--- title: 'Staff Scientist, Modeling Applications at Convergent Research' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-scientist-modeling-applications-convergent-research-boulder-behn77mdyyhs' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-17' --- # Staff Scientist, Modeling Applications at Convergent Research - **Company:** Convergent Research - **Location:** Boulder, CO - **Compensation:** $125k–$160k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-10-08 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-17 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/convergentresearch/4b68cc77-0ebe-423d-8af6-e296be1bbd93 ## Job description ## About [C]Worthy [C]Worthy is a non-profit research organization transforming research-grade oceanographic models into decision-support tools for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Ocean CDR technologies, leveraging the ocean’s natural capacity to absorb and store atmospheric carbon dioxide, have the potential to make significant contributions towards meeting global climate targets. However, because the ocean is a dynamic, open system, measuring how much carbon a given CDR intervention actually removes presents a major scientific challenge. This is why robust Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) is essential: transparent, science-backed MRV builds the trust needed for governments, communities, and carbon markets to research and scale safe, effective ocean-based solutions. [C]Worthy is a tight group of scientists, developers, and leaders moving quickly to accelerate and de-risk ocean-based CDR. We are building C-Star, an open-source modeling platform that systematizes regional biogeochemical ocean modeling through automated, reproducible workflows, functioning as a one-stop-shop to create input and forcing data, model configurations, model execution, post-processing, and analysis. We use this software for a range of applications within CDR research and MRV applications, and work with external partners to establish a broad user-base of our software within both academia and industry. By establishing shared, open-source infrastructure, validated model domains, and reusable workflows, we dramatically lower the barrier to entry for new ocean modeling projects and ensure scientific innovations benefit the broader community. Ultimately, we aim to democratize access to advanced ocean modeling tools—empowering researchers, policymakers, and local communities to actively shape ocean governance and marine resource management. [C]Worthy is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. ## Role Overview modeling systems for CDR quantification, we are seeking a Staff Scientist to build and apply near-field and regional model configurations to strategically identified oceanic systems. The role will sit within our Applications team, which takes on projects at the intersection of applied regional modeling, model development, and process-level ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) research. Activities will include standing up, validating and running near-field, regional, and simplified OAE models to characterize the physical and biogeochemical controls on OAE efficiency, and develop the knowledge and data products that inform MRV and deployment design. This is a unique position, which sits at the intersection of academia and industry, offering multiple learning and career-advancing opportunities: - Answer central scientific questions at the frontier of ocean-based CDR research - Develop and use cutting edge open-source ocean modeling tools, paving the way for others to follow your steps - Leverage AI & ML to expand impact and enhance tooling for CDR - Design and deploy data visualizations of large geospatial datasets - Interact with academic, government, and industry researchers and practitioners of ocean-based CDR - Contribute to collaborative open-source software packages The successful candidate will be a technically well-rounded ocean modeler who can contribute across the full modeling lifecycle—from model and scientific software development to model application, analysis, and interpretation. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working collaboratively as a member of a larger technical team, moving across a variety of projects, learning new tools and scientific domains, and helping expand our capabilities into new areas of oceanographic modeling. Required Qualifications - Ph.D. in oceanography, atmospheric science, geophysical fluid dynamics, marine biogeochemistry, or a closely related field - Demonstrated experience configuring, running, and evaluating global/regional ocean and/or estuary models (e.g., Oceananigans, ROMS, MOM6, NEMO, FVCOM, SCHISM, MITGCM, Delft3D, or equivalent) - Working knowledge of ocean biogeochemistry, including carbonate chemistry and air-sea gas exchange - Proficiency in Python - Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to convey technical results to non-specialist audiences; ability to collaborate in a small, fast-moving research team ## Preferred Qualifications - Interest in and familiarity with AI/ML approaches applied to scientific modeling or data analysis. - Prior work on CDR quantification, MRV methodology, or ocean carbon cycle research - ## Experience developing reproducible scientific workflows - Familiarity with cloud-native, multi-dimensional data formats (e.g., ZARR, HDF, netCDF, COG), visualization tools, and public dataset publication practices - ## Experience with HPC computing environments (e.g., Slurm) - Familiarity with uncertainty quantification, ensemble methods, or Bayesian calibration The position is based in Boulder, Colorado (preferred), although hybrid and remote applications may be considered. ## About Convergent Research ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Convergent Research is a nonprofit organization that launches and supports Focused Research Organizations (FROs) to build foundational technologies that unblock scientific progress. - **Entity Type**: Private Nonprofit (501(c)(3)) - **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, United States - **Founded**: 2021 - **Founders**: Adam Marblestone, Anastasia Gamick ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Scientific Research and Development Services (NAICS 5417) - **Target customers**: B2B — scientific researchers, universities, government agencies, and philanthropic funders; operates as a "mission control" launching public-good R&D projects. - **Mission statement**: “Spectacularly good futures are within reach, but only if we mind the gaps. Scientists need essential technologies to do the groundbreaking research all of us depend on.” ## Products & Services Convergent Research does not sell commercial products. Instead, it incubates **Focused Research Organizations (FROs)** – time-bound, technically ambitious nonprofit efforts designed to produce high-impact public goods. Current and past FROs/projects include: - **Cultivarium**: Developing tools for studying novel (previously unculturable) microorganisms. - **E11 Bio (EVE Bio)**: Brain circuit mapping technologies. - **Forest Neurotech**: Neural technology and biosensing platforms. - **Ocean CDR Atlas**: Open-access tool for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal measurement. - **Fundamental Development Gap Map (v1.0)**: A public web portal identifying bottlenecks holding back science. Convergent Research provides shared operational support (legal, finance, HR, communications) across all FROs. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not applicable (nonprofit). - **Annual Revenue (FY2024)**: **$72.4 million** (ProPublica IRS filing). Total revenue for FY2024 was $100.1 million. - **Total Grant Funding Received**: At least $25.1 million from Vanguard Charitable, $9.5 million from Probabilistic Computing Foundation, $8 million from The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation (latest filings). - **Total Funding Raised**: ~$2 million in disclosed grants (led by Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 2023); the vast majority comes from additional major philanthropic gifts not categorized as single-investor rounds. - **Notable Partners/Funders**: Advanced Research and Intervention Agency (ARIA, UK), Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation, Vanguard Charitable, Probabilistic Computing Foundation. - **Growth Signals**: 164 employees (as of latest CauseIQ data, up from ~23 on LinkedIn); headquarter presence in Palo Alto, Cambridge (MA), and Boulder (CO); expanded into the UK via a collaboration with ARIA (“FROST UK”); 15 active job postings with 25% month-over-month posting growth. ## Competitive Advantages - **Novel institutional model**: Focused Research Organizations (FROs) fill a gap between traditional academia and for-profit startups — targeted, time-boxed, public-good missions. - **Lean central infrastructure**: Shared operational support lets FRO scientists focus purely on technical breakthroughs, avoiding administrative overhead. - **High-caliber scientific network**: Leaders include senior scientists from MIT, Caltech, King’s College London, and CMU as grantees/collaborators. - **Access to major philanthropic capital**: Partners with some of the largest climate and science foundations globally. ## Strategic Focus - **Geographic expansion**: Formal partnership with ARIA in the UK to launch FROs abroad (“FROST UK”). - **Gap mapping**: Releasing and refining the Fundamental Development Gap Map to systematically identify the biggest bottlenecks in science. - **Scaling the FRO model**: Adding new FROs in ocean CDR, neuroscience, and molecular engineering; hiring Founders in Residence to spin up new efforts. - **Public data as product**: Committed to releasing open datasets and protocols (e.g., drug–target assay data, Lean proof library) as public goods. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven**: Direct, hands-on impact on solving foundational scientific bottlenecks rather than incremental product improvements. - **Culture**: Described as “mission control” — fast-paced, collaborative, technical. Leadership emphasizes pushing high-risk, high-reward projects. - **Locations**: On-site positions in Palo Alto (CA), Cambridge/Boston (MA), and Boulder (CO). Some roles are US- or UK-based. - **Team composition**: Small, senior-heavy centralized team (~20 core staff in Palo Alto) plus larger distributed FRO project teams (~164 total organization-wide). Significant cross-functional work across legal, finance, operations, and science. - **Typical roles**: Postdoctoral Research Scientists, Research Associates, Biosensing Engineers, Finance/Operations Managers, General Counsel. - **Compensation transparency (IRS filing)**: CEO Adam Marblestone — $431,025; President Anastasia Gamick — $360,495; competitive nonprofit scientific salaries. - **Notable perks**: Working with world-class scientists and funders; contributions to genuinely public-good science; tax-deductible donation eligible organization. - **Remote/hybrid**: Mostly on-site (Boulder, Palo Alto, Cambridge); limited remote possibilities depending on role. ## Sources 1. [convergentresearch.org](https://www.convergentresearch.org/) 2. [jobs.lever.co/convergentresearch](https://jobs.lever.co/convergentresearch) 3. [linkedin.com/company/convergent-research](https://linkedin.com/company/convergent-research) 4. [causeiq.com – Convergent Research](https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/convergent-research,883013217/) 5. 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