any member of the University's community on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, veterans' or marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other protected group status. An Equal Opportunity/Access/Affirmative Action Employer.
