Detailed Project Description
Ireland’s first Innovate for Ireland National Centre “Decarb-AI: AI-Powered Pathways to Climate Resilience” is a €5.7 million national centre funded jointly by AIB and Research Ireland. The centre will host 30 iScholars between 2025 and 2031 across three intakes.
You will be placed at the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC in Dublin or Galway) and supervised by Dr. Paul Nolan, with co-supervision at the School of Computer Science and potentially at Decarb-AI partner institutions.
As an iScholar, you will contribute to the development of a cutting-edge Machine Learning (ML) weather forecasting system for Ireland, trained using high-resolution historical climate datasets. The project combines advanced numerical weather prediction, regional climate modelling, and state-of-the-art AI methodologies to improve forecasting capability for the Irish domain.
The research will comprise two interconnected strands:
- Assessment of high-resolution climate data for training ML weather forecast models: Investigate the use of high-resolution historical climate datasets for ML model training. This will include the assessment of dynamical downscalings of ECMWF ERA5/6 reanalysis data using regional climate models such as WRF, COSMO-CLM, and ICON.
- Development of an ML-based weather forecasting system for Ireland Develop a machine learning weather forecasting model for Ireland using Anemoi, ECMWF’s Python-based framework for building next-generation ML weather forecasting systems.
Living allowance (Stipend): €31,000 per annum, tax-exempt scholarship award
University fees: fully covered
Start date: Autumn 2026
Academic Entry Requirements: We welcome applicants with a strong MSc/MA from a high-ranking university in computer science, physics, mathematics, environmental/climate science, or related fields.
