Rainmaker Fellow, Atmospheric Science

About the role

Rainmaker is building a modern cloud‑seeding system to increase precipitation and improve water availability. The Atmospheric Science Fellowship is a paid, full‑time research appointment for early‑career researchers to work on quantitative projects that guide Rainmaker’s operations and technology development.

Key responsibilities

• Translate atmospheric or operational questions into measurable quantitative criteria.
• Build and document quality‑controlled datasets using GRIB, netCDF, xarray and other sources.
• Apply statistical, climatological, geospatial, verification or decision‑analysis methods.
• Compare results across reanalysis, NWP, satellite, radar, terrain and in‑situ data.
• Quantify uncertainty, bias and sensitivity, and produce maps, summaries and decision‑oriented outputs.
• Deliver a final artifact such as a dataset, analysis framework, technical report or presentation.

Required profile

• Current undergraduate, master’s, PhD student, post‑doc or recent graduate in meteorology, atmospheric science, applied mathematics, statistics, physics, hydrology or related field.
• Strong Python programming and quantitative‑analysis ability.
• Experience with meteorological, climate, geospatial, radar, satellite or model data.
• Ability to make ambiguous definitions explicit and test sensitivity to assumptions.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Availability for full‑time, onsite work in El Segundo.

Required skills

• Python
• GRIB, netCDF, xarray
• Statistical and climatological analysis
• Forecast verification
• Spatial statistics and time‑series analysis
• Uncertainty quantification and decision analysis

What we offer

• Paid fellowship at $8,000 per month (USD)
• Full health coverage (medical, dental, vision)
• Lunch provided and fully stocked kitchenette
• Free EV charging at HQ
• Stock options and potential future full‑time role consideration
• 401(k) with employer match, unlimited PTO, paid holidays and parental leave
• Relocation assistance for eligible candidates